A flight between Paris and Lisbon that confirms my recent impression of Air France’s medium-haul development: I’ve noticed a marked improvement on a few years ago, especially in terms of service and staff attitude!
Years ago, shortly before the COVID, we decided to abandon Air France’s medium-haul service, which we didn’t feel was up to scratch, especially in business class, as if the airline had decided to focus all its efforts on long-haul, leaving this sector to fend for itself. And a new attempt in the meantime for a flight to Gothenburg hadn’t reassured me about the way things were going.
But for reasons of practicality (and also because I’m a bit stubborn) I gave the product another chance during a recent trip to Porto, and came away with a very favorable impression and a feeling of marked improvement.
Hence my decision to choose Air France again for this express round trip to Lisbon to confirm my impressions.
At the bottom of the page you’ll find a summary of articles about this trip to Lisbon.
Booking
Ticket booked a few weeks before my departure. The choice of Air France was simple: as I was only leaving for two days, for once I didn’t want to waste my time accumulating connections.
And if I still had any doubts, the fares brought me back to my senses: €449 on TAP and €630 on Air France.
The TAP option was conceivable, except that I’m very upset with those I now call the incompetent Lusitanian crooks associated because of the famous suitcase episode.
630 on Air France is not an option either, but I have enough miles to pay for my ticket that way. So I’ll get by for 60,000 miles + 75 euros. It’s quite expensive in miles (but logical since even award tickets are subject to yield) but it’s painless. You’ll see on your next trip that it’s much more profitable to use your miles…
Arrival at the airport and ground course
I arrive at terminal 2F via the CDGVal from Roissy. A short walk and I’m at the security checks.
Bad luck: just ahead of me in the queue is a rather troublesome group who will delay everyone because they don’t know how to organize their bags and suitcases and their contents to get through the controls in question. It makes you wonder what they’re doing in the priority queue, as they should be more used to it… unless some of them aren’t eligible and are taking advantage of their fellow travellers’ status?
Eventually, I manage to get out and head for the lounge.
While on my last visit I really enjoyed my experience because of the “normal” crowds, this time it was more in “zoo” mode, as is too often the case.
I’m almost relieved to leave it and head for my boarding gate.
We head for the boarding area and its famous glass roof, which transforms it into a greenhouse in the slightest ray of sunshine.
Bad luck: my gate is on the lower floor, which means boarding by bus.
Maybe not as pretty as the top floor, but I’ve come to think that it’s almost more comfortable for waiting.
Boarding
Boarding starts a little early, which makes sense as we have to be transported to the plane, so I don’t know at this point whether it’s parked far away or not.
The staff who check our boarding passes are very smiling and friendly. As much as we complain about the opposite, this time it’s fair to point it out.
We board and the bus starts moving. I was expecting a parking area close to 2F, but in fact we were heading for 2E. I draw a conclusion that Tripit will confirm: if the plane wasn’t at 2F, it wasn’t for lack of room, but because it was arriving from the UK, in a terminal capable of handling non-Schengen flights, and it was faster to get the passengers there than to tow the plane to another terminal.
I enter the cabin quite quickly.
The Air France A220 cabin
A cabin recently discovered on a flight to Amsterdam, so I’ll let you read my more detailed comments in this article.
Aesthetically pleasing, warm and, what’s more, comfortable. And let’s not forget what you can’t see: a plane that’s quiet and ” smooth ” in flight.
Legroom is acceptable without more, but given the size of the machine, we shouldn’t expect miracles either.
On the other hand, I really like the tablet holder…
The flight
As soon as we’re seated, we’re given some very good quality refreshing wipes.
The on-board staff are all smiles, and boarding is completed more quickly than expected.
On this flight there will be 3 and a half rows of business class for 8 seats and 7 passengers.
We leave our parking point and take off shortly afterwards.
The curtain separating business class from economy is quickly closed and service begins.
This is the moment my seatmate in front chooses to recline his seat, not only not gently, but also with momentum. In such cases I have a simple policy: I don’t bring my knees towards me (anyway, as you’ve seen, I don’t have the range for it) and instead I push from my side.
The steward soon notices our little game and points out to the passenger that he must consider the comfort of other passengers before reclining his seat. It’s said politely, without wanting to stigmatize or offend the passenger, and it has an effect. A typical example of an attentive and diplomatic steward: it’s called intelligence and experience.
He then brings me my tray. It’s still time for breakfast service, the service I systematically find the least qualitative in the air.
For once I come across a steward who takes the time to remove the lids before serving the tray, and visually that changes everything, it looks more premium.
Poached egg, tomato sauce and comté cream, zucchini brunoise, Cantal AOP.
The egg is a little runny and the two sauces served with it really very good. Tasty as I like it. What’s more, the serving temperature is perfect, and the dish doesn’t seem to have come out of the freezer or fridge.
Cottage cheese.
Well…it’s cottage cheese.
Croissants.
Warm and crispy, a rarity with Air France as I recall.
I’ll also be asking for sparkling water and I note that Badoit rouge has replaced Perrier and I find it much better.
All in all, a good breakfast, if not a very good talk from Air France. I’d even go so far as to say it was my best medium-haul meal with them in a while.
The steward finally clears the table and offers a second round of drinks. But there won’t be a third…
During the flight he comes back to me and asks me, as a lifetime Platinum customer, about my experience in the lounge. I tell myself the question can’t be that innocent.
So I repeat what I’ve said many times here: it’s superb, but it’s hard to find, if not a place for it, at least a place where you feel really at home, and in the end it leaves you with a rather bizarre impression. Or even a dissonance between what you see and what you feel.
He replied that it was a known and identified problem, and that Air France was currently looking into the matter, but that it always helps if passengers like me let the airline know what they think… In any case, it’s obviously a point made by many passengers.
Towards a future revamping of the lounge? To be continued.
Arrival and disembarkation
The approach to Lisbon is always an opportunity to get a good view of the ocean and the city.
Just as we’re about to touch down, we come across two aircraft waiting to take off…
We head for the terminal, where we park next to a thief…er…a TAP.
And what’s happening is a real miracle in Lisbon: we’re parked at the gate and not remote with a bus to disembark.
It almost makes me want to open a bottle of champagne, it’s so rare.
Bye bye Air France.
The staff
A really friendly, attentive, professional steward, truly the best I’ve had on Air France in ages, at least on medium-haul flights.
Bottom line
In a nutshell: my best Air France medium-haul flight in a decade, and confirmation that, slowly but surely, this product is following the same trajectory of improvement as long-haul, albeit a little late.
The articles about this stay to Lisbon
# | Type | Review |
1 | Diary | Genesis of the trip to Lisbon |
2 | Hotel | Moxy CDG |
3 | Lounge | Air France lounge Roissy 2F (No review, already presented many times) |
4 | Flight | Paris-Lisbon Air France Business Class – A220 |
5 | Hotel | Moxy Lisbon City Center |
6 | Restaurant | Epur Lisbon |
7 | Flight | Lisbon-Paris Air France Business class – A321 |
8 | Diary | Lisbon trip debrief |