Air France Has Secretly Deployed Its Largest Plane To New York (472 Seat 77W)

Intro

Air France has long had quite a fleet when it comes to long-haul flying. Ranging from A330s to A350s to 787s and a variety of 777s. However, some people might not be aware that the airline's highest-capacity jet (in service) is their Boeing 777-300ER, and it has just been quietly added to New York JFK.

The Details

Over their 43 777-300ERs, Air France decided that making a high-density 777 would be optimal for servicing high-leisure routes. The aircraft is truly one of a kind for the airline, as it features only 14 seats in business class, 28 in premium economy, and a whopping 430 economy.

Considering the airline flies plenty of leisure routes to Africa (islands mainly), the Caribbean, and some others, this makes perfect sense as to why the airline decided to configure these planes the way they did. However, going forward, from June until August, Air France will be deploying this variant 4x weekly from Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK).

The airline flies this route Westbound on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while the Eastbounds leave on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with the following schedule:

AF14: Paris-New York departing at 21:05 and arriving at 23:15

AF15: New York-Paris departing at 01:40 and arriving at 14:55

There are 28 Premium Economy seats available

Should You Take This Flight?

Interestingly, this is the first time that Air France has decided to deploy this high-density jet over to New York, and the second time it has ever done so in the US (MIA in 2023). However, with crowds soaring for the summer season, it makes sense to add up to 7x daily flights from Paris to New York (JFK).

It's obviously a personal opinion, but I would seek to avoid this flight unless it is much cheaper than the others for a few different reasons:

• Jet-lag. Arriving in Europe at around 3 pm and then having to trek into Paris isn't really the best idea. Sure, you will make it for dinner, but will you be in bed by 10 pm?

• Upgrades will be a rarity. If you are someone who likes to bid for an upgrade, I am seeing business class frequently sold out days in advance on this route, and even premium economy.

However, the only time that I might recommend that you take this flight is if you are connecting onwards to Asia/Africa with the Air France redeyes. This will minimize the ground time spent in Paris, while allowing you to hopefully sleep on the second leg properly.

Final Thoughts

Air France has quietly added their highest-density jet to serve New York JFK from Paris 4x weekly. Featuring only 14 business class seats and 28 premium economy seats, upgrades will be hard to come by and expensive. I recommend avoiding this route if possible, unless you are either a night owl or you are connecting onwards.