tudorranch

Not sure if this is the right place, but can't easily find another. If you can direct me to the correct spot, I would appreciate it. I've found great award availability for my family in AF business class to Europe this summer, but it involves flying AF 689 ATL-CDG, which looks to be a 3 class, 2-3-2 NON-LIE FLAT cabin. Is this still possible?! Any idea if AF has plans to change their aircraft to all lie flat any time soon (preferably before this summer!!)?

84fiero

Maybe the Air France forum?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...ying-blue-594/

Mod alerted to move post...

tudorranch

Thank you! I found it after I posted this. I tried to get to that link from a different location and I couldn't get there. Sorry for the hassle! #newbie

chgoeditor

I'll move this to the Air France forum.

chgoeditor
co-moderator, Info Desk

Yoshi212

Yes, the AF forum and the stickies/dashboard there would be helpful. the 772 that flies that route is equipped with 2x3x2 angled flat business seats. It won't be a bad experience but just not quite as nice as fully flat seats.

tudorranch

I was unable to book this online and had to call AF to do so. When questioned, the agent said the equipment WAS in fact a lie-flat 180 degrees. I asked him to confirm and he said emphatically that it was a lie flat. Isn't that weird?!

brunos

ALL 772s have BEST seat (horizontal). Unfortunately, it seems that AF flies 77W with old seats to ATL. AF blabla is that these are lie-flat, but they are not horizontal. The angle is around 15o and not solo seats (2x3x2). No fun.

skyhighlander

I don't get why AF puts its old equipment on CDG-ATL...

To use it to connect 2 major Sky Team hubs where a much greater number of people connecting from various places on both continents is likely to see how crap it is, seems strange.

If I didn't know better, after ending up on a flight like this I would do everything to avoid Air France. Because if that's what they use on a main SkyTeam route, what they must be using elsewhere? And I bet that's what people think.

brunos

Rather than pointing to long threads, let me repeat some stats.
The majority of AF longhaul fleet still has the old J seats. Only 25 772s and 1977W have BEST, all the other 25 77W, and all A330, A340, and A380 have old seats.
In the recent past, all flights to SIN, HKG, HND have been scheduled with BEST (except for last minute equipment change). But most other destinations are uncertain. Even JFK sees a lot of ac changes.
AF seems to have a policy to "rotate" BEST to as many destinations as possible for marketing purposes. That is a different philosophy from the one you mention.
It is truly sad that AF is the last longhaul airline to still have a majority of antique non-flat seats. In my personal case, I will avoid the risk of an angled seat, unless forced to fly AF.

mlin32

Tada ! I used the search function to dig up the former sticky : 777 New Cabins - Deployment Schedule

Don't forget the 787 also all have the BEST, to destinations like YUL. I even remember at least a few months ago, the 772 from ORY-JFK also had BEST seats. So I guess it's at least partially dependent on how the middle managers see the importance of the destination....

irishguy28

Or, you could say that CDG-ATL, being served only by Skyteam airlines, is a monopoly, and therefore AF/DL doesn't have to compete too hard for the traffic.

Better equipment is used for competitive or flagship routes, rather than humdrum hub-to-hub shuttles.

brunos

Indeed, I forgot to mention the 787. I think that they have 5 of them now.
Hence 49 longhaul ac with BEST and 59 with NEV, give or take one.

ANd it is not easy to understand the destination use, except my argument about rotating everywhere for marketing purposes. Several leisure destinations have/will receive BEST.