Air France 777 Business Class Review: IAD to CDG

During our last family vacation in December 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded us, we flew Air France Business Class on the Boeing 777 from Washington D.C. to Paris using miles. Read our Air France 777 Business Class Review for all the details on this Air France international flight. Our Air France business class review covers food, service, onboard entertainment, and comfort.

Air France 777 Business Class Review from IAD to CDG: WTA Score

**Our WTA score represents our own views based on our personal experience with the entity being reviewed.

How we booked our Air France Business Class tickets for $418 each

The Air France frequent flyer program, Flying Blue, is incredibly easy to accumulate miles. Flying Blue is a transfer partner of 5 major transferable currencies- American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, CapitalOne and Citi ThankYou points. So you can transfer points from any of those 5 programs and combine them in the Air France miles program for award flights.

Flying Blue does not have an award chart but instead has dynamic pricing. We found 4 Business Class tickets from Washington D.C. to Dubai (this flight was just the first leg of the journey) for 85,000 Air France Flying Blue miles each plus $418.39 in taxes and fees. This is not the cheapest we’ve seen but over the winter holidays it was a good deal. The Business Class tickets for our family of 4 would have set us back $19,400.08 one way but we paid $1,673.56 in taxes and fees and 340,000 Flying Blue miles, saving $17,726.52 in the process. Finding 4 business class award flights together is not easy to do. We had to be flexible with our dates to find availability together. We ended up leaving for vacation several days earlier than we had wanted to, causing the kids to miss a few days of school. But it was worth it, especially since it would be our last family vacation before the pandemic lockdown began.

Be aware that point transfers from AMEX and Chase are almost instant, but Marriott Bonvoy rewards can take several days to transfer. Thankfully Air France will hold tickets for 3 days while points transfer. We kept calling Air France customer service and asking if they could continue to hold our tickets longer because our Marriott BonVoy points ended up taking a long time to transfer. We also ran into issues with one of our Marriott Bonvoy transfers where the points never made it into our Flying Blue accounts. Although the Flying Blue agents were not required to hold our bookings, they kindly held our bookings for us until the transfers cleared. Kudos to Air France customer service for that.

Business Air France Check in at Washington Dulles Airport

Check-in at IAD was quick and easy. There is a priority line for business class passengers which made the process smoother. We didn’t have to wait at all and checked our luggage and then headed to the lounge. Air France Business Class baggage allowance is 2 checked bags weighing up to 32 kg/70 lb each in addition to 2 hand baggage items and 1 personal item (Purse, briefcase, computer bag) for carry-on.

Air France Business Class Lounge at IAD

Our business class tickets permitted us entry into the Air France lounge at IAD. The lounge is open to Air France and KLM first class and business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on an international SkyTeam flight. The lounge has been newly renovated and offered a buffet with tasty options like salad, fruit, soup, bread, and sweets. There is also a bar with several kinds of liquor, wine, beer, and champagne available. We had some snacks and a glass of wine but wanted to save our appetites for our in-flight meal. Here’s a look at some of the Air France lounge options at IAD.

Boarding our IAD to CDG Air France flight

Luckily the lounge was directly across from the departure gate, which gave us more time to relax before our flight. However, the boarding process was a bit chaotic for us at IAD. We were told that we could pre-board due to having young children, so waited where a crew member directed us. Then when we showed our boarding passes, they told us we were supposed to be in a different area for Business Class passengers, which was not clearly indicated.

When we went to the area they told us to go, no one was there to take our boarding passes. So by the time we were able to board, we no longer had the benefit of priority boarding. It felt disorganized and poorly managed. We were disappointed not to be able to snap some photos and videos of the cabin before it filled up with other passengers.

All passengers entered the plane through the front doors which means everyone was walking past our seats for a very long time. We were trying to pass things back and forth to each other and get settled with the kids. With so many people passing through on their way to the economy cabin it was difficult to even see or talk to each other across the busy aisles. We were perplexed why some passengers did not board from the rear doors. As a result of all the traffic through the cabin, we did not receive any service during the lengthy boarding process. This is unusual for a business class flight, where in our experience welcome drinks are normally offered shortly after getting settled.

Air France Boeing 777-300ER Business Class Cabin

The Air France B777 Business Class cabin has 2 areas- a small mini cabin at the front and a larger cabin at the rear. Our plane also had a small first class cabin, called La Premiere, with just 4 seats. Although the first class cabin looked very luxurious and cozy, we were surprised that it offered little privacy from other first class passengers. It would be perfect for a family of 4 traveling together to have the ultimate VIP experience with the entire cabin to themselves.

The business class cabin has a 1-2-1 seat configuration with reverse herringbone seats. This arrangement offers a lot of privacy. We sat in the back row of the Business Class cabin and had the entire row. We sat the kids in the middle next to each other and we sat in the window seats. The flight crew required one of us to be next to each child, so this seating arrangement worked out for all of us.

AF Business Class welcome drinks

After pushing off, the flight attendants walked around offering welcome drinks. The options were either water or orange juice. The was also a bottle of Evian water in each seat in case we got thirsty at any time during the flight. We were hoping for a glass of champagne, but that would come later as an aperitif before dinner. We also received a hot warm towel to clean our hands.

Air France Business Class Seats

The Air France Business class B777 seats were spacious with enough room even for Bertaut who is 6’6 and has broad shoulders. The seat cushions were comfortable and plush. The leg rest was spacious enough to put your feet up comfortably or sleep without having to contort your body to fit. The inflight entertainment screens pop out when you push the silver button on the bottom left corner for a better viewing angle.

Each seat has a storage compartment with headphones inside and space to keep your phone or other small objects like a camera or book. The door has a mirror inside so you can check your look before taking a selfie. 😉 Next to the storage is the control for the inflight entertainment. The dining table extends from the armrest console, where 4 buttons control the seat reclining options. Each seat also has a USB port and power station so you can charge your devices during the flight, which is convenient.

The seats recline fully to the lie flat position, which allowed us all to get a solid amount of sleep before landing. As a traveling family, we think it’s worth it to splurge on business class seats for overnight flights so the kids don’t melt down from exhaustion.

Air France Business Class Amenities

Business class Air France amenities included noise-cancelling headphones, a pillow, and a blanket to use during the flight. The Air France noise-cancelling headphones were not as good as our Bose Headphones that we travel with, but they sufficed. We also received slippers, socks, and an amenity kit to take home.

The Air France amenity kit included Clarins hand and nail treatment cream, Clarins moisturizing gel, a dental kit, eye mask, pen, mints, eye glass cleaner cloth, and a shoe horn. We really appreciated the moisturizing creams since flights always dry out our skin so much. Although we always carry on necessities like a toothbrush and face wash, it was convenient to have some in the kit without having to get into your luggage.

The flight attendants gave our kids a tin with a small coloring book, colored pencils, and a stencil. We always bring coloring supplies for them, but they love getting airline goodies to add to their collection of inflight entertainment.

Air France Entertainment

Air France inflight entertainment included an impressive selection of movies, TV shows, games, music, and cartoons. Our kids had no shortage of fun things to watch and we also enjoyed a film before sleeping. The Air France movie selection included French films, Cannes Festival films, world movies, short films, new releases and older hits.

Business Class Bathroom

The business class mini cabin has 2 bathrooms at the rear of the cabin. The bathrooms are standard airplane lavatories but were kept spotlessly clean. Clarins cleanser and refreshing water are available to wash and hydrate your face.

Air France Business Class Menu- Dinner

The Air France IAD to CDG business class menu included dinner and breakfast. The Air France menu was curated by Michelin-star chef Daniel Rose. His culinary creations feature seasonal ingredients and classic French fare. There was an Express Dinner option, which was just the same menu without the main course for those who wanted to eat quickly and go to sleep. We opted for the full menu and had high expectations for our Air France meals.

For dinner, we received duck foie gras and a seasonal salad of simply lettuce as a starter. I’m not crazy about foie gras and would have liked to have another option for the starter dish. We received a tray with our starters, a selection of 3 different kinds of cheese, and dessert all at once. Flight attendants came around with a basket of fresh bread and offered seconds.

We received the main course after finishing our starters. The main course had 4 options to choose from, including braised beef, chicken paté, sautéed shrimp, and mushroom risotto. I ordered the braised beef and Bertaut tried the shrimp. I personally did not like the beef so did not eat much of it. Bertaut enjoyed his shrimp and finished his meal. Dessert was my favorite part of the meal- 3 delicious bite-sized cakes. We‘ve read several other Air France reviews and there tends to be mixed reviews on the food. In hindsight, I wish I had asked for a different main dish since I didn’t like the braised beef and woke up starving just before landing.

They offered children’s meals to our kids, which they nibbled at before going to sleep. The children’s meals included fresh fruit, coleslaw, bread, cheese, orange juice, a fruit cup, and a mini Twix bar. There was a main dish of meat with vegetables they would have served after the starters, but the kids didn’t want anything else to eat.

Air France Breakfast Menu

The breakfast menu was a typical French breakfast of pastries, yogurt, and fruit. We prefer a heartier and hot American breakfast such as eggs, breakfast potatoes, and some kind of meat. The breakfast was more like a continental breakfast. For guests who want to sleep longer, they offer hot tea or coffee with a breakfast pastry up to 30 minutes prior to landing.

I had asked the flight crew to wake me up for breakfast, but they did not so I didn’t receive breakfast. When I woke up prior to landing starving and asked for breakfast, they informed me that it was too late. Thankfully I was able to get breakfast at the Air France lounge during our layover, so it wasn’t a big deal. But it was disappointing for the purposes of writing this flight review. Bertaut also forgot to take a photo of his breakfast before gobbling it up, but at least you can see what was offered on the menu. He reported that the croissants were fresh and delicious.

Air France Drink Menu

The Air France Drink Menu included wine, champagne, digestives, non-alcoholic drinks, and hot beverages. Paolo Basso, who won best sommelier in the world in 2013, selected the wines. Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve also took part in choosing the drink selection. They recommended the champagne as an aperitif that also lends itself well to the meal.

The Air France Business Class champagne was Cuvée Royal Brut by Joseph Perrier. We enjoyed this champagne as an aperitif before dinner. It was served with a small box of cheesy gavottes. I wasn’t fond of the gavottes but Bertaut liked them. The champagne was light and crisp. There’s something about flying premium and drinking champagne- they just go together like peanut butter and jelly. I think it’s the feeling of indulgence and celebration, since we only pull out the bubbly for special occasions. So we always appreciate a fine glass of champagne to get our vacations off to a relaxing start.

The Air France Business class drink menu included 2 white wines and 2 red wines, all of which were French. We’ve seen more extensive wine selections in business class on other airlines (except Saudia airlines which doesn’t serve any alcohol) but were happy with the offerings. We each ordered a glass of Bordeaux to enjoy with our meals, and it was smooth.

The drink menu included a selection of liquor and Heineken beer for aperitifs. We stopped at the champagne since we‘ve learned that less is more when it comes to flying and drinking. Flying is dehydrating, so we played it safe and kept our alcohol intake low so we would arrive feeling energized instead of lethargic.

There was also a selection of fine and aged liquor for digestifs after the meal. We did not try any of these either, but the pear brandy sounds delicious and we’re curious about the green chartreuse liqueur.

The non-alcoholic drink menu included bottled water, fruit juices, coke and Coke Zero, Fuze Tea, Finley tonic, and ginger ale. Hot drinks included coffee, cappuccino, Illy espresso and decaf espresso, herbal teas by Palais des Thes, and gourmet hot chocolate. Bertaut had hot tea with his breakfast. I would have liked to try the gourmet hot chocolate with breakfast if I had the chance.

Air France Service

Service during our flight was decent but not especially memorable compared to some of our past business class flight experiences, such as Etihad Business class and Singapore Airlines Business Class. The flight attendants were friendly with our children and gave them each a little bracelet before departure. One even helped our daughter look for her special marker that went missing during the flight.

We received everything we needed, but service wasn’t as remarkable compared to our second flight from Paris to Dubai, which we’ll review next. As mentioned earlier, we waited much longer than usual to receive welcome drinks. I think the boarding process was different than usual, causing the entire plane to pass through our cabin, and the flight crew seemed slightly off due to that. I was also disappointed that they forgot to wake me up for breakfast since I was starving upon landing. But otherwise, service was professional and accommodating.

Last thoughts on Air France Business Class IAD to CDG on B777

Our Air France business class flight was overall a pleasant experience. It is one that we would take again if the points and miles aligned for it. The cabin and lie flat seats were comfortable, allowing us to get some sleep on the overnight flight. The cabin layout offered privacy and we were able to all sit in one row next to each other, which was appreciated as a family with young kids. The amenity kits included inflight necessities and the kids enjoyed the coloring kits. However, we had mixed reviews on the meals and found the service less memorable compared to some of our other flight experiences. Have you flown Air France Business Class? If so, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

Pin this post:

Disclaimer- World Travel Adventurers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.