We will be flying to CDG this fall, probably from Atlanta. We have flown this route many times, on Delta/Air France, always in coach. It is a long flight and we arrive exhausted, as we have to connect to Atlanta first. I was thinking that perhaps we may splurge this year and book in First Class, if I could find a good deal. IF flying in First would give us extra legroom/space. Never having flown First, I do not know what to expect. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Nancy

International first, or even business class has much more room and comfort, as well as better meals. Depending on airline, many will have "lie-flat" seats that turn into a bed which facilitates napping to avoid that exhaustion. I'm getting older and simply will not travel long international flights in coach any more.

Some airlines only have business class and coach, others fc, bc and y.
I've flown out of JFK on both DL and AF, but in coach; I've flown AA business class to CDG many times. The food on AF in coach was better than AA's bc.
The difference (unless there is some super special promo) in price between y and bc/fc can be gigantic, as much as $5,000 to $10,000 rt.
In any case if you do splurge I would use AF instead of DL if possible.
If you can use miles it would soften the blow.

Yes, on long haul flights. On short flights, meh. Bigger seats and you get a better snack.

Never flew DL, but on US, even older recliner seats in Int'l FC are nice - you can actually sleep in them. Food can be hit or miss. My advice - book FC with miles. It is much cheaper than buying FC with $$. You can usually buy/get RDMs at 2cpm. On DL, TATL FC RT award starts at 50k RDMs which is only $1000.

Yes. It starts at the airport check-in. You will have dedicated First and Business class areas. There should be virtually no lines. You are eligible for more checked bags and perhaps weight limits. Then, you get the "easy pass" to pretty much go to the head of the security line. Then, you get to go to the airline's club. It may be huge and busy with other travellers, but you should have a comfortable place to sit and chill with a free glass of wine and munchies....il they call for your flight being boarded. Then, youngest on board, and are offered champagne or orange juice - I usually go for a mixture of the two. Then sit back in your larger seat, peruse the dinner menu and relax. The food can be good to just OK. I would recommend eating at the airport rather than on the plane - food is more consistent at the airport. That being said, I've never flown 1st to CDG, but have always either flown Delta or Air France - they are code share partners and we can use AMEX points for either. Bon temps!!!

I've flown Air France and, yes, absolutely! But if you're used to flying economy I'd seriously look at business class before first - you'll save a whole lot of money and still enjoy a fantastic experience. Extra legroom and other space, vastly better seat, food and service. Can't speak for Delta as I haven't flown any US based airlines for years, but that's my experience with AF.

It's still a smelly plane, not as comfy as being in a real bed, you still might get no sleep, and you'll still be jet-lagged when they wake you up shortly after midnight to serve you breakfast.

I can think of 87 other travel experiences I'd rather blow $3,500 p/p on.

Unless you require a major suck-up, as in Richard Gere's remedial advice to Rodeo Drive shop assistant in film Pretty Woman, during your trip, Business Class will improve your experience so much in all the ways above that the extra expense of going First is mostly unjustified.

First is a real experience mostly on the Asian carriers.. Singapore Airlines, Thai... Cathay.... etc. Not always on most US carriers (sorry, US carriers!) and not on all the European carriers either, with some notable exceptions.

I recommend Business Class for your trip,and depending on the time of year there may be lower-price offers around on some Business Class routes too.

On international flights, absolutely.

Another consideration is laptop power ports - First/Business seats are very likely to have them at every seat, while power port availability in Y is hit and miss (especially on older aircraft whose interiors have not been recently refurbished).

Right now, there is a Thanksgiving business class sale to Europe. For instance, TYS-ATL-CDG-ATL-TYS is $2140 ai 11/21-11/25. Also from BNA, CHA.
However, flying non-stop from ATL is double the fare ($4k).

While I recommend business class as well, I understand that Air France First has really upgraded their ground experience (it was already quite good when I last took it), even if the onboard experience still lags behind the Asian carriers. It is, nonetheless much better than what I have experienced on UA and Delta doesn't even offer first class.

Dear Nancy,

As someone who was flown over 2 million B.I.S. miles (and have flown overseas multiple times), I will not, under any circumstances be on a flight that is over five hours long without being in either business or first, period!

No exceptions, nothing to discuss, no thought required, end of story.

To me, there is really that much difference (-: