Air France adds Michelin power to in-flight dining

Published on Aug 6, 2025, 7:57 pm CDT

5 min read

Air France is doubling down on gastronomy at 35,000 feet. Starting this month, the carrier's La Première and Business cabins departing the United States feature menus by two Michelin-star titans-Daniel Boulud in New York and Dominique Crenn in San Francisco-plus desserts by Breton pastry artist Laurent Le Daniel. The airline says the three-chef lineup underscores its pledge to "showcase the best of French cuisine" while tightening sustainability and food-waste controls. Initial roll-out covers flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport (MIA), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), with network-wide coverage slated for November 2025.

Key Points

Why it matters: Fresh chef power aims to anchor Air France's move upmarket.
Travel impact: Premium flyers now pre-select menus, reducing mid-air stock-outs.
What's next: Boulud dishes expand to all U.S. gateways in November 2025.
Additional chef partnerships may follow as Air France eyes Asia growth.
New desserts debut on Canadian departures later this summer.

Snapshot

Air France's culinary expansion unites two coastal culinary icons and a master pâtissier under one wing. Dominique Crenn, the first woman in the United States to earn three Michelin stars, continues her "poetic culinaria" approach with vegetarian and seafood options such as cod with quinoa and marinière sauce. Newly added Daniel Boulud brings red-meat classics with modern flair-think chicken with saffron, turnips, pumpkin, and green-olive semolina in La Première or braised lamb shoulder for Business class. Pastry guru Laurent Le Daniel completes the trio, offering a salted-butter-caramel "Coeur de Bretagne" and a zesty Lemon Delight tart. Each chef leans on local sourcing to trim the operation's carbon footprint and meet Air France's waste-reduction targets.

Background

Air France has courted celebrity chefs since 2009, but the program accelerated after parent group Air France-KLM earmarked €1 billion for premium-cabin upgrades through 2026. Crenn joined in February 2024, initially covering six U.S. gateways. Her California-inspired menus scored high in customer-satisfaction surveys, paving the way for broader collaborations. Boulud, whose New York empire spans Michelin-starred flagship Daniel and 20 other venues worldwide, signed on in July 2025. Pastry chef Le Daniel, a 1997 Meilleur Ouvrier de France, adds artisanal credibility as Air France competes with rivals like Emirates and Singapore Airlines on dessert service. The airline's menu rotation now updates monthly, with entrée pre-ordering available 24 hours before departure to curb waste.

Latest Developments

Daniel Boulud Takes Center Stage

Boulud's seasonally rotating entrées premiered this week on flights from JFK, LAX, MIA, SFO, and IAD. Early highlights include slow-braised lamb shoulder with root vegetables for Business class and an elegant chicken-saffron composition for La Première. According to the chef, "simple and tasty dishes with traditional French roots, tinged with contemporary notes" guide his approach. Air France confirms that Boulud's menus will reach all eleven U.S. departure cities by November 2025, coinciding with the retrofit of additional Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with new La Première suites and upgraded galleys.

Artisanal Desserts Elevate Sweet Endings

For the first time, Air France passengers can finish their meal with pastries developed by Laurent Le Daniel. La Première guests receive the "Coeur de Bretagne," a multilayered marvel of salted-butter caramel, milk chocolate, and hazelnut biscuit that channels the chef's native Brittany. Business flyers taste Lemon Delight, a modern riff on the classic tarte au citron. Desserts will refresh every two months and extend to Canadian stations-including Montréal and Vancouver-later this year.

Sustainability Drives Menu Choices

Both Crenn and Boulud source produce within each U.S. departure region, aligning with Air France's pledge to halve single-use plastic and cut on-board food waste by 50 percent by 2030. The airline's digital pre-selection tool, launched last year, now covers every long-haul Business cabin and claims a 15 percent reduction in discarded entrées. Crenn's focus on plant-forward options dovetails with the carrier's ambition to lower meat-related emissions, while Boulud's kitchen emphasizes whole-animal cookery to minimize leftovers.

Analysis

Competition for premium trans-Atlantic travelers has shifted from lie-flat bed specs to holistic lifestyle perks, and food is a differentiator passengers can taste. Air France's three-chef strategy mirrors moves by Lufthansa and Qatar Airways but keeps the brand's culinary identity firmly French. Leveraging Boulud's stateside name recognition may capture well-heeled Americans who equate his Upper East Side flagship with special-occasion dining. Crenn's avant-garde vegetarian dishes appeal to younger, sustainability-conscious flyers, while Le Daniel's desserts seal the experience with regional authenticity. Crucially, the program integrates operational practicality: rotating dishes monthly reduces menu fatigue yet aligns with procurement cycles, and pre-ordering cuts waste. The November expansion is timed to peak holiday traffic, suggesting Air France aims for immediate return on investment. Still, replicating Michelin-level plating at altitude poses execution risks. Success will depend on consistent crew training and supply-chain reliability, especially as menus scale to additional gateways. If Air France maintains quality while meeting its sustainability metrics, the initiative could set a new benchmark for trans-Atlantic in-flight dining.

Final Thoughts

Air France's culinary expansion unites household-name chefs, regional sourcing, and waste-smart logistics to refresh its premium-cabin proposition. By embedding Daniel Boulud's refined comfort dishes, Dominique Crenn's inventive artistry, and Laurent Le Daniel's Breton sweets into La Première and Business menus, the airline converts mealtime into a brand statement. Travelers boarding at JFK, LAX, MIA, SFO, or IAD now taste a preview of the full program that will cover every U.S. city by November 2025. For discerning flyers, the move underscores Air France's ambition to lead with French taste and sustainability-the twin pillars of its air-france culinary expansion.