NEWS & OFFERS: New meals for Air France Business & First plus new lounge, 2 x points promo Marriott Bonvoy

New summer flavours in La Première and Business

From July to October 2023, Air France will introduce a new series of original dishes. I flew with them recently and was extremely impressed with the food onboard as well as the whole experience including the service.

On departure from Paris, in the long-haul La Première and Business cabins, the renowned French Michelin-starred chefs Régis Marcon and, for the first time, Thierry Marx, will be working alongside the Meilleur Ouvrier de France pastry chef Philippe Urraca to create dishes. 

The chefs have worked together with Servair in-flight catering to create dishes that change with the seasons using fresh, local produce. The meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs on each menu are sourced in France, and the fish comes from sustainable fisheries. In addition, vegetarian menus are available in each travel cabin on all the airline’s flights.

Thierry Marx takes charge of the Business menus 

For the first time, Air France is collaborating with Thierry Marx, who has two Michelin stars.  His dishes focus on plant-based ingredients in a flexitarian approach. 

“Just like travelling, cuisine brings people together. These are values that I share with Air France for its customers’ pleasure,” said Thierry Marx.

In total, the chef has created eight dishes, available on board over the next 4 months: 

• Cream of spelt soup, black olive crumble, sautéed courgettes;
• Cod, prawns, saffron rice, piquillo coulis;
• Guinea fowl, carrot, butternut purée;
• Pork loin, langoustine coulis, cauliflower purée, chanterelles;
• Pasta conchiglie, pear, Fourme d’Ambert cheese and walnuts;
• Prawns, risoni pasta with squid ink, crunchy vegetables;
• Chicken, boulangère potatoes, mushrooms, Jura wine sauce;
• Beef chuck, Bordeaux sauce, celery ravioli.

As part of the fight against food waste, Air France is offering its customers travelling in the Business cabin the option of pre-selecting their hot dish up to 24 hours before their flight. I really wish all airlines would do this. I had a choice of 4 main courses to pick from when I flew from Dubai.

Régis Marcon and Philippe Urraca in the La Première cabin

Air France’s La Première cabin aims to offer customers a gourmet dining experience worthy of a fine dining restaurant and now offers menus from triple Michelin-starred chef Régis Marcon. He has concocted eight dishes for the coming months:

• Fillet of beef with cherries, mashed potatoes with smoked salt;
• Royale of courgettes with oyster mushrooms and truffle, strawberry tomato coulis;
• Pigeon fillet with apricot sauce, lemon bulgur, mushrooms and butternut;
• Fillet of sea bass and prawns with chanterelle mushrooms, bouillabaisse style;
• Guinea fowl fillet with blueberries, roast potatoes and baby carrots;
• Fillet of sea bream with verbena, sautéed baby spinach and chanterelle mushrooms;
• Braised veal shank, sage sauce, potato gratin with porcini mushrooms; 
• Cream of red bean soup with root vegetables.

Air France opens refurbished lounge at San Francisco airport

Air France really do seem to be on a major overall mission with new suites for business class, constantly revamped menus and now a completely refurbished lounge, located at gate A of the international terminal at San Francisco airport.

The lounge is open daily from 10am to 8.30pm. 90m2 larger, it now has a total surface area of 565 m2 and 117 seats having been expanded during the revamp. 

Restaurant area in the style of a Parisian brasserie

The self-service buffet menu changes throughout the day, offering a choice of hot and cold, savoury and sweet dishes. From croque-monsieur to boeuf bourguignon, French cuisine is the focus. Vegetarian options are also available at all times. The airline has paid particular attention to limiting food waste, selective sorting and recycling of its catering services. Also, water fountains are available to limit the consumption of single-use plastic.

A large bar is also available. Dressed in blue-stained wood, this space offers a selection of French wines and champagnes, spirits and cocktails prepared by a bar attendant. Local draught beers are also available.

A dedicated area for La Première customers

Customers travelling in the La Première cabin between San Francisco and Paris have a private area in the lounge totally dedicated to them. With plenty of natural light thanks to its large glass façade, has its own restaurant and direct access to the bar.

Flying Blue Ultimate customers also have a space reserved for them, located at the entrance to the lounge.

The lounge entrance is equipped self serve kiosks for greater fluidity. The space also offers a free Wi-Fi connection and numerous electrical and USB sockets close to the seats. Showers are available throughout the day to help you freshen up.

If you have Virgin points to burn and are struggling to find availability to the US, it is always worth having a look at Air France as they are often good value in terms of the taxes and fees and have decent availability for business class.

 Double points with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy

Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is running a new promotion from today. The brand allows you to book homes and villas to rent through Marriott and earn points on them too. Marriott Bonvoy Members can earn 2x points when booking a 3+ night stay in a private home rental between July 11 – July 21, 2023, and completing the stay during the promotion earning period.

When:
• Booking Window: July 11, 2023 (12:01 AM EST) – July 21, 2023 (11:59 PM EST)
• Stay Window: July 11, 2023 – December 31, 2023
• Discount Code: 2XJUL23

How:
Make sure you are logged into your account and use the code above when you book. Points will automatically appear in your Account three (3) to six (6) weeks (21 – 42 days) following the completion of the stay.

You can find the promotion page and check prices here.