After checking out of the hotel, we’ll explore Heraklion’s surroundings, including a visit to the Knossos site just a stone’s throw from the city, lunch by the Mediterranean sea in a downtown restaurant, and a visit to the citadel built in Venetian times.
After returning our rental car, we arrive at the Heraklion terminal, which could do with a good lick of paint.
Itinerary reminder :
Check-in
Check-in queues are not marked out, but the SkyPriority counter is clearly identified.
The agent checks my identity papers, UK immigration papers and various health forms, checks my baggage in to London, then hands me my boarding passes.
We then pass through security in less than two minutes to wait in the boarding area before our flight.
Boarding
30 minutes before the scheduled departure time, our boarding begins. Note that Heraklion has no airside lounge for the Schengen zone, and that the landside lounge is still closed.
In any case, it is not certain that Air France has any contract with this lounge.
As boarding is by bus, we don’t hurry and board among the last.
The bus will be packed, but certainly less than before the pandemic!
We’ll board the aircraft from the front.
Cabin and welcome
The cabin is the classic Smart & Beyond offered by Air France on all their medium-haul networks (excluding A318s).
The welcome is very warm and the purser will introduce herself and chat with us.
Service and catering
Service begins shortly after takeoff with the distribution of the tray. Very light, and disappointing to receive service in one pass, whereas in the past, on such a long flight, there would be an aperitif, the tray and a few refills of coffee, tea, digestif, etc.
The meal is pretty good, though. I chose fish, and it’s often a very good choice on planes.
Regular refills of champagne and a few sweet treats will end the flight on a high note.
Arrival and disembarkation
Arrival will be at terminal 2F2, and border police clearance will be very fast.
Bottom line
An uneventful flight, but the experience on the ground in Heraklion is really not great.
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