A few weeks after a previous stay in Bordeaux where I had the pleasure to discover some good restaurants, I decided to do it again, this time with Olivier, who did not know the capital of Gironde yet. The program included a comeback at the Renaissance Bordeaux, which had so pleasantly surprised me, and a dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s, a restaurant that had enchanted me the previous summer.

But first the trip begins with a flight between Paris and Bordeaux which will be the opportunity to test the new Air France lounge in Terminal 2F at Roissy.

The program of this journey

	Type	Article
#1	Flight	Paris-Bordeaux, Air France, Economy
#2	Hotel	Renaissance Bordeaux – Gallery Room
#3	Restaurant	Le Pressoir d’Argent. – Gordon Ramsay
#4	Flight	Bordeaux-Paris, Air France, Economy

Booking

The ticket was booked on the Air France application and in Economy, the price difference for a business is not justified given the duration of the trip and the service offered. This time I paid a little more than 100€, far from the scam of my flight this summer.

Check-in

Smooth check-in on the Air France application

Ground experience

I arrive from theMoxy hotelby the CDG VAL and the hallways of Roissy are quite empty at this early hour.

The aircraft are in place and waiting for us. The pandemic is not over yet, but this is a change from the empty terminals we saw for many months.

Let’s head to the security controls. Only one line is open in priority but it will be quite fluid considering the number of people.

I’m heading for the long-awaited new Air France lounge in Terminal 2F, which has finally opened after many ups and downs.

The new Air France lounge in Terminal 2F

My stay will be short and I will make another day a specific article more detailed on this lounge. This time I’ll take only a quick tour.

The first thing to know is that if the lounge is indeed located between the two peninsulas of the terminal, the famous terminals 2F1 and 2F2, it is not at all in the middle, much closer to the former 2F1 and thus to gates F21 to F36. An element to be taken into account when calculating the time needed to get to the gate, which is logically higher than with the old salons, but we will not regret it.

The entrance is controlled by scanners.

The lounge is located on two floors.

The hot and cold offer is very correct for a breakfast.

The beverage offer is complete and a water fountain has replaced the old cans.

At this time of the day the alcohol offer was not yet fully in place.

Vu la taille du sDue to the size of the lounge there are different stations distributed between the two floors, which avoids queues.alon il y a différentes stations réparties entre les deux étages, ce qui évite les files d’attente.

Whether you want to eat, just sit, rest or work, there are spaces designed for all expectations.

There is a shower, changing rooms, and a spa.

Au final, mon impression de cette nouvelle émission est positive mais mitigée.

Positive because the lounge is beautiful, with a very nice design. There is also a sense of space that really changes from its predecessors and you don’t feel crowded. Then even if breakfast is not the best time to see the difference, the catering has been improved significantly.

However, and this is the most surprising thing, I had a hard time finding a place and I find that the lounge is very quickly fulland from this point of view the improvement compared to before is not very noticeable. I’m not sure we’ve gained much in terms of capacity. In terms of space yes, but that’s it.

But let’s not stifle our pleasure, the change compared to the old lounges is radical and Air France can really be proud of this achievement.

Anyway I will take the opportunity of a longer stay another time to make a detailed report.

Boarding

I finally make my way to my gate. I really like the design of 2F with its skylights.

On the other hand, at the gate, it’s really a mess. If this terminal is beautiful it is not at all functional: the queues overflow on the traffic lanes and at the end you don’t know where to put yourself. I would add that in the summer it easily turns into a steam room.

Anyway, here is the result.

I will be one of the first to board and enter the aircraft.

The boarding will seem to me to last an eternity as often with Air France without me being able to explain why.

The pilot makes an announcement to apologize: the flight is full and to be able to satisfy the demandthe A319 originally planned has been replaced by an A320, which is why we boarded with a little delay

Finally the boarding will end with 10 minutes of delay which seems to me at the time to be a lesser evil but in the end it is still 33% more time than scheduled.

The cabin of the Air France A320

We find the usual Air France medium-haul cabin.

The seat is thicker than what I’ve had lately on other companies but the comfort is equivalent.

The legroom is correct.

Here is a cabin known and which it is necessary to recognize that it is beautiful, comfortable for this kind of flight in any case more successful than what one could have in the past in medium-haul.

The flight and the service

We will have to be patient before pushing back. The delay is accumulating but nothing castatrophic.

The takeoff offers us a beautiful view on the Defense.

I doze off a bit and open my eyes just for the service. In fact what is called service service.

Since it is now impossible to get a Perrier at breakfast time, I’ll settle for a glass of water and a cookie.

I console myself by saying that it could be worse as the rumor of the upcoming arrival of “Buy On Board”on Air France’s medium-haul service is becoming insistent (understand that the free service will be removed and that everything will be charged).

The rest of the flight is uneventful and I take the opportunity to finish my night.

Landing and arrival in Bordeaux

The approach will allow soccer fans to admire the Matmut Atlantic stadium where the Girondins de Bordeaux play.

Then the city reveals itself.

The landing will be the occasion to see some Norvegian aircrafts stored for a while in Bordeaux.

And as during my last stay we will be parked at a remote stand and we will deplane on the tarmac.

I will learn at the time of the return flight that the hall B where Air France operates was inoperable because of works, which justifies this remote parking (but it was not the case during my previous stay).

There followsa long walk in the corridors and a few series of stairs (never practical with the luggage) before leaving the airport.

Outside of the airport, a last look at the control tower designed by Philippe Starck.

Ah one last detail…despite 27 min of delay at the departure we arrived on time. It is okay to criticize the delays, but you have to recognize when they are overcome.

The Crew

Minimalist and somewhat haughty service and interactions.

On the other hand, thanks to the captain for the explanations and the excuses for the delay during the boarding. It doesn’t cost anything and it’s appreciated.

Conclusion

Finally an uneventful flight with no failures but no reason to get excited either. It’s a pity that I think that even on medium-haul routes Air France should be able to distinguish itself from low-cost airlines and the difference is less and less perceptible. The introduction of Buy on Board, if confirmed, should finish smoothing out the differences and that’s a shame.