Review: Brand New Air France Airbus A220 Economy London to Paris

Background

I flew on United Polaris from Newark to London but needed to get to Paris the same day. I could head into the city and hop on a Eurostar, but given that I was already at the airport, I decided it was best to just hop on another flight, especially since my airplane ticket was not that much more than the Eurostar. I booked my ticket on the Air France Airbus A220 in the lowest fare class (Economy Light) for $160. I was excited to try this flight as it would be my first time flying Air France, as well as my first time on the Airbus A220.

Flight Details

Air France Flight 14
London (LHR) to Paris (CDG)
Departure: 11:30 AM
Arrival: 1:50 PM
Scheduled Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A220
Cabin: Economy
Seat: 9F (Window)

Choosing a Seat

I booked the lowest-priced ticket, and to my surprise, once I added my SkyMiles Number when I still had Silver Medallion, I was able to choose a standard seat for free as well as add a checked bag for free. Too bad my status has now expired, but I’m glad I was able to get the benefit.

Additionally, 24 hours before the flight, I was able to select a “Front Section” Seat for free, so I moved up from row 17 to 9.

At the Airport

I came from my United Polaris flight which was at Terminal 2. Since Air France departs from Terminal 4, I had to take a flight connections bus. The buses ran every 10 minutes or so, and boy is Heathrow big. Tons of walking through the terminals, plus the long bus ride. Then once I arrived at Terminal 4, I had to clear security, but no customs or anything. It took me about 35 minutes to transfer to the next terminal. That being said, there were no lines for security so it may be even longer during peak times.

I got to Terminal 4 before the earlier flight to Paris left, so I tried seeing if I could get on the earlier flight, but when I got to the gate and asked the agent said that it was a full flight. Oh well, more lounge time! The Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 4 became my home for a few hours.

Boarding

The gate number was announced about 15 minutes before boarding.

Boarding started 30 minutes before our scheduled departure, and Air France boards in 5 zones. Zones 1-2 are the Sky Priority zones, and Zones 3-5 are standard boarding. As a Delta Silver when booking this flight, my status carried over to Air France and I got to board in Zone 3.

Once onboard, it felt like a new car! The cabin looked and smelled fresh. The aircraft I was on was just delivered in November of 2023, so it was only 3 months old. Also, they had disinfecting wipes in a basket which I appreciated.

I was sitting on the right side of the plane which has 3 seats versus the left side has 2 seats per row. To my delight, I got lucky that the middle seat was empty! So I essentially sat in European Business Class as they normally just block off the middle seat.

The Seat

The Air France A220 has 148 seats in a 2-3 configuration. According to aeroLOPA, all the seats have a seat width of 18”, pitch of 30” (38” at row 14 exit row), and a seat recline of 3” (no recline at row 12). One of the first things you’ll notice is how large the windows are! I really liked them. 

Business Class is offered, where they block off the aisle seat on the “2” side (C) and the middle seat on the “3” side (E). On our flight, business class was until row 6, but the separating curtain could move by demand, up to row 8.

The seat is a bit on the tighter side in terms of legroom.

While there are no power ports, there is both USB A and C charging which is nice. Unfortunately, they weren’t operating during my flight. I even tried the one on the empty middle seat and it didn’t work either. The tray table is full-sized and also offers a cup holder function if you don’t want to pull out the whole tray. There is also a tablet/phone holder as well which can be helpful since there are no seat back screens.

WiFi and In-Seat Charging

They had free messaging, but it didn’t work well. I tried WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger and the only one that somewhat worked was Facebook Messenger. It would send my message after a minute or two, and the other ones didn’t work at all.

They also had a surf package for 5 EUR and a stream package for 15 EUR.

The Flight

We left the gate 5 minutes before our scheduled departure time and took off about 15 minutes later.

Once airborne, they came by with a snack and beverage cart, and they didn’t offer me a snack oddly despite everyone around me getting one. The snack was a cheese sandwich. The lady in the aisle seat noticed and she made sure that I got a cheese sandwich when the flight attendant passed by again.

We touched down in Paris 30 minutes before our scheduled arrival, and got to the gate 20 minutes early which was nice!

Since the flight was so short, I didn’t visit the lavatory on this flight. But, there is one in the front for business class passengers and two in the back for the economy cabin.

The Verdict

Overall, I enjoyed my quick hop on the Air France Airbus A220. I got to try a new airline and aircraft, which was cool. The drinks and snacks offered exceed what I would expect for a flight of this length. Though, I do wish the WiFi and USB ports were actually working.

Have you flown on the Air France Airbus A220? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!