orbitmic

^ Have a good flight!

Zembla

The boarding started with a small delay, but was very efficient. The Sky Priority lane worked like a dream. Wish it was always like that!

There was a certain degree of excitement in the cabin. Some people obviously didn't expect the NEW1, and it was a first experience with passengers for the members of the cabin crew I talked to. They seemed very proud (with reason).

First impression as you enter the cabin is immediately: great! It all looks classy, spacious, and special. I sat down, got comfy, and started playing with all the seat features. I love the storage space. Great for laptops ipads, magazines, amenity kits and whatever. And the new IFE is simply as good as it gets nowadays. Great details with the reading lights. And you can connect a 1 pin personal headphone if you want. The new pillows, amenity kit, and blanket is all a notch up from the previous ones.

After push back...we were pushed back to the gate. A technical problem needed to be resolved, which resulted in a delay of 45 minutes or so. After takeoff I went horizontal and fell asleep. With my nearly 2 meters....I didn't wake up until the lights went on. Need I say more? I took breakfast (AF: please do this better!) and got to try the seat in eating mode. I really don't get all the complaints about dangling feet and such. Everyone in the cabin who took breakfast had their feet firmly on the ground. As you would at any dining table. Which reminds me, I am convinced the gap between the seat and the ottoman is short enough even for children or small people to get comfy with their legs. Despite a similarity in concept with the ottoman, It really looks more ergonomic than NEV4 there.

A few words concerning the quality of the seat: The operation of the stowage door was a bit flimsy, and it didn't close perfectly, otherwise everything was fully functional. I have the impression that the motor for adjusting the seat position is more powerful and stronger than on any NEV variety. However, two rows behind me the seat didn't get back up in the morning, they had to do it manually. The cabin crew told me that the further rollout was planned a few months after this first plane. They wanted feedback on problems and possible points of improvement. The final version of the seat which we will see in the future might be different in details and quality improvements.

A few tips concerning space. Window seats are more spacious, because of the extra space you get between the side of the seat and the fuselage. 10A and 10J have a lot of extra storage space with a special compartment behind the video screen.

So how does it correlate to the new KL seat? You can't really compare them. The KL seat is a good seat, but the NEW1 is simply excellent.

I remember that De Juniac mentioned at the DO that this seat would be better than SQ....
So, is it better than the fabled SQ seat? For me, a big yes for many reasons. But I need to note that I haven't tried the newest generation of the SQ seat yet.

In any case, I would like to conclude that this is a top-notch seat which is amongst the best out there, and AF is placing themselves in the front with it. It is definitely the sort of seat that will impact my choices when booking. A few improvements in the soft product would be the icing on the cake.

orbitmic

Thanks for the trip report!! Glad the seat delivered! I look forward to trying it in a couple of months to compare with the details of the CX and AA "brothers"!

Goldorak

Thank you Zembla for relating your great experience. It seems that AF has really done something excellent here with this seat ^ ^^

Me too !!!!!!!! But still almost 4 months to wait for the WOW sale HND trip. I'm making nightmares about last minute frame substitution and having finally a NEV2 seat

orbitmic

I'm actually 3 1/2 months away too but time goes so quickly...

ajs123

A recent AF press release states:

They seem quite certain that no retrofit delays will occur!

Goldorak

This is discussed in this thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...-schedule.html

ajs123

indeed, it is! I was looking for that thread, but could not find it as i wrongly believed that it has a wiki like the similar thread with KL's update, not to mention other airlines.

Goldorak

I tried the new J seat (along with some other valuable members of this forum ) during the AF exhibition at Grand Palais in Paris and I was very impressed by this new seat. AF has really made something good here. I can't wait to try it in real to HND, hoping those crazy pilots are stopping the on-going madness

Goldorak

For those of you who did not have the chance yet to discover the new J and P seats either in flight or during one of the expo "France is in the air" in Shanghai, NY or Paris, they will be displayed at the BMW brand store on avenue George V in Paris until October 18
https://fr.finance.yahoo.com/actuali...122400127.html

Gwilly

Well guys,

I just got off AF011 about an hour ago, and this was by far the best flight on Air France ever!
I had the chance to finally experience the new BEST cabin in J, and I am really happy to see that AF has finally stepped into the 21st century of business air travel with a great product (both soft and hard).
I was lucky to be able to snatch a window seat in the forward J cabin (4 rows only, very quiet).
The service was somewhat lacking on a short overnight flight, but the food was much better than any previous experience I had before.
The IFE has been improved tremendously and the screen quality is quite amazing. Even the noise canceling headphones were impressive.
But the best part was the BED! I hadn't slept so well since my last flight on Delta in their new A330 business product a little while back. I truly love this new seat: it's wide and you can really sleep comfortably in many different positions. And it's also quite comfortable.
And with earplugs in, I was able to snooze soundly up until about 15 min before landing, when I was gently awoken by the FA, who even offered me a coffee and orange juices before we touched down.

As with other reports before, the seat does already shows signs of wear and tear, so I hope that they improve a little on quality as they move forward with the entire refurbish project. But AF has finally done something great here with this new cabin. Each seat feels very private (even the middle ones), yet provide plenty of space to move around, lounge, dine, sleep, etc. Welcome to the present AF. It took a while, but glad that you are finally here. ^

Have some pics to share, but never posted any on here, so help and recommendations on how to do so are welcome.

Goldorak

Excellent ^
I agree with you. Great product. I have flown it 3 times now and my already good perception of the 1st flight has increased with the 2nd and the 3rd flight.

brunos

Good to hear.
I hope that they speed up their retrofitting

delanotre

Personnaly I use "Flyertalk gallery"

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post10804230

Goldorak

Me too !