Air France Business, London-Paris, Airbus A318 : Bullshit

As part of a last-minute business trip to Paris, I decided to book on Air France for its convenience and for the high frequencies offered by the French airline compared with British Airways or even Eurostar.

Here is the itinerary followed:

#TypeReview
1FlightAir France Business, London Heathrow – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A318
2HotelCourtyard Marriott Paris Gare de Lyon
3FlightAir France Business, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – London Heathrow, Airbus A318
Today’s itinerary

Ground experience and lounge

The flight I booked from London to Paris was a very early one, departing at 6.25am. It was the only flight that morning to leave Heathrow Terminal 2 before 8.30am.

IMG_0532
All non-BA airlines have been grouped together in Terminal 2

I arrive by Wheely at Heathrow about 1h15 before departure. With my boarding pass already on my mobile, I skip check-in and head straight to security, which will be almost deserted, and am airside less than 5 minutes after arriving at the airport.

Terminal 2, deserted as never before

Air France has not renewed its agreement with Plaza Premium, and no longer offers a lounge at Heathrow.

IMG_0533
The Plaza Premium lounge is the only one open

Fortunately, I can still access this lounge, the only one open in the terminal, thanks to my Priority Pass card, compliments of American Express Platinum.

IMG_0536
The lounge is deserted, and I’ll be the only passenger for the 45 minutes I’m there.

In front of me, a dozen or so passengers from all airlines are being turned away.

IMG_0535
Some thirty flights departing today

You can find my review of this lounge from the previous week here.

IMG_0537
Still not many people as boarding begins

Boarding

Boarding begins a good 40 minutes before departure, in relative order due to the very limited marking of the priority lane. Nevertheless, I’m on board quickly after checking my PCR test.

IMG_0538
A bit of a mess around the boarding gate

Cabin and welcome

The welcome is rather cold. I don’t have far to go, since I’m at seat 01F.

IMG_0542
Limited pitch at row 1

It’s an Airbus A318, equipped with the least comfortable cabins in the entire Air France medium-haul fleet, since the same seats are also used on the domestic fleet based at Orly.

IMG_0548
Superb takeoff over Heathrow

Service and catering

Where to start… Nowhere, since there will be absolutely no service. No oshibori, water bottle, cushion or blanket.

On the way up, I hear the announcement that there will be no service on this flight, thinking that the message is intended for economy class. Not at all!

There will be absolutely no service on this flight, not even a bottle of water. For just over £560 return, I’ve got it bad!

Arrival and disembarkation

We’ll get to Paris on time, but the jetway will take a long time to arrive. There I go again, forgetting my computer in the seat pocket, what a moron! The baggage department will do everything in its power to find it, as the aircraft was moved to the maintenance hangar after the flight. After a 45-minute wait, I collect my equipment and join my driver.

IMG_0551
The corridors are completely deserted at T2E, hall K
IMG_0552
No one at the baggage carousels either

Bottom line

No service? A shame, no doubt due to the crew.

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
1,324FansLike
954FollowersFollow
1,272FollowersFollow
370SubscribersSubscribe

Trending posts

Recent posts