Review of Air France flight from Paris to Lomé in Business

I went to Togo and Benin in January 2023. I booked Air France in premium economy as an open jaw: Paris to Lomé and Cotonou to Paris. I was offered an upgrade to business class from Paris to Lomé for 269 € and 12,800 miles a day before departure which I accepted.

This flight had a stop in Niamey, Niger.

Departure was from Terminal 2E at Paris CDG.

Sky Priority is well organised and staff help passengers to go to the right desk but there were still quite a few people in line as there were many flights leaving at the same time. 

Check-in was slow, it took about 40 minutes. I had uploaded all documents two days before departure and got the “cleared to fly” note in my booking but I was still asked to show my visa.

This is the way to go after you’re checked in. 

Entrance to priority passport control is on the side behind the Relay shop. Only one officer was working and the queue was moving slowly. There were four airport staff talking to each other next to the queue; they directed EU passport holders to the automatic gates when they finished chatting.

Access no 1 was available for security. One friendly and chatty staff member made most passengers smile - what a difference.

There’s an automatic train that goes to gates L and M. 

Air France has several lounges at CDG. I went to the one near gates L41 to L53.

All SkyTeam business class passengers have access to the lounge, and so have Flying Blue Gold and Platinum members and also SkyTeam Elite Plus members. 

I got to the lounge a bit later than an hour after I had arrived to the airport. I only had about 10 minutes at the lounge.

The lounge is nice and spacious. There were many passengers yet it was not too crowded. 

An original piece of decoration.

There’s an area to relax.

The choice of food is not huge but the quality is quite good.

The choice of wines.

The choice of spirits.

Beer, soft drinks and coffee.

I went to the gate. The terminal is really nice.

The boarding area.

Boarding was expected to start at 09.25 but there was a small delay.

Here’s our plane for today: an A330-200, registration number F-GZCI. It first flew in 2002.

This plane has three classes: business, premium economy and economy. There’s no first class.

There are four rows of seats in the first business class cabin and two rows in the second cabin in a 2+2+2 configuration. The window seats do not have direct aisle access but this was not an issue for me as I didn't have a neighbour.

The cabin was beautiful. It was in very good condition.
 
Seats 4JL. 

My seat 4L.

The view of the front cabin from seat 4JL

Charging ports and headphones behind the seat.

Simple but efficient seat controls.

Volume control, light control and call button.

Two options to hang up your coat.

Headphones.

Menu, amenity kit, travel safe kit and water in a compartment in front of the seat.

The content of the amenity kit.

Travel safe kit.

Welcome drink: champagne, of course.

The screen before departure.

There was a late departure due to unloading the luggage of missing passengers. The captain updated us several times about the delay.

The appetizer from the lunch was served while on the ground. Drinks were offered several times during the delay.

Appetizer before departure: Beet mousse and a cheese crumble.  

Push-back was at 11.31 for a scheduled departure time of 10.25. We took off at 11.43 from runway 26R.

The screen after take-off.

Let’s have a look at the menu.

The lunch menu in French.

The lunch menu in English.

Champagne.

The wine list in French.

The wine list in English.

Apéritifs.

Cold drinks.

Hot drinks.

Digestifs.

A hot towel was offered before lunch.

Starter, salad and bread were served on a tray.

Smoked salmon, citrus fruit sauce, plan cooked vegetables, cilantro coulis.

Salad.

I had first asked for the beef but it was not available anymore so I ordered chicken.

Poultry supreme, crayfish coulis, slow-cooked spinach and wild mushrooms.

Cheese selection: Crottin de Chavignol, Fourme d’Ambert and Cantal.

Apple crumble, chocolate fondant, creamy lemon tart.

The meal was good but not exceptionally good.
 
We were already on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees by the time I finished lunch.

I went to sleep after lunch. The seat can be transformed into a flat bed. First it seemed to be narrow but I managed to find a comfortable sleeping position. 

I slept very well for over two hours. We were near Bordj Badji Mokhtar on the border between Algeria and Mali when I woke up.

I asked for some mint tea.

You have a choice of twelve languages for the in-flight entertainment.

The screen is very large and responsive. The choice includes 354 movies, 164 TV shows and 768 music albums. It should be more than enough even if you travel around the world.

We were already well over four hours into the flight and we started our descent towards the first stop, Niamey.

There was a small glitch in the service: the crew forgot to clear the empty cups and bottles from the seats before landing.

First view of the Niger river. 

Niger is a very dry country.

There are some green areas only as we get closer to the river.

Flying over River Niger once again. 

Some neighbourhoods as seen before landing. Note the lack of asphalted roads. 

We landed in Niamey at 16.38 and were at the gate at 16.45 for a scheduled arrival time of 16.00. 

The temperature in Niamey was 36 degrees.

Some passengers disembarked in Niamey. A lot of cargo was unloaded from our plane. 

No new passengers embarked in our cabin.

Push-back from Niamey was at 17.42 for a scheduled departure time of 17.20. We took off at 17.54 from runway 09R.

Note the Antonov on the apron. 

Views of Niamey after take-off.

Packaged snacks were offered after take-off. I was a bit surprised as I would expect this type of catering on domestic first class on a US career but not on long-haul business class on Air France.

The second leg was short with only one hour and 10 minutes between take-off in Niamey and landing in Lomé.

Views of Lomé before landing.  

We landed in Lomé at 18.04 and were at the gate at 18.08 for a scheduled arrival time of 17.55.

Lomé Airport is not very modern. Passports and visas were checked and so was the covid vaccination certificate. The yellow fever vaccination certificate was not checked. I got my luggage about 25 minutes after landing.
 
Togo offers an authentic West African experience for travellers. The average income is low but social inequalities are smaller than in many other countries. Basic foodstuff and clothing are affordable for the vast majority of the people. Security and road safety are better than in some other countries and most public areas are remarkably clean.

Lomé, the capital city has a large sandy beach with nice palm trees but not many people swim in the Atlantic Ocean because of strong currents.  

A statue at the small and dusty National Museum.

Masks at a local market.

Banana trees near Kpalimé.

A village on Mount Agou.

The cathedral of Kpalimé.

The village of Kuma Konda.

The surprising Chateau Viale built between 1940 and 1944.

Beautiful views from the chateau.

I went to neighbouring Benin after a few days. Benin has a slightly better economic and social environment than Togo. Many sights relate to water: rivers, lake and the Atlantic Ocean.

The road near the beach in Grand Popo. 

A very typical Beninese landscape.

A boat near a mangrove forest.

Salt processing in a riverside village near the Atlantic Ocean.

Palm trees along a river.

A typical Beninese street with motorbikes.

The town of Ouidah has a sad history: about 11 million slaves were shipped from here to the Americas. La Route des Esclaves (Slaves’ Route) is being renovated as a place of remembrance.

Ganvié, sometimes called the Venice of Africa, is a large village built on water near the city of Cotonou.