This post goes back to a trip to Morocco in August 2023. Flights were in business class. Transatlantic travel was courtesy of Delta Air Lines and Air France widebody jets to and from Paris, respectively. Air France provided the transportation to and from Morocco on single-aisle A320s.
The distance between Paris and Casablanca is 1,200 miles (1,930 km). Flight time was three hours and five minutes. That is longer than most intra-Europe flights and roughly equal to a flight between New York, NY and Miami, FL.
The flight from CDG departed from a bus gate. That is not unusual outside North America. I actually prefer bus gates over boarding via a boring, stuffy gerbil tube. Your mileage may vary as the saying goes.
Seats
Almost all European carriers, take a different approach to the experience in domestic/short-haul international business class compared to their counterparts in the rest of the world.
Stepping on board, the major difference was immediately apparent. European carriers use regular economy seats for business class, and there’s no added legroom either.
Seats are laid out 3×3 and are 18 inches (46cm) wide and have only 32 inches (81cm) of legroom. That’s exactly the same as standard coach seats in back. As far as seating is concerned, the only difference between business class and coach is that Air France blocks the middle seat in business so each passenger sits next to an empty seat.
Sitting at an angle provided more legroom but it was awkward, uncomfortable and ultimately impractical when a lady took the aisle seat.
On the return flight, my seat was a window seat in the first row. It was a bulkhead row with even less room to stretch out than on the first flight.
In short, even with a blocked middle seat, intra-Europe business class seating bites.
Service
Air France and other major European airlines get better marks for service in business class on their short-haul routes. After reaching cruising altitude, the Air France attendants offered a refreshing towel and bottled water.
Each flight included a hot meal and a selection of beverages from a cart. Dinner was served on the flight to Casablanca.
Dinner was a now-unrecognizable chicken main course, bread and cheese and a desert. It was accompanied by french wine naturally. The meal was served on a tiny tray that was only about 2/3s the size of the already small tray table. Attendants offered seconds on drinks. Even though I had dined in the lovely Air France business class lounge before boarding, I appreciated the offer of a hot meal. Economy passengers did not get one.
A light snack was served abou 45 minutes before descent to Casablanca.
A simple breakfast-sandwich breakfast was served on the flight to Paris. Yogurt with fruit and nuts was the best part of this meal.
Sights
The flights affirmed my preference for window seats. The flight from Paris was treated to beautiful views as darkness fell.
The flight to Paris also offered a few interesting views including this solar power plant in Southern France. 
My understanding is that mirrors are angled to reflect sunlight on a boiler in a tower to create steam to spin a turbine and generate electricity. The concept is simple. My hat is off to those who actually pull it off.
In all my previous flights to CDG, this was the only time I recall flying over central Paris.
The approach included a low pass over historic Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget (LBG).
Charles Lindbergh landed here in 1927 to complete the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris.
Aviation has come a long way in 10 short decades.
Impression
Even though European flight times and distances are usually less than three hours, I still don’t like giving business class the same seats, seat width and legroom as coach. Even people of average height must be uncomfortable sitting in the first row right behind the bulkhead. Getting a hot meal on a short flight is a plus. Flight attendants were friendly and offered refills on snacks and drinks proactively. I would equate the service with that provided by a good crew on a major North American airline.
For comparison, next I’ll review British Airways A321 short-haul business class from London (LHR) to Rome (FCO). After that, stay tuned for a look at the best airport lounge in the Western Hemisphere, the brand new Delta One lounge at JFK Terminal 4.
Thanks for reading.
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