The vacations are over, but not the flights… So I’m back for a short business trip to Geneva.
This trip was not easy to organize. It had to be moved from London to Geneva because of the quarantine imposed on travellers from France to the UK.
I make the various changes using social networks.
Here’s the itinerary booked:
Arrival at the airport and check-in
I checked-in online at the opening of the 30-hour window before the flight. I was thus able to check-in for the outward and return trips, choosing a paid upgrade for €89 each way, allowing me to work and have a service on board worthy of the name.
I arrive at the airport by Uber after a lunch in Paris. As is now the case since deconfinement, boarding passes and electronic tickets are verified before they can be entered into the terminal.
I go straight through security via the SkyPriority queue (fuller than the standard queue) in a matter of seconds and find myself airside.
Lounge
The two Air France lounges at gates F have reopened and are now operating at almost normal times.
I stay on the main floor, as the basement doesn’t offer any food, and choose a few items from the buffet to nibble on. The buffet is served by a waiter, and in the end, I much prefer this to the classic buffet with its endless pigs helping themselves to kilos of food!
The exit is on the other side, to avoid crossing flows.
Boarding
I don’t head for the boarding gate until it’s been running for a few minutes, to avoid unnecessary gate lice.
It starts on time, and the SkyPriority queue is completely empty as I make my way to the boarding gate.
A temperature reading is taken at the jetway.
Cabin and welcome
The cabin is the traditional Smart & Beyond we’re used to in medium-haul.
The welcome at the door is a little cold, and the refreshing wipes have now been replaced by the eternal disinfectant wipes that allow each passenger to disinfect his seat.
The Business cabin currently comprises 6 rows of 4 seats, and will be approximately 30% occupied.
No welcome drink, but a blister-packed oshibori and a small bottle of water.
Service and catering
Just after takeoff, the service begins. And that’s where the drama begins. Because it’s the domestic protocol that’s deployed on the Geneva route (as it is on the Amsterdam site, for that matter) and I didn’t know it.
Result: only disposable crockery, and a lousy champagne (Jacquart). The flight attendant certainly sees the disappointment on my face and comes back to offer me a cup. I’ll decline.
I’m just outraged at having paid for an upgrade for such catering and feel trapped, since I’ve already paid for the return upgrade…
Arrival and disembarkation
We arrive on time, and the crew do their best to ensure that the debarkation is carried out by rows.
No checks will be carried out at the arrival, and it’s a good thing… By chance, I learn that I should have undergone quarantine on arrival, as I stayed in Spain less than 14 days before moving to Switzerland!
Bottom line
A great disappointment in view of the service protocol… Geneva, a very premium destination, cannot be subject to such a budget cut!
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