The flight from Prague to Paris was the first leg of a longer journey to Mexico. We flew the Prague–Paris–Mexico City route, though I’ll save the main part of the journey – the Air France business class flight from Paris to Mexico – for a separate review.

However, this short European flight is also worth mentioning.

Not because it was an exceptional experience. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It perfectly illustrates what business class in Europe often means these days. A standard seat, an empty seat next to you, faster check-in, something to eat. And it raises the question of why regional business class in Europe is so poor compared to the rest of the world.

Why we flew business class

The flight was part of a trip to Mexico with my girlfriend that lasted almost a month. The plan was to visit Mexico City, the Riviera Maya and other places in Yucatán.

I didn’t buy the tickets with cash as usual, but with miles from the Flying Blue programme.

Mexico City was on special offer at 55,000 miles one-way per person in business class, which is a good price for a long-haul flight.

The fees, however, were a bit of a let-down. They came to 403 eur e per person, which isn’t exactly cheap. I’ll save a detailed breakdown of the price, the miles and whether such a ticket was worth it for my review of the Paris–Mexico City long-haul flight.

Check-in in Prague: quick and hassle-free

Everything ran smoothly at Prague Airport.

Business class had its own priority counter and there was no one ahead of us at all. Check-in therefore took literally two minutes.

Another advantage of business class is the fast-track security check. At Terminal 2 in Prague, this isn’t usually a game-changer, but it’s still nice to get through security more quickly and without unnecessary waiting.

Before departure, we popped into the Erste Premier Lounge for a short while.

As it’s the only lounge in Terminal 2, you won’t find much peace and quiet there. But the lounge is fine for basic refreshments.

Boarding took place strictly by zone, so we were among the first to board the plane.

Seat: classic European business class

We flew onan Airbus A220-300 on the Prague–Paris route.

The business class seat itself is of a classic European standard. In other words, no wider seat, no significantly greater comfort and no feature you’d still be thinking about a week after the flight.

In practice, you’re sitting in a standard seat just like in economy class, except you’re guaranteed an empty seat next to you.

The seat pitch and the angle of the reclining backrest arethe same as in economy class:

• Seat pitch: 76 cm
• Seat width: 47 cm
• Recline angle: 28°

That’s the main problem with European business class in general. On paper, you’re flying business class. In reality, you’re sitting in an economy seat, you just have a bit more privacy.

On a short connecting flight to Paris before a long-haul flight, it’s perfectly bearable.

But if you were to buy just the Prague–Paris leg in business class at a hefty extra cost, I’d be hard pressed to find a reason to do so.

The seat itself is actually exactly the same as in economy, but it does have a few handy features:

• a holder for a mobile phone or tablet
• a mouldable headrest
• USB-A and USB-C ports

Business class passengers have their own dedicated toilet, which economy class passengers are not permitted to use.

The cabins are separated by a curtain during the flight.

Refreshments: a cold platter and no welcome drink

The biggest disappointment for me was the refreshments.

Admittedly, you can’t expect haute cuisine in European business class. After all, it’s still a short flight within Europe.

But even against these low expectations, Air France’s service seemed rather average.

Personally, on a one-and-a-half-hour flight, I was expecting perhaps even a hot meal, or at least a menu with a choice of several options.

Instead, we were served only a cold platter with a small dessert. No choice of several options. Along with that, of course, an unlimited supply of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

There wasn’t even a welcome drink or some nuts before take-off. It’s just a minor detail, but first impressions are particularly important, especially in business class.

Instead of a warm cloth napkin, we’re given just a packet of paper napkins. Again, just a minor detail, but you know how it is… first impressions.

Connecting in Paris: the fast track at passport control comes in handy

After arriving in Paris, we continued on to our long-haul flight to Mexico City.

And here, business class proved far more useful than it had been during the flight from Prague itself.

When transferring at Charles de Gaulle Airport, business class passengers can use the ‘SkyPriority’ fast track at passport control.

This is a very welcome benefit on long-haul flights outside the Schengen area, as queues in Paris can be unpredictable.

We were lucky on this occasion and the passport control area was completely empty, but that’s more of an exception at CDG.

When transferring to a long-haul flight, this is one of the things that really makes a difference. Not a cold meal on board, not an empty middle seat, but a quicker and more relaxed passage through the airport.

Is Air France Business Class from Prague to Paris worth it?

On its own? Definitely not.

Because the difference between economy and business class is small:

	Business	Economy
Seat	Guaranteed seat next to	same type as in Business
Meals	cold platter, unlimited drinks	small snack + water
Checked-in luggage	2 x 32 kg	for a fee only
Hand luggage	2x standard + 1 personal item	only 1 personal item

Included as part of a long-haul Business Class ticket? Yes, but mainly to ensure a smooth connection to your long-haul flight, baggage handling, priority services and a more comfortable transfer in Paris.

The Prague–Paris flight itself in Air France Business Class didn’t particularly impress me. The seat is a classic European business class seat, the catering was a bit lacklustre, and the overall experience felt rather average.

On the other hand, it’s fair to say that this flight wasn’t the main reason we flew business class. The main benefit was the long-haul leg from Paris to Mexico City, which I’ll review separately.

The only situation in which flying business class on an intra-European flight might make sense is if you need to travel with two pieces of checked luggage.

Pros and cons

What was good

• Quick check-in in Prague with no queuing
• Fast track through security
• seats next to each other
• fast-track through passport control during the transfer in Paris

What could have been better

• a standard European seat offering little in the way of comfort
• only cold snacks
• no welcome drink
• crew were rather cold and not very proactive

Overall rating

I’ve already mentioned this in several reviews of European business class flights.

I’m disappointed that airlines in Europe make almost no effort to create even a hint of an interesting business class product on board.

The one notable exception is Turkish Airlines, which we flew with on the return journey.

But I am not yet aware of any other European airline that has shown any effort to provide a good regional business class service. And Air France is no exception.

On the contrary, I’d say it’s more of a run-of-the-mill, mediocre operator. What a shame.