Air France Business Class, Paris CDG - London LHR, Airbus A318 : No ground service at CDG

Continuation and end of this Paris business trip with our return to London Heathrow.

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#	Type	Review
1	Flight	Air France Business, London Heathrow – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A318
2	Hotel	Renaissance Paris Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud
3	Flight	Air France Business, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – London Heathrow, Airbus A318

Today’s itinerary

Ground experience and boarding

I arrive at CDG almost 2 hours before the flight’s departure. Learning from my previous experience, I head straight for the priority police checkpoint without going through check-in.

At the police priority checkpoint, the queue doesn’t move, and for good reason: the booths are not staffed, and there are no police officers present. We had to wait a good 10 minutes (probably the end of the coffee break) for the Border Police to arrive and start processing priority passengers. It will be a good 30 minutes before we reach a very gruff agent.

It’s almost as if he is spitting in your face!

Once through this checkpoint, I arrive at a zoo, where passengers queue up in all directions to enter Hall K.

Today, my flight to London departs from Concourse L, so I have to take the automated shuttle to get there.

Once you arrive at the screening station, there’s no priority queue, and no respect for social distancing. But it was over in less than 10 minutes.

Once airside, I make my way to the Air France lounge on the 1st floor, accessible by elevator. Note that a temporary lounge has been set up for certain other airlines using the T2E.

The temporary lounge set up for other airlines currently using hall L

This temporary lounge is really located in a strange place.

Enfin le sFinally, the lounge, where you can eat and relax!alon, pour se restaurer et se reposer !

When I got to reception, I found the door closed! The Hall L lounge closes at 2pm, despite the presence of Air France flights departing from this terminal until 6.30pm!

So I wait in the public area (no customer service counter is staffed to ask for a voucher).

Departures from Hall L are very limited on this Friday afternoon… Why keep it open?

50 minutes before boarding, I go to the gate, pass through the additional security check to verify the English Passenger Locator Form and the COVID test, and wait until boarding begins.

Boarding starts 30 minutes before departure, but the priority line is not well marked and it begins in complete disarray.

Meanwhile, ADP is investing in such horrors!

I’m second through the door, and we wait a good 5 minutes behind a cordon before boarding.

Cabin and welcome

The reception is rather neutral and I head for my seat, 01F. During boarding, the purser hands out cold oshibori and bottles of water.

Strange sight to see this ASL flight in the middle of terminal 2E-L

Service and catering

Once the cabin crew have been released, miraculously, the service is back, and not as a favor. The trolley is even out and, even if premium snack bags have replaced the tray, it’s better than nothing! The budget champagne has given way to the mid-range champagne traditionally served on Air France, in this case Duval Leroy.

Why a service from Paris to London but not in the other direction? Mystery!

I’ll even get several refills.

Arrival and disembarkation

We arrive at the gate a good twenty minutes early, and I’m almost the first to disembark at the jetway. I’ll have to wait around thirty minutes at immigration, and I’ll have to pay the £210 for two COVID tests on D2 and D8, which are now compulsory even for weekly commutes.

Bottom line

A very good flight. I really don’t understand the difference in service between London-Paris and Paris-London. The response from customer service is fanciful… Duly noted.