If I was a functioning and coherent speaker in the first leg of my tour, it’s entirely because of Air France. As a partner for my tour, they offered me a chance to slip into the front of the plane — you know, that section behind the curtain where Champagne is free-flowing, the seats recline fully and the cutlery isn’t plastic — and experience their new business class cabin. With an 11-hour flight to Los Angeles, I knew that sleeping for a solid 6-7 hours would be my only hope for minimizing fatigue upon arrival. I’ve always had positive experiences on Air France over the years, both in economy and premium economy (which I flew often for several years for meetings in Geneva), and I knew I’d be in good, capable hands for this journey.
Service in all AF classes soars above the American carriers I have flown with most and I was pleased by how effortless the experience was from check-in to boarding. The biggest difference this time was the much-coveted lounge access in Terminal 2E, which comes with an array of cold and hot dishes, and endless supply of drinks, coffee, excellent reading material, loungers and quiet zones to…