Review : Air France Business Paris CDG - Geneva Cointrin, Airbus A320

For personal and professional reasons, I stayed in Paris from Monday to Friday, and it so happened that the day I wanted to return to Geneva was my birthday. So let’s see what Air France has in store for me on this special day.

My flight is mid-afternoon and I will be travelling in the Business cabin for the occasion, having been upgraded by a generous hand.

I arrived at the airport with hardly any time to spare, as I wanted to work at home as much as possible and didn’t really need or want to stay in the lounge for long.

The SkyPriority check-in area has been reopened since mid-July after several months of closure. A little burdened with birthday presents received in anticipation from friends during my stay in Paris, I check-in a hold bag for this flight. I have been allocated seat 1A and the agent at the counter asks me to reconfirm this choice.

The dedicated screening point next to the priority check-in area is only open until noon. So at this time of day I have to use the central point (which also has priority access)

Looking at the departures table, there has been some recovery in the medium-haul sector, but not back to pre-epidemic levels.

The peninsulas in Terminal 2F are cramped but are easier to access when there is less traffic.

The 2F1 and 2F2 lounges reopened at the end of June 2020. New hygiene measures are imposed. It is no longer possible to scan your boarding pass with an agent, only at the kiosk (and I didn’t see anyone cleaning the touch screen after my visit). A direction of circulation is imposed and the exit is through the back of the lounge (but you still have to go back to the entrance of the lounge to go to the toilet). A personally appreciated measure is that food (but not drinks) is served by a lounge employee instead of being self-service.

Not needing to eat, I move to the lower floor. The latter is open when the number of visitors justifies it, but does not have any catering facilities. However, it is still possible to take drinks from the upper floor.

The Air France boutique’s offer has been adapted to the situation.

I don’t linger in the lounge because it’s time to board. I go back upstairs and notice three lounge agents running with a large Air France bag, and hear them say “we’re going to miss him, I’m going to meet him in the boarding lounge”. Well…

The boarding starts, and strangely enough, I find the same agent as at the lounge with the bag. He goes back and forth in the gangway…

I go through the gate and beep. No upgrade as I am already in Business. I am invited to join the lounge agent waiting just behind. He wishes me happy birthday and then hands me the big Air France bag, telling me it’s a present. He will accompany me to the plane and we will talk. Then, at the door, he takes leave of me and wishes me a good flight, saying that the crew has been warned.

I sit down in 1A. The head of the cabin comes to welcome me and I make myself comfortable.

On this occasion I open the contents of the bag: a La Première passport holder, a bottle of champagne, and a signed card.

Checking my Twitter account I noticed that an acquaintance, whom I knew to be a captain at Air France, had sent me a message and that he happened to be the captain on this flight to Geneva. He will come to greet me personally and we will exchange a few words. Very nice!

Bottle of water and oshibori are distributed.

The departure announcements are made, and we take off.

La Défense

The Porte de La Villette district.

East of Paris.

Now it’s time for the service, if you can call it that… it only consists of some sweet snacks. The range of drinks is reduced to coffee/tea and soft drinks, but you can also be offered champagne in Business.