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AirFrance's La Première: How Ultra-Luxury Travel Fuels the Billionaire Bubble

New York Times Business •
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Air France's La Première first-class service epitomizes the ultra-luxury travel trend, offering passengers a bubble of complete privacy and exclusivity. A $11,000 round-trip ticket grants access to a Mercedes limousine pickup, a bespoke Alain Ducasse dining lounge, a private customs line, and a 6-foot-6-inch bed in a curtained compartment. Crucially, passengers encounter virtually no other travelers during the entire journey, from the airport to the plane. This extreme separation caters to the growing demand among the ultra-wealthy to avoid even other affluent individuals, a shift amplified by pandemic-era isolation trends.