Review of French bee flight from Paris to Newark in Economy

Hello everyone!
Today, I'm flying with French Bee on board the Airbus A350-900 in economy class from Paris-Orly to New York (Newark).
This is my first report, and I didn’t originally take these photos with a review in mind, so some elements might be missing, and I apologize in advance.

I arrived at Orly Airport two hours before departure. French Bee flights depart from Terminal 4 at Orly.

Here is the check-in area. This zone is shared by French Bee and Air Caraïbes flights, with dedicated self check-in kiosks depending on the destination region: USA, French Caribbean, and Réunion Island. They also check your specific documents in order to enter the USA.

Now a few words about Terminal 4. Terminal 4 at Paris-Orly Airport, formerly known as Orly South, was inaugurated in 1961. It quickly became the airport’s iconic terminal for international flights, featuring modern architecture for its time and a famous panoramic terrace. The terminal hosted many major international airlines and symbolized the golden age of air travel in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the years, it underwent several renovations to accommodate growing passenger traffic and evolving security requirements. In 2019, as part of Orly’s modernization project, the terminals were renamed to a unified numbering system from 1 to 4, with Orly South becoming Terminal 4. Today, Terminal 4 is primarily used by long-haul carriers such as French Bee and Air Caraïbes, serving as a key departure point for flights to French overseas territories (DOM-TOM) and North America. In this picture you can see a brand-new hall for new boarding gates that have been constructed.

And here is the star of the show : The French Bee A350-900.
French Bee received its first A350-900 in 2016, using it to launch its low-cost long-haul operations focused on routes between France and destinations like the USA, the Caribbean, and Réunion Island. The airline chose the A350 for its combination of high passenger capacity, fuel efficiency, and passenger comfort.

The cabin layout in French Bee’s A350-900 is optimized for economy passengers with a 3-4-3 seat configuration, offering up to 411 seats. The aircraft is also praised for its quiet engines, better cabin pressurization, and higher humidity, all contributing to reduced passenger fatigue on long flights.

Over the years, the A350 has helped French Bee establish itself as a competitive player in affordable transatlantic flights, combining modern technology with a no-frills service model.

And welcome onboard this packed 3-4-3 Economy Class. Each seat offers a pitch of approximately 32 inches (81 cm) and a width of about 17 inches (43 cm), which is standard for a low-cost long-haul configuration (we do feel it). The recline reaches around 6 inches (15 cm), allowing for modest comfort during long flights.

Passengers have access to a personal touchscreen (10 to 12 inches), offering a full inflight entertainment system with movies, TV shows, games, and music (we'll go back to it later). Each seat is equipped with a USB port, and power outlets are shared between pairs of seats. The adjustable headrest includes folding wings and vertical adjustment for better neck support.

While the seats are relatively firm due to their slimline design, they benefit from the modern A350 cabin environment, including better air pressure, higher humidity, and reduced cabin noise, all of which improve overall comfort on long-haul flights. French Bee also offers a limited number of "Extra Legroom" seats, located near emergency exits or at the front of the cabin, available for an additional fee.

While checking out the IFE, I had a nice surprise : there are cameras ! You can have a tail view as well as wing or wheel views.

We quickly arrived at cruise altitude. What a view from the cameras !

Now, here’s something that really surprised me: the service.
According to French Bee’s website, most onboard amenities are optional and come at an extra cost- especially if, like me, you booked the cheapest fare, which normally includes no extras at all.

Well, guess what? Everyone on board received a small amenity kit and a hot meal!
The meal wasn’t huge, but still, we weren’t supposed to get one, and it clearly wasn’t a mistake since everyone was served.

As shown in the photo, we were given a blanket, headphones, an eye mask, and even a refreshing towel.
This kind of gesture is really appreciated, especially when you consider that many low-cost airlines charge extra for each of these items.

For comparison, on my return flight I flew with Norse Atlantic, and we received nothing, not even complimentary water. Blankets, headphones… everything had to be paid for.
In that regard, French Bee clearly exceeded expectations.

And here comes the dinner! As I mentioned earlier, we weren’t actually supposed to receive a meal, according to the information on French Bee’s website. Maybe they changed their service policy shortly before the flight? I’m not sure.

In any case, it wasn’t just a small snack, it was a full hot meal, which was very much appreciated.
We were served pasta with chicken, topped with a surprisingly good mushroom sauce. The starter was semolina, and for dessert, we got a few pieces of cake, along with bread, French butter, and cheese.

On the IFE, you have access to the menu. Here's a look at one of the PremiumBlue menus.

As for the IFE, it was decent : nothing more, nothing less. It had everything you’d expect, except for a live flight map, which was a bit disappointing for an aviation enthusiast like me. Not a dealbreaker, but still a letdown.

One small complaint would be about the movie selection: around 50 titles, but not a lot of well-known ones. The only big hit was Black Panther : the rest were mostly lesser-known films. It’s a nice way to discover new content, in theory, but I personally didn’t enjoy most of what I tried watching. As a result, I ended up feeling a bit bored, even with an IFE available.

An interesting feature, though, is that you can write a review of your flight directly on the IFE system : a nice touch! I’ve seen it on a few other airlines before, and it’s always a nice detail.

I haven’t mentioned the toilets yet, but they were all clean and well-maintained throughout the flight — nothing to complain about there.

One funny thing I noticed: the crew served breakfast to passengers who had purchased the Premium fare, even though we were landing at 9 PM local time in Newark! A bit unusual…

And here we are, arriving at Newark Terminal B!
I hadn’t even exited the airport yet, and I was already getting a taste of "American efficiency."

First, we faced a massive immigration queue, with officers asking what felt like a thousand unnecessary questions. Then, just as things couldn’t get slower, a storm rolled in with some rain — and apparently, that was enough for ground staff to refuse to unload the luggage.

Seriously? All they had to do was move the bags to a truck and drive them over. The worst about it, is that it wasn’t even a remote stand or bus gate ! There was just some rain, nothing extreme. Even planes could take-off and land without any delay so why not our luggages ? The result? We ended up waiting over an hour for our luggage to show up !