That being said, despite transiting through CDG, my most recent trip (ATL-CDG-LED-CDG-ATL) with Air France was really enjoyable, especially the transatlantic legs. On their long-haul international fleet, AF has fully flat beds on all aircraft. In my experience (A330, A340, B777), the seat experience has been exactly the same. The food and wine are above average for airline fare. The entertainment system is robust, easy to use, and (knocking on wood) always seems to work. The flight attendants are always pleasant. The wider planes in the fleet (A380, B747, B777) have a middle seat in business class, but the space is contained enough not to overly erode the experience.
I always try and take in the Economist on Sundays. On the last leg of my flight home (on a Sunday as it were), I stopped by the lounge but there were none available and the line at the newsstand was long enough to make me miss my flight, so I was prepared to do without. With an air of hope, I asked the flight attendant who came to take my coat if there was a copy on board. He offered to check and disappeared. Just before the doors closed, he returned Economist in hand. I'm not sure if there was one on board or if he went out and secured a copy somewhere for me, but that is fantastic service either way in my book.
Within Europe, AF has substantially less plush business class appointments. Though the meal is upgraded and there are frequent flier bonuses, the seating itself is simply a row of coach seats where they do not sell the middle seat. It isn't a terrible experience, but a little extra legroom on the three and a half hour hop from Paris to St. Petersburg would have been nice for the money.
On the whole, however, all thumbs up to Air France for their business class. It might not be Singapore Air or Virgin Atlantic, but it is comfortable and good value for the price.
