Even though the vacations are over, I’m giving myself one last ride before a (very) busy back-to-school season.
My wife and I were due to travel to London, but we had to cancel our trip. As my wife had scheduled some meetings on Fridays, it was with a few friends that I decided to head to Catania in Sicily (where I’m originally from) for a bit of relaxation and sunshine before the autumn greyness of Paris.
Here is the booked itinerary:
Booking
I book this trip while I’m on the beach in Majorca. I don’t have any more Air France coupons this time, so it’s a classic booking on the website.
If the outward journey was excessively inexpensive, the return journey was much more so due to school vacations. And Business Class was available for €40 more… So I’m in for a round trip at just under 300€.
Since Italy requires a PCR test less than 72 hours old for passengers who have stayed in Spain in the 14 days prior to arrival, I comply, and will bring my test with me during this stay.
Arrival at the airport and check-in
I checked-in 30 hours before the flight’s departure via the mobile app. The latter offers me a paid upgrade for €109, which I (and my friends) choose. A good deal, especially as the flight exceeds 2h30, so this will be a hot service.
I arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure by Uber from my office in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
The exclusive priority security checkpoint is closed, but the classic security checkpoint (with SkyPriority queue) is open, so I’ll get through these formalities in 5 minutes flat.
Lounge
The two Air France lounges at gates F have reopened and are now operating at almost normal times.
As the latter is similar in all respects to my report for Geneva, I’ll let you discover it here.
As one of my friends is Ultimate, we all had access to this dedicated space on floor -1, which has no distinctive features apart from its privacy.
Boarding
A few minutes before the theoretical boarding time, we leave the lounge to stock up on champagne to be enjoyed on the spot at the Duty Free.
When we arrive at the gate, boarding is about to begin and we place ourselves in the SkyPriority queue.
The latter starts on time, and a temperature check will be carried out before access to 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 quite warm, and we are given bottles of water and oshibori.
No welcome drink, but a blister-packed oshibori and a small bottle of water.
I’m surprised to hear a “boarding complete” only a few minutes after I’ve settled in… There must be 40 passengers at most on our flight. It’s heartbreaking.
Service and catering
Just after takeoff, the service begins with an aperitif and some cheese-filled crêpes. I duly choose a glass of champagne, which will remain my faithful companion for the entire flight.
The purser will then take orders, starting with my friend Ultimate. Very professional.
There’s a choice between fish and beef, and I’ll go for the fish, as I don’t trust meats cooked on airplanes.
This will prove to be an excellent, very tasty choice.
The platter was simplified, with no cheese and blister-packed bread, but it was still very good.
The purser multiplied the refills of water and champagne.
Arrival and disembarkation
We arrive in Catania 25 minutes ahead of schedule. I enquire about the need to present my PCR test… That no one will control… And passengers are still screwed!
Bottom line
A very good flight, with a good crew and finally correct catering on Air France.
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