Review of Air France flight from Singapore to Paris in First

AFR

AF - Air France

Flight taken on 02 July 2025
AF257
22:56 13h 27m 06:23
Class First
Seat 1A
Sewey135
2,735 · 43 · 1 · 40

Hi again everyone. Welcome back to another flight review. This time we'll be taking the supposed crème de la crème of first class when it comes to service (and maybe price?), Air France's La Premiere. We'll be starting off our trip at Changi's transfer area following my previous flight from Beijing aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ805. I will try to do a flight review for that in the future. I landed at 15:12 with around 7 hours transit before my flight to Paris scheduled at 22:30. 

Changi service staff was very kind to guide me across the terminal to Air France's transfer desk, meaning I didn't need to exit and re-enter the airport like I thought. There was a gentleman sitting at the Air France desk, and upon inquiring about obtaining my boarding pass, he informed me (rather coldly) I needed to wait until 19:00, which was no problem. I planned to walk around the terminal and catch some plane-sighting. He then quickly asked to see my passport, and it was funny to see how his previously distant attitude shifted 360 degrees once he realized I was flying La Premiere! I was rapidly given my boarding pass and he offered to walk me to my lounge. He did spend the entire walk on his phone despite me trying to strike up some conversation with him, not sure if his professionalism shined here. 


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La Premiere guests share Qantas' first class lounge here at Change Terminal 1. The great news was I could stay here for all 7 hours. When the gentleman offered to come back near boarding time to drive me to my gate in a cart, I politely refused since I prefer enjoying some nice alone time checking out all the planes on my way over. 

I was warmly greeted by the staff and shown around the lounge. At the time of this flight I didn't really consider sharing my experiences in as much detail as I now desire here on flight-report, so my apologies if I'm missing some aspects of the journey and will for sure try to pick up everything in future flights :). 


I was guided to the dining area where an a la carte menu was presented alongside a drinks menu. The lounge was rather empty at this time, but a massive influx of passengers overcrowded it a few hours later when a Qantas A380 arrived. 

The menu was very comprehensive with a variety of dishes across multiple cultures and cuisines.


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I started things off with my favorite diet coke, and a cocktail that tastes more like fruit juice than alcohol. Olives were also offered but I'm really not a big fan :). A hot towel and sparkling or still water accompanied.


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I kicked things off with the Smokey Chipotle beef brisket with corn puree, pico de gallo and sour cream. Routinely, I stray away from non-Asian options in Asian lounges, especially ones such as in Singapore where the cuisine is top notch. But my word, this was absolutely incredible. I'm not sure if I was simply too hungry, but this was one of the best dishes I've had in a while. Everything about it worked together to perfection.


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I then went with the had prawn wontons with garlic oil and chili, a dish on their menu showcase. This was also incredible. Strong flavoring which is to my liking. I could have easily had another dish or two of these.


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Finally, for now, I went with the buffalo burrata. Not as strong in flavor as the previous two, but a refreshing way to end of this meal.


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I then spent some time exploring the terminal. The lounge staff kindly allowed me to leave all my belongings right there at my table, a nice touch. 

Here were some of the birds I spotted. A Qatar A350 bound for Doha at 18:35. 


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Another A350, this time from my home carrier Air China. Although Air China doesn't have the best reputation nowadays, but it's always special seeing one abroad. This one I believe was heading to Shanghai Pudong.


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I quickly ran over as I saw the A380 giant. Little did I know my excitement came with the downside of around 50 passengers heading over to the Qantas lounge:). 


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After what must have ben two hours or more of walking around, I still had a few hours to kill, so I headed back to the lounge (which now had all the A380 passengers:) ), to ask for a shower. I was told there would be a 30 minute wait, and that in an hour or so the lounge traffic would die down and to head back later if I didn't mind waiting. Of course, that meant time to try some more food.

My lovely waitress took down my preferences for a stronger, not so sour cocktail. She returned with this, I can't quite remember what it was but it was delightful!


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I couldn't help but notice almost all the tables around me had the calamari, so I had to try it myself. What I really appreciated about the a la carte service was no portion was too large. Really allowed guests to try lots of options. The calamari wasn't anything too extraordinary, still very nice with the sauces.


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The waitress also remembered my dislike for olives, and she very kindly swapped em out for some fries. Who can say no to some of that golden goodness. I guess my previous comment of things being a good portion went out the window with the bibimbap. One of my go-tos, but I wasn't complaining as it was delicious. It did mean I needed to go on another walk around the terminal to digest all of this.


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On my second walkaround the terminal, the sun was setting on Singapore. Along with the A380 from earlier, I spotted three to four Qantas jets at Changi. I guess their First Class Lounge being here is no accident, real popular destination among Australians! 


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When I returned back to the lounge, the traffic had clearly passed and there was no line for the shower. The shower rooms are quite standard, with all the basic amenities you may need. 


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Although I had essentially had two full meals already, I still had a few more things to try:) I blame Qantas' Lounge for all my recent weight gain:). 

I started off with yet another cocktail, this one also very strong with a hint of orange. 


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I then finished with the Char kway teow with tiger prawns, bean sprouts and lap cheong, incredible. I was 80% full but still managed to scrape every crumb. I would definitely recommend a try especially in Singaporean night markets as street food, one of my favorite all time dishes. I also asked for the coconut and mango sorbet with palm sugar syrup and toasted coconut. Unfortunately, the ice cream was frozen solid and almost inedible as my spoon just couldn't break it down for almost 15 minutes. 


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Finally, after eating what felt like a whole day's worth of food, it was time for what we're all here for. I ran into the gentlemen from earlier at the desk when leaving the lounge, and he double checked with me whether I wanted to walk over myself. He wasn't on his phone this time which was nice. The walk took around 15 minutes and soon I caught the first glimpse of our Air France bird taking us to Paris.

Changi has a unique security system where all checks take place at the boarding gates. After security there was a separate section for La Premiere and business class passengers to wait.


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One of the earlier gentleman's colleagues approached me and introduced himself saying he would take me down the jetway in a few moments.

Stepping into a space you've only ever seen in videos and pictures feels surreal. La Premiere really is unlike any other first class product and seeing it in person did not disappoint. I was in seat 1A, the left side window seat. I took a quick picture across me into the La Premiere cabin. 

My purser came by to introduce himself and welcome me on board. I had read reviews of introverts being overwhelmed by the La Premiere experience with all the staff members approaching them and striking conversations. But I really appreciated my purser the entire way, he also had a really soft and gentle voice which was very soothing. When he mentioned that the only other passenger in La Premiere today would be in the seat next to mine, I asked whether I could move to the opposite side's window seat to maximize privacy for us both. Unfortunately he stated that the other two seats were both broken, which I guess is a blesssing as it guaranteed only half a load. 



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Here is the first look at my seat in 1A. Waitinf for me was some water and chocolates. There was a comfortably pillow on my seat, slippers, and La Premiere's signature chich red blanket. 

The rectangular cut area between the lamp and tray opens up as a large storage space. There is another one near the ottoman which is designed for if a guest wants to sit across you at your seat. Apologies for not taking pictures of those.


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A welcome drink was offered, and of course I had to pick the champagne. I must have worked through three or four glasses of it before take off. A small bowl containing nuts, cheese crackers and almonds accompanied it. I've always been a fan of Air France's cheese crackers in Business Class, the ones here were shaped differently but had a similar flavor.


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My purser came by with the amenity kits, one in red and one in white. I had to pick the red one to match that beautiful blanket. Inside there were some skin care materials, an eye mask, La Premiere pen, earbuds, and socks. I do wish airlines would put some more thought into the socks they provide, judging by other airline reviews on Youtube, everyone seems to have no real use for the socks and consider it a missed branding opportunity for the airline. Delta airlines provides some nice socks with their branding, and are probably the only airlines's socks I actually wear.


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There is a large stoarage space under the ottoman, coming right at you with that signature red color. 


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Then came the menu. I'm not generally a fan of bright red as a color, but Air France really work to make it work.


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Here were the food options. Dinner was an entire EIGHT course meal. A friend of mine once joked that after a ten course high-end meal, he had to grab a Mcdonalds burger since each course was tiny. You will soon see that was not a problem with La Premiere. On the right side you can see the two breakfast options which would be served alongside fresh bread, yoghurt and fruit.


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Then was the drinks menu. I cannot for the life of me find pictures of the wine list and beyond. My deepest apologies and will definitely feature them in all my future flights (sorry for reports of previously taken flights, though ;( ).


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As my seat neighbour boarded, I couldnt't help but feel a slight lack of privacy considering our proximity.  A full first class cabin could really get quite compacted. 

A second purser then came by to introduce himself, stating he and the other gentleman would be taking turns taking care of us throughout the flight… I swear I never saw him again. The pilot then came around and introduced himself to us individually, he apologized for a delay since a passenger no-show meant they had to unboard his luggage. This ended up taking around an hour, but that only meant more champagne for me… no complaints there:).

We finally took off at 22:56 local time, only 26 minutes after scheduled. Thus began our 13 hour and 27 minute journey to Paris.

Our purser immediately began preparing for dinner service after departure. First came the appetizers which included melon & proscuitto, poached scallops and caviar, and a king shrimp with mustard, mango sauce. The appetizers were nice and refreshing, amittedly a little boring? But generally a fine way to begin the meal. I also asked for a mini baguette, diet coke, and a an alcoholic beverage which my purser claimed was the strongest of a trio, but tasted nothing like alchol.


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He then brought around this cute little box containing the rest of the trio. Considering my was supposedly the strongest (and one of them being non-alcoholic), I could only assume the middle bottle resembled pure water:). The box was extremely elegant, and would suit a gift for any occassion.

I reflected the lack of alcohol taste, and my purser suggested he add some gin to it. The kick was definitely there but the mixture was slightly odd.


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After asking for something stronger, he returned with THE ENTIRE BOTTLE of a French Bellevoye whisky and essentially told me to go crazy go stupid with it. There was definitely a stronger hit with this one, and I recall I had three or four glasses before dozing off to bed.


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Then came the second course which was a salmon dish. To be honest, this one was quite underwhelming as it tasted nothing different to any regular salmon dish. It was very similar to the smoked salmon Air Canada offers in business, which by itself is quite tasty, you would really expect something more elevated in La Premiere. The presentation was very nice.


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What followed was the cauliflower soup. Again, just felt a little bit average for La Premiere standards. I understand trying to create an elegant multi-course dinner, but the soup was just very plain and boring. It just looks like someone slapped a bowl of plain porridge, and tasted far from impressive. 


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Next came our main course, the Quail stuffed with black trumpet mushrooms and glazed in miso. This was for sure better than the previous two courses. The meat was tender, the sauce was also very well seasoned. More along the lines of the michelin starred dining experience La Premiere advertises. 


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The salad was supposed to come next, but as I headed past my purser preparring it in the galley, I knew I couldn't stomach something so large. So I asked if he could save that to come with breakfast, which he very kindly agreed to. 

Before heading to bed, I checked out the IFE system. There were quite a large selection of movies and TV, I spent most of my time rewatching Friends , which had a good 10-15 episodes ofseason 9. I didn't spend too much time on the IFE, as it was soon time for bed. 

Here's a quick glimpse of how far the IFE really is when you're lounging back on your seat, quite a bit of distance. I found myself having to lean forward a few times, but that could be down to my poor eyesight.


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The previously stated lack of privacy disappears once your curtain is closed. The fully lie-flat bed is possibly the most comfortable I've experienced on an airplane, with plenty of space to roll around for side sleepers like myself. The massive pillow also wins bonus points.


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I hadn't really taken a moment to appreciate the lamp design, how sleek is this?


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Midway through my sleep, I woke up hungry again (no idea how that's possible with all I've consumed). My purser was quick to set up the table and brought me my (massive) salad, along with a cheese plate, some bread, and another diet coke. Air France does shine with their cheese selection, albeit not a massive quantity, is some of the best cheese I've had on or off the ground. The menu indicates you can create your own salad with a variety of ingredients, I simply asked for everything minus the hard boiled egg. A very heart, and healthy, mid-night snack.


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Then I was brought over what was supposed to follow the salad on the dinner menu, dessert. This was a caramelized pineapple and coconut cream tart. It was very sweet, but the cococut cream did help. Again, slightly underwhelming for La Premiere. Haven seen some reviews flying out of Paris, and inbound flight does show some room for improvement when it comes to catering. 


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After another quick snooze. I woke up to the sound of my purser preparing my neighbor's table for breakfast. I went with the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes with black pepper. Breakfast also came with some thick yoghurt, fresh fruit, some bread, and my iced americano. Breakfast is notoriously the least preferred dish on planes, I was somewhat disappointed with the main course, it resembled something served in business class, albeit on fancier plates. But not too much to complain about since I was still very much full from the earlier meal service.


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Shortly after breakfast concluded, our pilot announced our imminent descent into Paris. Again, three crew members came around to send their regards and to thank me for joining them aboard La Premiere. 
We landed in PAris Charles de Gaulle at 06:23 local time, 13 minutes later than scheduled. It was pitch black essentially the entire flight so it was nice to finally see some sun. I always enjoy landing at a new airport and watching their home airline dominate the tarmac. As a lifelong soccer fan, it resembles the feeling of experiencing different home team atmospheres. 


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Waiting for me at the tarmac was a La Premiere Porsche, ready to take me over to the lounge. Although I had a connecting flight to Vancouver aboard Air France in a few hours, La Premiere passengers actually received the full Porsche pick-up + La Premiere lounge service upon arrival even if Paris is your final destination. You can still shower, relax, enjoy fine dining at the Lounge regardless of whether or not you have a connecting flight. 
The lady who picked me up was very friendly and was quite shocked to believe that 1. I have never actually entered Paris despite this being my second time transferring here and 2. I decided to take a detour through Paris when I could've just flown straight to Vancouver-she was very proud of being an Air France employee once hearing that I did so just to experience La Premiere. 


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I will try to make a more in depth review of the lounge perhaps in a separate lounge review. But for now, that's all for this review!


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Display all

Product ratings

Airline

Air France 8.9

  • Cabin9.5 / 10
  • Cabin crew9.5 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi8.0 / 10
  • Meal/catering8.5 / 10
Departure airport

Singapore - SIN7.8

  • Efficiency8.5 / 10
  • Access7.5 / 10
  • Services5.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness10.0 / 10
Arrival Airport

Paris - CDG9.8

  • Efficiency9.0 / 10
  • Access10.0 / 10
  • Services10.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness10.0 / 10

Conclusion

Considering AF's La Premiere prides itself moreso on soft, rather than hard product, their service from the moment you arrive to the airport to the moment you leave should be perfect. It may be harsh to criticize AF for their representative away at Changi, but nonetheless he must be held to AF's standards. While the flight experience and arrival service in Paris (including the lounge) were flawless, you would expect perfection from start to finish.
Flights into Paris understandably may have lower quality catering than their counterpart flying out, but considering the hefty price tag you would expect more in certain aspects (looking at you, breakfast). Although my purser was excellent and definitely highlighted that personal touch La Premiere prides itself on, I didn't find a significant enough difference when compared to service aboard SG's suites or Emirates, airlines with far superior First Class hard products, not to mention cheaper tickets. Even compared to the likes of Lufthansa, who also has similar, not-so-private first class seats (not Allegris, but the older cabin), they offer a similar chauffeur pick-up service with lower ticket prices.
La Premiere remains one of, maybe the most, exclusive First Class product. But with that incredibly high price tag of just over $10,000 for this route, ypi may choose to explore other options for better hard product, food, and similar service.
One final note I forgot to mention is that I really really like La Premiere's pyjamas, I forgot to take a picture but I routinely wear the shirt as my outfit of the day, A+ on that one AF!

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Comments (1)

  • Thanks for this review wich fill up my stomach just looking at the pictures! How did you do !! By the way it's nice to see the presentation always clean and nice for the eyes, even at 35000 feet!

    See you later :) !

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