The Details

• Flight: AF1230
• Aircraft: A320
• Class: Business
• Seat: 1A and 1C
• Route: Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)-Milan Malpensa (MXP)
• Distance: 482 miles
• Duration: 1hr 8min
• Departure: 3:48PM
• Arrival: 4:56PM

The Preflight

After landing in CDG from New York, my fiance and I headed to the Air France Lounge in the Schengen Zone in Terminal 2F. We easily passed through the border checkpoints within five minutes. The Air France 2F lounge is one of the newest lounges at the airport. Spanning two stories, the lounge had ample seating with two buffets one on each level. Because there was a large amount of passengers within the lounge during our visit I did not take many photos of the seating.

Throughout the lounge were various self-serve alcohol counters with an assortment of wines and liquor.

Additional drinks included espresso machines, water, soda, and beer. There were also loads of delicious French bread available.

Food at the buffet included a delicious asparagus grain dish and a chicken in red sauce. There was also a platter of sweet madeleine’s.

As the flag carrier of France, Air France had a variety of cheeses that were some of the best I have had. There was also a selection of cold cuts and a cucumber sandwich. The buffet also had a salad bar with pickled vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and a ham salad.

There was also an extensive dessert buffet with different cakes, yoghurt, fruit salad, and juices.

Separately, there was a special quiche station.

As with most Air France lounges, there was a Clarins Spa within the lounge offering complimentary treatments. Unfortunately, there were no more appointments for the rest of the day during our stay.

The lounge also had over half a dozen individual shower suites. Each suite featured a rain shower, mirror, hair dryer, and amenities including a dental kit.

After spending a few hours in the lounge, my fiance and I headed to gate 29 a few minutes before the scheduled boarding time of 2:50 PM. The terminal was packed with no seating and a mass of people standing shoulder to shoulder waiting to board. Boarding was delayed by 10 minutes.

Our aircraft was an A320-200, registration F-GKXZ, was a 14 year-old aircraft delivered brand new to Air France in December 2009. It was one of 38 active A320-200s flying short-haul for Air France.

The Flight

Air France has two separate configurations on their A320-200s. The most common configuration, the one we were on today, had a total of 174 seats arranged in a 3-3 configuration. As with most European carriers, the Air France business class had a blocked middle seat. The size of the cabin could also be adjusted by a movable curtain based on demand. On this flight, there were five rows of business class for a total of 20 passengers.

The B/E Aerospace Spectrum seats had a width of 18 inches with a recline of three inches. I found these seats more comfortable than Lufthansa or SAS, and as comfortable as British Airways on their short-haul A320s. My fiance and I were seated in the bulkhead row 1 in 1A and 1C.

The bulkhead legroom was decent with ample room for my 5’11” frame to sit comfortably in. The literature pocket was built into the bulkhead while the tray table was stowed within the armrest.

The bi-fold tray table was stored in the armrest. Each seat also had a USB-A port for charging.

Each business class passenger was also provided a refreshing wipe and a small bottle of water. These small amenities certainly set Air France apart from its competitors.

The aircraft was pushed back at 3:35 PM. Twelve minutes later we took off from runway 27L with a view of Terminal 1.

Once in the air, a three-course meal was served. The only option for the main course was a delicious pea puree with poached egg and a side of quinoa salad. There were two slices of cheese which paired nicely with a small loaf of warm French bread. The dessert was a tasty crunchy chocolate cream puff. The champagne on offer was an excellent Pommery.

After the meal, I had a cappuccino.

There was a single unremarkable lavatory at the front of the cabin.

By the time our meal trays were collected, we had already begun the descent into Milan. We landed at 4:55 PM and arrived at Terminal 1 four minutes later.

Air France remains one of my favorite airlines to fly across the Atlantic and within Europe in business class. Their lounges are superior to their main competitors Lufthansa and British Airways at its hub in Paris. The onboard amenities elevate it above its competitors as well. I would happily book with Air France again.