This autumn I had several objectives: to go and change my mind and to start my requalification period to keep my Star Alliance status. Indeed, with the COVID coming back in waves and the restrictions coming and going, I thought that all the miles taken as long as it is possible will not be to be taken anymore if the borders were to close.
The final destination was quickly chosen: Cancun. Indeed, Mexico had the advantage that it was an “open” country, not imposing tests for vaccinated passengers and Cancun was a destination that if in normal times is far from being at the top of my desires was the least worst possible of those that were easily accessible to see a little sun in this November.
In fact, many people have had the same idea because all Travelguys authors will have been to Cancun at one time or another this fall/winter and so you will see an increasing number of reviews of flights to Cancun and of hotels in Cancun.
Then I had to figure out how to get there.
The prices in business class from Paris were in my opinion prohibitive, especially on Air France and, in any case, I needed a flight on a Star Alliance airline. So I started looking for an interesting market fare…
I finally opted for a departure from Gothenburg on Turkish Airlines. Gothenburg because at these dates it is the best price I could find and Turkish Airlines because one of the best airlines, if not the best airline on the continent. This fulfills the objective “miles” because it makes an interesting distance and allows me to add segments to go to Gothenburg and back and, despite everything, the final bill is almost 1000 euros cheaper than what Air France offered me from Paris.
Last but not least, it allows me to discover the new business class of the Turkish airline that we had not yet tested during ourprevious flights on Turkish Airlines.
This results in the following routing:
And the following posts
Review# | Type | Post |
1 | Hotel | Moxy Paris CDG (no article, look at our previous articles on Moxy Paris CDG ) |
2 | Flight | Paris-Frankfurt – Lufthansa – Business Class |
3 | Flight | Frankfurt-Gothenburg – Lufthansa – Business Class |
4 | Flight | Gothenburg-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
5 | Flight | Istanbul-Mexico – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
6 | Flight | Mexico-Cancun – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
7 | Hotel | Renaissance Cancun Resort and Marina |
8 | Hotel | Ritz Carlton Cancun |
9 | Flight | Cancun-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
10 | Flight | Istanbul-Gothenburg – Turkish Airlines – Business Class |
11 | Hotel | Gothia Towers Gothenburg |
12 | Restaurant | Epoque in Gothenburg |
13 | Flight | Gothenburg-Zurich – Swiss – Business Class |
14 | Flight | Zurich-Paris – Swiss – Business Class |
But for now let’s start with the less exotic part: a Paris-Frankfurt in business class on Lufthansa.
Check-In and ground experience
As almost always now I spent the night at the Moxy Charles de Gaulleand I joined the airport by the CDGVal. Not many people at this early hour.
The airport is in a rather impressive state of dirtiness.
Thanks to the image for the tourists that contrasts with the promise of the work in progress.
Having luggage to check in I go to the end of the terminal B to check in, which represents a nice walk.
The queue is quite long but nobody is in the priority lane.
Once the thing is done, I go back to the terminal Dfor the security checks which will take place in the greatest fluidity.
My gate is D66…right at the end of the terminal, a little past the Sheltair lounge. That’s a lot of walking.
The terminal is almost empty at this time.
Considering the time to wait and the very low interest of the lounge I will stay at the gate waiting for the boarding.
Boarding
The boarding starts on time…the flight is not even announced on the screen. There is almost no one there and I get in the aircraft so quickly that I didn’t even have time to take a picture.
The A320 Neo cabin
This is the very classic Lufthansa cabin with the traditional NEK seatswhich are gradually being replaced on the entire medium-haul fleet.
There will be 5 rows of business class.
Le siège est confortablemême si une vue de côté montre qu’il mérite bien son surnom de planche à repasser.
On the other hand, the legroom is still appreciable.
The “Buy on Board” menu is slipped into the seat pocket but is of little interest to business passengers.
The boarding will be finished very quickly and we will be only 5 passengers in business class.
We’ll leave on time.
The flight and the service
We push back and say goodbye to the Finnair aircraft that was parked beside.
We take off after a short taxi and I install my “personal IFE”.
Below us, the Paris region is waking up.
It’s not the neighborhood that will disturb me during this flight.
The sun starts to appear and I see the crew getting ready for the service.
They bring me my plate…
There is a menu…from memory I don’t remember that Lufthansa distributed menus or I maybe got too used to COVID protocols.
The charcuterie was very decent and the oatmeal mix very good. Nothing to get excited about, it’s a pretty standard platter but it’s substantial and it’s always better than badly reheated rubbery croissants. But I remain convinced that breakfast is the service on which airlines make the least effort.
I would get two refills of coffee before landing.
Landing and arrival in Frankfurt
The start of the descent is quickly announced and soon after the Frankfurt airport appears.
After a very long taxi, usual when you land on the 25LR, we’ re going to park…. at a remote stand.
No rush, my connection time is more than comfortable… I finally reach the terminal and head to the lounge.
The crew
Very professional and friendly as usual with Lufthansa. And they don’t disappear after the first service, on the contrary, they offer refills of drinks throughout the flight.
Bottom line
An uneventful flight, as expected from this type of product. No surprises either way…it’s a pretty good surprise.
The only negative point may have been the experience on the ground at Roissy: a dirty airport, miles to go in one direction and then in another… I can’t wait for the reopening of Terminal 1.