Air France 777-200 Business Class Mumbai to Paris – Review

Air France 217
Mumbai (BOM) – Paris (CDG)
November 12, 2019
Depart: 02:05 AM
Arrive: 07:30 AM
Duration: 9hr 55min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Seat: 10L (Business Class)
I also did CDG-YVR in business class. Pretty much similar experience.

Quick Pros: Spacious seat, amazing service, delicious food.
Quick Con: No free wifi

At the airport – Mumbai has an amazing airport. I rate it higher than London Heathrow. Being a business class passenger, I cleared security and immigration through a dedicated area. This really helps at a crowded airport like Mumbai. I cleared security and immigration in 2 mins. My brother who was traveling in economy on the same flight, took 45 mins. I had access to lounge at the airport (GVK Business Lounge), but my brother didn’t, so I passed on that opportunity. And paying for him to have lounge access was not worth it given the time we had left.

Boarding – Boarding for business class was a breeze. I boarded via Zone 1. Economy class boarding line was very long and I was glad I wasn’t in there. Although I felt bad for my brother.

The Cabin – I was seated in 12E (aisle), but I switched to 10L (window). On this aircraft, there are 40 lie-flat business-class seats in 10 rows laid out in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone configuration. There are two cabins for business class – 7 rows on the left of the entrance, and 3 on the right. The seats are 21.5 inches wide and have 61 inches of pitch, and turns in to a lie-flat bed (approx. 78 inches). The light blue seat color against the white cabin color really looked classy.

The Seat – A bag of bathroom slippers, a pillow, a comforter and a coat hanger were kept on the seat. The amenity kit included a toothbrush, toothpaste, covers for headphones, a comb, mouthwash, eye mask, earplugs, cream gel and lip balm. The air hostess collected everybody’s jackets and the coat hangers as soon as we were seated. Each seat has a universal power plug and a USB port to charge electronic devices. A little reading light next to the head, arm rest on the left side (aisle) that lowers during take-off and landing, a bottle of water and a remote for the IFE set. Across from the seat (under the IFE) is a footrest. Very roomy! The only storage area is next to the shoulder with a small cupboard. It holds Bose noise canceling headphones and a small mirror on its door. I stowed my small bag in it. The seat is controlled by 3 buttons – one for moving front and back, second for reclining, third for straightening up.

TIP: The window rows are single seats, good for privacy if you’re traveling alone. If you’re traveling with a companion, the middle aisle seats would probably interest you.

Premium Economy has a separate cabin just behind the 3-row business class section. 24 Premium Economy seats are arranged in 2-4-2 configuration. Only 4 people in Prem Eco on this flight. The business cabin was half empty in my section.

The Flight – We were delayed by 35 mins for take-off but arrived into Paris on time. Dinner was served as soon as we were in the air. Each seat was handed out a menu. Check out the photos. I had a great sleep on the lie-flat seat. 2 hours before landing, the cabin lights were turned on and breakfast was served. We were first to exit the aircraft as there is no First Class on this flight. Just before landing, the crew came to each one of us to check if we enjoyed our flight.

Overall Thoughts – I loved the experience on this flight. The seat was very comfortable, the crew was fantastic, the food was delicious, the IFE system was pretty good, and the half empty cabin made it even better. I would definitely fly AF business class again, depending on the price.