Continuation of this modified itinerary to London from Caen, with this second leg to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle from Lyon.
As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed today:
| # | Type | Review |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lounge | Salon Plaza Premium, London Heathrow Terminal 2 (not reviewed, but similar review herei) |
| 2 | Flight | Air France Business, London LHR to Paris CDG, Airbus A320 (not reviewd but similar review here) |
| 3 | Hotel | Renaissance Paris Vendôme, Parisian Suite (not reviewed this time, but previous review here) |
| 4 | Train | SNCF TER Nomad 1ère classe, Paris Saint-Lazare – Caen |
| 5 | Flight | Air France Economy, Caen Carpiquet to Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Embraer E190 |
| 6 | Flight | Air France Business, Lyon Saint-Exupéry to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Embraer E190 |
| 7 | Flight | Air France Business, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle to London Heathrow, Airbus A320 |
Connection circuit
The connecting route at Lyon Saint-Exupéry is very straightforward, but don’t fool around and follow the connecting/transfer signs to avoid ending up in the baggage reclaim area and having to go through security again.
At Lyon Saint-Exupéry, since the start of the COVID crisis, the Air France lounge has been closed, forcing me to wait 3.5 hours in the public area. Nevertheless, I have a number of e-mails to deal with and calls to make, which will pass the time before my flight.
Note the dirtiness of some spaces, disturbing in times of pandemic.
Boarding
Despite the fact that this flight is operated by a regional aircraft, boarding takes place in the mainline area of Terminal 2, close to the security checkpoint.
There is a SkyPriority line, but it’s longer than the Economy line, so it’s not clear whether they’re really priority passengers or free-riders. Boarding begins about ten minutes behind schedule. Priorities are nevertheless respected.
Cabin and welcome
The reception is quite good, and the flight attendant is very friendly. Nevertheless, even though it was a Business cabin, the seat next to mine was not blocked, which is a shame for an airline that claims to be Premium like Air France!
So I’ll have a big passenger next to me who’ll take up all the space, especially on the armrest. No welcome drinks, of course.
Service and catering
The service will take place as soon as the seatbelt light is switched off, with the now classic domestic Business service, i.e. all the beverages also available in economy class, plus champagne, and a snack that’s a little more premium than the one distributed in economy class.
Arrival and disembarkation
Unfortunately, and despite my very short connection (less than an hour to London), we disembarked at a remote stand, i.e. parked next to terminal 2G, where regional flights normally depart from.
So I have to wait for the bus to arrive, make the long journey to terminal 2F, and try to find my way through all the people waiting to pass through immigration control in Paris, knowing that I’m on a connecting flight. Hellish!
Bottom line
A completely unremarkable domestic business flight, a horrible experience on the ground both in Lyon (no lounge) and in Paris Charles-de-Gaulle (bus and interminable wait at immigration), I hope this will all come to an end very soon.
Articles similaires
Review : Air France Business Class, Paris-Manchester, Embraer ERJ-190 : Disastrous !!!
Review : Air France Business post COVID-19, Paris-Stockholm, Airbus A318
Air France Business Class post-COVID, Paris CDG – Catania Fontanarossa, Airbus A319: Finally a real service!
Air France Business Class, Paris CDG – London LHR, Airbus A318 : No ground service at CDG
Air France Business, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis: Good flight, but that’s all!
Air France Business, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – London Heathrow, Airbus A320 : The return of catering? No, I’m just kidding!
