Who in the real world pays those kinds of prices? Wealthy leisure travelers who want to travel business will typically be on O or Z fares and large corporates will often get Z-level type fares for C/J type ticket conditions. There might be the odd person paying that but I would hazard the guess that the average fare in the business cabin on such segments hovers somewhere around half of that figure. or less.

I agree AF is chipping away at its USPs if it introduces Bob. Nonetheless, there are many BoB models AF could choose from.
They could for example dole out free drinks ans snacks to all Plats and Golds. That would be a way of retaining loyalty and even increasing it, because the feeling of "being special" versus other pax would increase.
I flew FR last week and preordered a drink/snack and it was nice to have the crew coming over to serve me before everyone else. That said, the rest of the flight experience was plainly inferior.

Few passengers will make those kinds of detailed calculations. And if you do them, buying the extras on LCCs will typically replicate the experience for less than twice the price of the ticket. The danger is more one of the brand image of being perceived as somewhat better than LCCs being gradually destroyed, it seems to me.

But perhaps we tend to over-estimate the value attached to it, although, judging by Alex Cruz (former BA CEO) vehement insistence that BA should not be seen as anything like a low cost carrier after the successive downgrades to the basic economy product, suggests that legacy carriers still feel that this is a valuable differentiating factor, even though the gradual downgrades to the product cannot help but leave the impression of the emperor now having lost all its clothes.

Of course, I was merely pointing out how quickly AF domestic product lost its appeal during the last 24 months.
Even though no one will spend time compiling these differences between airlines before making a purchase, if a company relinquishes all its USP for a given market, at some point it will appear inferior to its competitors for every customer -- whatever their focus is. You have to be better at something to justify a higher price point. AFKL used to be way better than LCC (being all-inclusive being, by itself, a selling point to some people). Now, it is barely superior to LLC on domestic routes, even for frequent flyers. When asked, pre-Covid, why I preferred AF to EasyJet when flying in France, I used to be able to list perks. It's getting harder and harder: I can bring up SkyP boarding (when it's actually implemented) and on-board service (for now). Making it a rational - even if subjective - choice is going to be impossible if they keep streamlining their offer at this rate.

I am not sure why you need an additional crew member to perform a basic drink and snack service? If anything you'd need an additional crew member to handle the payments. Otherwise, the standard two crew members handling service will be the usual. I suppose if there is to be any benefit it would be reduced wastage as well as lower costs. However, if you still stock products for BoB, then they will still have a shelf life.

It will be a sad day when BoB comes though.

Some more info : https://snpnc.org/content/air-france...il-y-sur-table
- The Plate dressing in C long haul will disappear.
- In C medium haul no more hot meal
- The 777-200 40J will be modified in 777-200 28J ( so less chance of upgrade) end of 2022 -start 2023
- New service offering in W will be tested
- BoB will be tested on test flight
- Fleet modernization will continue

Wonder what metrics they will use to evaluate this test?

Nobody buys - happy crew as they can chat all flight.
Good sales - better finances for AF.

What is this with AF ? If this is what I think, it had only a very brief existence 5 or 6 years ago on selected flights.

Interesting that the configuration for the loisirs 77W seems to have been chosen. A350 #1 also seems to indicate that they are preparing for another layout.

On service, all these numbers are rather puzzling, how does this compare to competition? I find it odd that after touting their plans to upscale the premium aspects of AF they hack and slash more and more everytime.

Whatever happened to the plan to trial out and introduce mattress toppers in J? Was ultra-business officially discontinued?

I just flew CDG-CUN on AF in J with a connection to AM to GDL.

Very disappointing experience. Probably one of the worst I have had on AF.

777-300 with a tiny, cramped business class.

Some observations...

1) The service was generally worse than on any other flight I have taken... though I think they must have checked the manifest because at one point they became very cordial and attentive. After they skipped row 3 for food that is....

2) The food was terrible. Perrier gone after initial drinks. Not great options and tiny portions (60g of chicken max) compared to other flights. I am not a big eater (my friends call me a rabbit) but for an 11hr flight I was starving... the landing option was 40g of fusilli pasta in a mysterious butter "sauce" ... I'm certain some day it will be revealed that a prison in Italy offered this recipe to AF.

3) The 773 hard product was a complete mess. My power outlet didn't work. Wifi worked for all of 20 minutes. The seat across from me had a sign across the screen "INOPERABLE" and two people were actually fighting to sit there to be closer to their other half... go figure... And the cabin uncomfortably warm...

Really don't mean to post a btchfest but it was below par on so many levels. If it hadn't been for the (eventual) FA's it would have been a perfect AA flight LOL.

I think it's quite humorous that I get a survey after most flights but I didn't receive one after this one... Murphy's law!

Yes, I get it... it's a leisure route but come on... I've flown on several of them... SXM, RUN, PPT but this was the worst.

For the C hotel meal it will only be a cold meal if an A319/A318/A220 is used.... And that doesn't make sense. So one day you could be flying to TUN or CMN with an A320 and you get a hot meal and the following day an A319 and you get a cold meal.
I mean for flights of over 2 hours, one CC can manage a cabin of 3 or 4 rows by himself with hot meals... Sometimes unions are a pain in the ....

I was told by a pnc on the first AF commercial flight from CDG to TFS that due to no oven being installed on AF 223 aircraft, no hot meal will be served anymore in C-Class (medium haul network).

over 4 hours flight and no hot meal in C !
Come on Air France …

So it means that crew will also eat only cold meal in the Airbus 220.. another subject of complain for the union

Right, a "2/3" tray has been served (breakfast time at 10am !!) with a small cold plate (a piece of cheese and a pancake stuffed with a kind of withe cheese and some fresh herbs). Hot drink served in a paper cup !! A real "montée en gamme", isn't it ?