Finishing out the most recent LAX planespotting trip report series with a return from the City of Lights to the City of Angels aboard an Air France 777-300ER. Air France flies thrice daily between LAX and CDG, two LAX-CDG only and the third being the second leg of the PPT-LAX-CDG route connecting French Polynesia with Paris. The first two flightsare operated by the 777-300ER, while the one to Papeete is operated by the A350-900. Today, we’re on the second of the 777 flights, Air France Flight 22.
Server: Solo
Airline: Air France
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (2019)
Origin: Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Roissy-en-France, France (CDG)
Destination: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Flight Number: AF22
Route: LFPG-KLAX
Seat: 10A (Business)
Time En Route: 11 Hours 37 Minutes
Boarding our aircraft at Gate L65 in Paris. Air France was the launch customer for Boeing’s best-selling 777 variant, taking delivery of its first aircraft in April 2004. Our aircraft today, registered F-GZNH and named Mulhouse after the city in northeastern France near the German and Swiss borders, is one of the younger airframes in the fleet, daring from 2010. Oddly enough, this is the same aircraft we came here from Los Angeles on a few months ago, now preparing to return to the West Coast after arriving from Singapore as AF257 earlier this morning.
Taxiing away from Terminal 2 on our way to the runway. Air France’s 777-300ER business class has historically enjoyed a reputation - perhaps somewhat undeserved - as ancient and out-of-step with its competitors, including partner airline KLM. Fortunately, this is decidedly not the case with our aircraft, as it has the 48J/48W/273M configuration introduced in 2023.
Au revoir, Paris! We’re getting airborne for L.A. off of Runway 26L.
Climbing away from Paris with the Seine in the background. To elaborate on how the hard product in the 777-300ER business class has been upgraded, the seats are now fully enclosed with sliding doors, USB-C and wireless charging are available along with Bluetooth audio, as well as the seats themselves being much more modern than their predecessors.
Cruising westward at 34,000 feet over Ireland. We’re currently listening to Kreech’s “Dreamy” on Andhera Records’s 2020 Summer Sampler using the fantastic Bluetooth connection.
Over southwestern North Dakota some hours later. Service has been, as is usual on an Air France flight, fantastic. Lunch was a Michelin-starred blanquette of veal with basmati rice, served with typical AF charm. We even got in a couple hours of sleep over Hudson Bay with no trouble at all!
Final descent into Los Angeles near Chino Hills and Yorba Linda. All good things must come to an end sometime and our trip in the newly-renovated Air France 777-300ER business class is no exception.
Landing at LAX on Runway 24R on a busy afternoon
Taxiing into the TBIT Midfield ramp by a Fiji Airways A350-900 that arrived from Nadi about an hour ago as FJ810 and a Frontier Airlines A321neo
Parked and disembarked at Gate 204. Air France’s newly-renovated 777-300ERs have come a long way from what they once were and we’re excited to check out the rest of the cabin, from the La Première first class to economy, on future flights with the airline.