Hello everyone !
Today, we are in Nice on the French Riviera, also know as "Côte d'azur" for a special flight!
In June 2024, AirFrance operated 2 direct flights from New York to Nice with its Airbus A350-900 on the occasion of the “Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity”.
The aircraft then having to be repatriated to Paris, the airline had the good idea of putting its NCE-CDG on sale, an excellent opportunity for avgeeks including myself to fly on a wide-body aircraft on a domestic flight in France.
Flight routing
- 1
- 2AF4149 - Business - Nice –> Paris - Airbus A350-900
I arrived by walk at the T2 from my hotel located 3 km/1.86 miles from the airport.

Check-in counters are empty this morning!

I'm going to collect my boarding pass at a self-service terminal. As a Flying Blue Gold member, I was able to get a seat in the Premium Economy cabin for free.



Heading to the security !

The fast-track access is empty, I only need two minutes to pass throught the security checkpoint.

The duty-free

My flight is expected on time.


My Flying Blue Gold status allows me to access to the « Infinity lounge »


The lounge is empty, I will easily find a seat to sit and wait for my friends who will soon join me.




The breakfast buffet is available with a lot of snacks and drinks.


The plane that will take me back to Paris arrives from New York on time. The A350 is a beautiful bird ! <3


My friends and I arrive at the boarding gate on time for boarding.

Boarding starts with zones 1 and 2. The boarding pass reader will show me a red light and print me a new boarding pass. I am upgraded to business Class !

Today, it will be the F-HUVD "Nantes" that will take me back to Paris. It is an A350-900 that is less than a year old.



Our A350´s winglet hides the tail of a Delta 767 operating the New York - Nice route.

The crew welcomes us on board and invites us to head to the business class. I discover that this is the new Air France business class cabin.

The cabin is equipped with 48 Stelia Opera seats, each seat has direct access to the aisle and is equipped with a privacy door.

The IFE screen is large and have a good quality

Tray table storage and seat controls.

A little storage with the IFE’s headphone inside.


Just in case…

I have beautiful view on the right side engine.

A flight attendant seeing me taking all the photos asks me if this is my first business flight.
I explain to her that I am an Avgeek and taking this flight, only for the A350. She comes back to me a minute later to say “The pilots are waiting for you in the cockpit!”

I quickly return to my seat, it's time for the push-back.

Goodbye Nice, see you soon !


A KLM E175 from Amsterdam.

Take-off !



Heading to Paris with a last view on NCE airport.


The wifi works perfectly. The messaging pass is free for the entire duration of the flight.


We fly over the Alps, my favorite region in France! There is still a lot of snow on the peaks even though it is June.



A small snack will be served with a choice of juice, chocolates and biscuits.


After less than an hour, the descent begins on the French capital. The weather is no longer the same as in Nice, it is rain that awaits us in Paris.


« Bienvenue à Paris »


Our plane will park at Terminal 2E, Hall L. As this terminal is reserved for non-Schengen flights, we will have to disembark by bus to reach Terminal 2F.



Bye bye F-HUVD !

Waouh, beau vol!
J'adore la nouvelle cabine Business de AF sur ses A350, hyper belle et confortable !
Cette route est opérée avec ce type d'appareil juste pour le festival de Cannes? ca fait qd même bizarre d'utiliser un A350 et non pas un A320/A319 sur cette liaison... ni même sur un A330?
Merci pour ce FR !
Merci de ton commentaire,
La nouvelle cabine est vraiment top, un pur bonheur !
Tu as quelques vols chaque année depuis maintenant 3/4 ans qui sont opérés depuis NCE en gros porteur pour rapatrier l’appareil à Paris. Essentiellement en juin et juillet. J’ai déjà eu l’occasion de les prendre par 2 fois sur 777 et 350, c’est toujours une excellente occasion de logger du gros porteur sans payer trop cher ni devoir se barrer au bout du monde ! 😉
À bientôt !
PS : Si ça t’intéresse, mes FR sont dispos sur la version française et ils y sont + détaillés.