Review: Air France Intra-Europe Business Class Bucharest to Paris
This review covers my flight in intra-Europe business class on Air France from Bucharest Otopeni (OTP) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport.
Flying to Asia
To kick off my trip to Taiwan, I was flying with Air France in business class from Bucharest to Paris, with an onward connection to Singapore.
I redeemed some of my Flying Blue miles to purchase this ticket, which cost me 70,000 miles and €219.88 in taxes.
As I hold platinum status with Flying Blue, the frequent flyer programme of Air France/KLM, flying with Air France is certainly nothing new for me.
However, since it has been a while since I last reviewed an Air France intra-European business class flight — from Paris to Madrid on an Air France Airbus A220 — I thought a new review would be appropriate.
At the airport
As usual, my journey began at my home airport, Bucharest Otopeni (IATA Code: OTP), which is frankly one of the worst airports in any European capital.
Bucharest Otopeni Airport is dirty, overcrowded, overpriced even by already high airport standards, and truly has no appealing features whatsoever.
Its only saving grace is that the wait times for security control are usually quick, which is greatly appreciated since there is no priority security lane.
The TAROM Business Lounge in Bucharest, overcrowded due to the numerous credit card holders who can have access as well, is also nothing to really look forward to, although it certainly beats sitting in the terminal.
I was happy when I finally spotted the Air France Airbus A320 that would operate my intra-European flight to Paris from the lounge window.
Bucharest (OTP) to Paris (CDG)
Air France – Flight AF1889– Airbus A320-200
Plane registration number: F-GKXJ
Business class – Seat 1A
Departure: 2.25pm – Arrival: 4.35pm
Flight time: 3h10m – Distance: 1,154 miles
Air France intra-Europe business class cabin & seat
Unlike flights departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where priority boarding is well-enforced, this wasn’t really the case in Bucharest, where the process is always more chaotic.
Nevertheless, I was among the first to board the plane, an Airbus A320, and quickly took my bulkhead seat of 1A in the business class cabin.
Air France has a number of different narrow-body aircraft types to operate its intra-European flights, ranging from various Airbus models (A318, A319, A320, A321, A220) to smaller Embraer planes (E170, E190) operated by its regional subsidiary, Air France HOP.
Regardless of which Air France plane operates your flight within Europe, the business class seats will be identical to those in economy class.
The only difference in seating between Air France intra-Europe business class and economy class is that in business class, the middle seat is guaranteed to remain empty, providing more shoulder room and personal space.
The dividing curtains between business and economy class can be moved forward or backward throughout the cabin based on demand, so sometimes the business class cabin might consist of just a single row, while on premium-heavy routes, it can extend several rows deep.
Although these seats of course cannot compare in comfort to what most American or Asian carriers offer in business class on narrow-body planes, they are the standard among European airlines, and it’s comfortable enough for a short hop across the continent.
On this Airbus A320, USB-A sockets were available in the armrest of each seat, although power outlets were absent, as is standard on Air France’s narrow-body planes.
Almost all of Air France’s narrow-body planes, including the Airbus A320 I flew on, are equipped with Wi-Fi internet that you can connect to for a small fee, which will soon be upgraded to complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers.
Departure
The afternoon Air France flight from Bucharest to Paris was almost completely booked in economy class, with nearly all seats occupied.
Fortunately, business class was only half full on this flight, and the aisle seat 1C in my row stayed empty.
It was a beautiful day upon departure from Bucharest, and the views during take-off over the city and the Romanian countryside were quite pleasant.
Air France intra-Europe business class meal
A premium cold meal is served on all flights in Air France’s intra-European business class.
There is no choice of meal in Air France intra-Europe business class, so you better hope the airline serves something you actually like.
If you want to ensure you receive a special meal (i.e., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or halal), you should request it at least 24 hours before your flight (48 hours for a kosher meal) by calling Air France or by managing your booking online.
In some ways, the meal service on Air France’s intra-European business class flights has declined over the years, as a few years ago the airline still offered passengers a choice and served hot meals instead of the current cold meal plates.
However, the quality of the food is often still high, and I did enjoy my lunch on today’s flight from Bucharest to Paris.
I was served smoked salmon and conchigliette pasta with a creamy cauliflower sauce, along with mushroom and truffle paste.
On the meal tray were also two types of cheese (Cantal and Comté cheese) and a delicious pear tartlet (Air France always does desserts well, in my opinion).
Of course, Air France serves champagne in business class on its flights within Europe, as well as a selection of other wines and other (alcoholic) drinks.
Air France business class service
On my intra-European flight from Bucharest to Paris, I found the service in business class to be friendly and professional, which reflects the general service quality on Air France.
Service on Air France may not always be the warmest or most refined you will encounter in the sky, but it speaks volumes that I have never experienced bad service on the French flag carrier.
The flight attendant working in business class on today’s flight was certainly friendly and highly professional, making frequent walks down the aisle to check if any of the business class passengers wanted another drink or had any other requests.
Given that Air France’s narrow-body planes do not have proper espresso machines, I skipped the poor-quality coffee and simply requested a top-up of my champagne after finishing the meal.
Indeed, the flight attendant returned several times with the champagne bottle to keep my glass topped up, which I didn’t mind at all.
About an hour before landing, the flight attendant also handed out gianduja chocolates and simple yet absolutely delicious butter cookies, which I thought was another nice touch of business class service on Air France during this relatively short intra-European flight.
Landing at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
After a pleasant flight, we began our descent towards Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as the sun set over the French countryside.
We landed on time at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and after a short while taxiing across several taxiways, we finally reached our parking spot at the terminal.
Upon disembarking, I made my way to Terminal 2E for my connecting flight to Singapore with Air France aboard a Boeing 777.
Conclusion
Flying Air France in intra-Europe business class is not about the seat, which is the same as in economy class but with the middle seat guaranteed to remain empty, but rather about the extra service.
When you take an intra-European business class flight with Air France, you can look forward to a premium meal, free-flowing champagne, and overall friendly service from proactive flight attendants when flying in the front of the plane.
Given that no hot food is offered and there is no choice of meal, you cannot really say that Air France’s intra-European business class is the best on the continent, as there are definitely some areas for improvement, but overall the quality of the product is certainly good.
Whether the Air France intra-European business class product is worth the money depends on your situation and needs.
If you already have a high enough frequent flyer status that grants you perks such as lounge access and free baggage allowance, business class is generally not worth the premium if you are flying solely within Europe, as you are essentially only paying for an empty seat next to you and better food and drinks.
Some passengers will however appreciate the better service, extra shoulder room and more private environment of business class, and if you do not have frequent flyer status, access to the business lounge and extra baggage allowance quickly make business class a better deal.
However, most people take an intra-European business class flight because they are connecting to a long-haul flight to a faraway destination, meaning the product on the short Air France flight to Paris doesn’t matter too much, as it is all about the lie-flat seat and service on the intercontinental flight.
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘Trip to Taiwan: Exploring Asia’s Underrated Travel Gem‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. Review: Air France Intra-Europe Business Class Bucharest to Paris (current chapter)
2. Review: Air France Business Class Boeing 777 Paris to Singapore
3. One Day in Singapore
** rest of the chapters to follow soon **
