#23 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
6118 reviews
Report No: 2023-103
Dear folks,
While I still have some not posted Flight-Reports from 2022, I decided to mix the order and share some of my 2023 experiences here at Flight-Report before some of those in 2022.
The last part of this series would be my first ever Air France Business Class flight and my first international Air France flight which would be from their hub, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul Airport onboard their A320. Since I was flying in Business Class, I was also able to enjoy the Air France Lounge in CDG Terminal 2E Hall L before my flight during my layover.
So here is the routing, which would be revealed part by part
Loads for this flight:
Business Class: 95-100%
Economy Class: No idea
After arriving from my previous Delta flight in Terminal 2E Hall M, it was time to look for my onward gate so that I could go to the correct concourse for my onwards flight.
The gate and the concourse was already set at that time, and it was going to be Terminal 2E Hall L for this specific flight.
Then, it was time to follow the signs for Transfers.
Despite transfers and baggage claim had separate directions, both passages that day led to the same area.
To the shuttle train ride
It was a quick ride from Hall M to Hall L.
Since this security checkpoint also serves passengers joining in Paris as well alongside transfer passengers it was crowded but there was a SkyPriority lane which allowed me to skip the queue and I was airside in 10 minutes.
After security, it was time to head towards the Air France Lounge.
FIDS for the day.
Not sure why the San Francisco flight was displayed twice though.
The lounge is located on the third floor which is accessible by elevator and stairs.
After a queue to enter the lounge, despite multiple agents and self serve scanners available, a fresh and modern looking lounge faced me, which was nice to see, especially after flying a lot of British Airways and experiencing their non up to date lounges in Heathrow.
However, it was pretty hard to find a seat early in the morning as the lounge was close to capacity and it was a Monday.
For the breakfast selection, the buffet had plenty of different options.
A coffee machine was also available
Here is my selection for the morning
Shortly after I finished my food, I also had a can of tomato juice.
Shortly later, it was time for me to have shower and there was a 3 people wait which took about 15 minutes.
Later on, a shower room became available which was also spacious.
There is also a nap room and a spa in the lounge, but to keep privacy I didn't take photos in the nap area as it was full.
While I was back in the main lounge area, I discovered some physical magazines, which we do not often see at airport lounges post-COVID.
By the way, at the opposite side of the lounge, there is a small version of the food buffet which has the same items.
Later during the morning, the lounge became emptier thus I was able to secure a set of a sofa-chair and a table for myself where I enjoyed the mini-brownies and the Madeleine alongside with my coffee.
About 50 minutes before departure, I have left the lounge and headed to my gate.
Our aircraft F-GKXM was there awaiting us to board.
Boarding started with the respect of priorities and group numbers on time.
There were some agents checking passports at the entrance of the queue while the boarding was done through the electronic gates.
Fuselage shot
After being welcomed by the crew, I have headed to my seat in the first row for this flight.
On Euro-Business configured aircraft, I always find row 1 to be better than rear rows as it usually has more legroom.
At the time of boarding, the crew was also handing a basket with disinfectant wipes.
At that time, our aircraft was still being refueled.
And our neighbor was this Tarom 737 which is not an easy airline to spot anymore even in continental Europe.
The overhead console
Shortly after boarding has been completed, the crew came and handed refreshing towels to each passenger seated in Business Class.
There was no pre-departure drinks offered on this flight.
Boarding had been completed right on time and the jet bridge has been detached at shortly later.
After our neighbor pushed back, our new neighbors were two Air France jets.
And once we were pushing back the rain has increased its intensity.
After the safety demo was demonstrated manually, I did some planespotting while we were taxiing to the runway.
Most of the jets on our way were either Air France or HOP!, however, I was able to spot a Luxair regional jet as well at Terminal 2G.
After a taxi of 5 minutes, it was our time to take-off
And, we were in the air
Once we were in the air, I have tried to charge my phone via the USB port at the seat mid-console, albeit it didn't work.
In addition, the Wi-Fi was also not operative on today's flight.
The weather was getting better as we gained altitude.
Shortly after the seatbelt signs have been switched off, I have visited the lavatory which was clean at that time.
A few minutes later, the service has started and a meal tray ( no choices ) with a salad with quinoa, peas and almond; a cheese plate and a dessert was handed. Bread was also offered as the cheese plate also had butter.
Drinks were also promptly served and everyone was also being handed a bottle of water.
While the meal tasted good, I was a bit amazed to see that Air France didn't serve any hot meals on this flight and the service was pretty similar to a short-haul European flight.
However, the crew were offering drink refills and once my tray was collected, I have opted for a tea.
Before landing, the crew has came with a snack basket where I opted for some praline chocolates.
There was also another snack option, however, at the time when this report was written, I don't remember what it was.
Shortly later, we have commenced our decent into Istanbul Airport
We were going to land from the north over the Black Sea and this Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 was landing at the same time with us to a parallel runway.
Almost there
And, we have landed at Istanbul Airport, a couple of minutes earlier than our scheduled arrival time.
We did land at runway 16R which meant that a long taxi was awaiting us to the gate.
It was again time for plane spotting starting with the cargo aircraft
And then when we come to passenger aircraft, this TK A321, this Iraqi Airways 737 and this BA A320 was the first ones to greet us.
On the other hand, there were a lot of TK aircraft in concourse A
At that time, this Turkish Airlines A330-300 had arrived from New York JFK as TK12.
An Iraqi Airways CRJ900 parked at a remote stand
Turkish Airlines A321 in the Star Alliance livery
British Airways A320 taxiing to the runway for it's flight to London Heathrow
Another Turkish A321
Turkish Cargo aircraft at the cargo area of the airport
A Turkish 787-9 taxiing
AirAnka A330 at a remote stand
An ATR at a remote stand
ACT Air Cargo 747 and AirAnka A330
Turkish 777-300ER
Another Turkish 777-300ER
And another Turkish 777-300ER
And shortly later we have arrived at our gate for today D5 which is one of the closest gates to the passport control and exit.
This follow-me vehicle accompanied us all the way from the runway to the gate.
Doors were disarmed about 23 minutes after touching down.
After saying thank you to the crew, I was inside the terminal.
Last photo of F-GKXM
And the walk to the passport control checkpoint had started
It's pretty normal to see some exotic carriers in Istanbul including IndiGo, UTAir, and Uzbekistan Airlines
Passport control was a breeze since I used the e-gates
And then straightly headed toward the exit since I didn't have any checked baggage
Then it was time to leave the airport
Since my friend was going to pick me up and waiting for me at the departures level, I went upstairs to exit the terminal over there.
And, this would be the end of this series and this report.
Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this report and series.
While I found the Air France Lounge in Paris T2E Hall L to be decent as a business lounge during breakfast hours, I was a bit shocked when I didn't have the correct expectations that AF wouldn't serve me a hot meal on this flight. Other than that, the crew was great and attentive; the seats are comfortable with row 1 having decent legroom and the ground experience at both airports being seamless.
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 24 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Paris (CDG) → Istanbul (IST).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Turkish Airlines avec 8.1/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 3 heures et 24 minutes.
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6 Comments
- Yes, I was also surprised when I saw this, as I expected Air France to be better than Lufthansa Group and British Airways in terms of service before the flight based on their reputation but I was wrong. Now, since they fly A220's to Istanbul, a hot meal is even not possible in standards if they decide to change their mind on A320series aircraft.
- That is also correct, but I'll be honest that not many European carriers do have a welcome drink in Euro-Business flights.
- Never flown AF PE yet, but yes, I'll agree that AF Euro-J is far below the competition alongside KL Euro-J which explains why they offer very discounted cash upgrade offers from Y at certain stages of the year during online check-in.
Thanks for stopping by,
CDG has come a long way over the years. It used to be so painful to navigate but has gotten so much better.
Thanks for sharing!
- Indeed, I was also surprised; flying this route with TK before the difference is huge in terms of service but I doubt AF is willing to compete with them. Btw, same thing goes for KLM where Istanbul routes get a salad and no hot meal.
- Yes, as my main alliance is oneworld for the last couple of years, I'll certainly agree that BA is doing right on intra-European flights on catering by serving hot meals with multiple choices ( haven't flown Iberia yet so can't comment ) and I'll also agree that the cabin is better than competitors, especially LH Group and BA's Pinnacle seats.
- Indeed, when I was flying AF Y, it was nice to have a sandwich and a beverage which they still do right, but yes, the catering in longer European routes in J is a weak spot.
- Correct, CDG has became much better over years and IMO is a very pleasant and comfortable airport to connect if within the same terminal, especially compared to Frankfurt.
- Thanks for reading!
This is not really due to the A220 but to an agreement that was concluded between AF and the Unions back in 2021. AF accepts to reduce one FA from the Airbus fleet but then as as a gesture, AF decided to simplify the service in Business offering cold meals and no choices. So it is a choice.
My last fligth to Tunis in J was completed in 20 minutes. FAs were then idle for 1h. It is just lazy and aweful.
here is the article (in French) that describes what happened in 2021 https://thetravelersclub.boardingarea.com/exclusivite-une-nouvelle-degradation-de-lexperience-client-est-a-prevoir-chez-air-france/
- Thanks for the tip, the flight was back in winter 2023, so I probably wouldn't bother to complain months later but next time I'll keep this in mind. I'll also agree that it's unacceptable to serve cold bread in Business Class, especially on a flag carrier of a country which is known for good quality baked goods.
- Nice to know about this; I already don't have any more future AF/KL bookings in a premium cabin as I wouldn't consider them unless they have an advantage on the price.
- At least on this flight, this crew was proactive, and offered drink refills throughout the flight.
- Merci pour partager l'article.
Thanks again for reading and I'm glad that you enjoyed the report.
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