Hello to all who are interested! This is my first, albeit short, flight report, so I imagine there will be a lot left to be desired. I'll try my best…
After arriving on our RJ-85 from Newcastle (NCL), we taxied for about 15 minutes through the patchy fog at Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport. I'd visited here before, and thoughouly enjoyed the experience.
'App in the Air' had informed me the night before that my A330-200 would depart from Hall M in CDG. We eventually deboarded the jumbolino and took a bus tour around the huge airport, me and my family impressed by its granduar and architecture. We promptly found the metro that served the various satellites at CDG, and got off at Hall M.
We passed through some security, which was easy enough. After climbing some stairs, we arrived in a Parisian style retail area. The Hall was light and very pleasant, with free Wi-Fi and lots of seating. We lounged around, ate and did some shopping before our flight.
We wandered to our gate. The boarding process was interesting and reflective of our destination. Almost the entire pax were Nigerians, returning home presumably. We boarded our flight and we were met at the plane by a friendly smile.
Everything up until this point was very new.
The cabin, (F-GZCB) was evidently old, but seemed well maintained and also was very bright. It was a classy design, the white and blue.I took my seat next to a Nigerian lady, who was silent for the duration. I was met by a pillow and blanket. Much better than the KLM ones.
We took off on time, and quickly proceeded to cruising altitude. The cabin crew were very friendly.
I enjoyed my lunch. The IFE was obviously old, but i just watched movies on my iPad. It's not that much of a big deal. The A330 is a modern and quiet aircraft. Air France mainly deploys their A332s on their huge African network, so flights are never really > 7hours. The flight map worked fine, although wasn't interactive. Having said that, I'm sure the A330 AF cabin refresh will come as a welcome experience for travellers.
The seat functions were impressive however. There was incredible recline, and being 187cm i was worried about legroom. Not at all a problem. In fact, I had ample for this 6 hour flight.
We descended though the sunset. Though Lagos is absolutely huge, Nigerians aren't as dependant on electricity as Europeans.
The landing was incredibly smooth. We taxied to the terminal and parked next to a KLM A330-300 (I took that on the way back). I took the branded pillow (sue me).
Interesting report and welcome!! That IFE is obviously old. What did they serve as a meal? Was it good in your opinion? Just as an advice, try to include more pictures of meal service, the plane's interior and the arrival airport. Regards!!
I had some kind of tomato pasta, we even got a menu. I will next time, I have a few more flights lined up so I'll go all out next time! Thanks for reading.
Hello there! NIce report. Happy you had a pleasant experience in CDG (transit can be a real pain down there sometimes) and on board AF. LOS used to see the 777 on the route but the economic slowdown in Nigeria has brought the A330 back in service. Same goes for PHC while I believe ABV is still undergoing runway repairs. The cabin is getting real old now. Time has come for a refurbishing. On some other routes to the dark continent, you can find a mix of aircraft including the A340, B787 (CAI and next fall to ABJ) and the A380 to ABJ and JNB.
Remember to take a picture of the food and the cabin for next time. Otherwise, it is a very nice FR. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much for your response! On this short long-haul the cabin didn't really matter, but I'm glad I got the fly the AF A330