Sneak peek: Air France's regional jets set to feature new seating and cabin redesign

Air France is transforming some of the smallest jets in its fleet with a significant makeover.

Recently, the French airline introduced brand new seats for its fleet of Embraer E190 regional jets, operated by its regional branch, Hop — and TPG was on hand for an exclusive preview.

Most travelers from the U.S. flying with Air France are more accustomed to the airline's long-haul fleet, which includes Boeing 777s and 787 Dreamliners as well as Airbus A330s and A350s.

Similar to U.S. airlines, Air France's regional subsidiaries also operate smaller jets to various destinations in Europe and North Africa — meaning you might find yourself on one of these planes if you're connecting to another location beyond Paris or planning to explore multiple cities during your European journey.

The newly designed seats from French manufacturer Expliseat were showcased last week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 in Hamburg, Germany.

Featuring navy-blue upholstery, the new seats display Air France logos on the headrests, which can be adjusted vertically and have adjustable wings.

On the back, there's a full-sized tray table spacious enough for a laptop, along with a fold-down dual cupholder. This cupholder tray also functions as a personal device holder, equipped with a nonslip surface, allowing you to comfortably place a phone beside a beverage or prop up a tablet using the space behind the headrest for stability.

Each seatback features slots for both USB-A and USB-C charging ports, a literature pocket, and a coat hook.

The 110 new seats installed on each Air France E190 have the ability to recline up to 3 inches.

This seat upgrade is part of a broader interior redesign planned for regional jets, featuring a new color scheme that aligns more closely with Air France's Airbus A220 fleet. This initiative aims to standardize the airline's service across its short- and medium-haul operations, as stated by the company.

Beginning in January 2025, Air France will block one seat in each of the initial rows to create a designated business-class area — allowing those passengers to enjoy a row to themselves, given the jet's 2-2 seating arrangement (typically, airlines in Europe don't offer premium seats at the front, instead blocking the middle seat in a 3-3 layout for higher fare tickets).

The first upgraded Air France E190 is anticipated to enter service by this fall.