Review of Air France Hop flight Turin → Paris in Economy

Hi everyone,

It's the end of the weekend and a great time had by all the FRists.
It's time to head home after a tour of the city and a great dinner.
The routing is simple and since most of us have selected it, there will be 5 of us on this return flight.
It's going to be a game of 7 wrongs.
And that includes top skyviews, because spoiler, we had a great view of Paris on the way back! 

trn

To return to TRN, you don't change a winning team.
I'm the first to set off on the return journey, because after more than 30,000 steps in less than 24 hours, I'm a bit cooked.
You can buy your ticket on the bus at Porta Susa, and it's €8 one way.
The journey is just as comfortable and the bus drops us off right in front of the departures. 

The terminal isn't very big at the drop-off point and it's easy to get from one end to the other.
At the far end, you can see the bus, and on my side, there it is again! 

So I head over to the other side, where at least we can get some information about the place.

Since the goal isn't to take 50,000 steps, let's get in.

I'm way ahead of schedule!

That gives me time to have a look at the entertainment and educational items on site.
It's not crowded, so I can wander around at my leisure. 

After this informative tour, I line up for the fast track.
This is just to say that, on the right as on the left, everything is fast. 

At the entrance, it's the lady at the counter who scans.
The right reader is for mastercards and on the left is a vending machine for the access.
I will be asked the question FlunigBlue Gold or Platinum.
Probably for statistical purposes, as no more questions any further than my candid answer. 

Given the crowd, I of course went through the security in 2 seconds, especially as it's equipped with a "full scanner" so you don't have to unpack anything (like at LCY). The time saved with this type of machine is appreciable, even if it's not immediately obvious as there's literally nobody there.
Then it's off to the shop, where you'll have to find something to bring back…

Once the sales stage is complete, it's off to the showroom.
First, a view of the luminous hall. 

Then head upstairs to the Piemonte Lounge.

The terminal is really bright.

The weather helps, but above all these large windows.

Lounge

Since the lounge is multi-brand, let's check who can get in.

Then the entrance.
Not very inviting. But the inside was better than this first contact.
At check-in with the hostess, once again the question of Gold or Platinum was asked without any further cross check after the answer. 

Inside, it's very bright and there's a great view of the runway.
There are plenty of seats, but they're only individual or even duo chairs, but for our small group, that's going to be a bit inconvenient. 

I'm not sure where to land, but it won't be for long.

The best place is facing the runway (not easy with my photo, but it's on the right, so you'll see it soon).

With hindsight, I'm more impressed with the lounge.
On the spot, I have to admit that I was rather disappointed at first sight.
Torino is a big city, after all!
What I didn't like was the "solid and liquid" offer.
From our discussions afterwards, it seems that I was a little too demanding, because this little salon is obviously not bad.
The buffet looks like this.
My photos reflect my perception (I'm waiting to see how others see it in pictures).
What's missing on picture is a little corner with a few pastries and, above all, a mini bar with 2 waiters.
That was great because you could get a real espresso for your coffee! (and I enjoyed several).  

I'll have a quick snack while I wait for the fine team to arrive by batches.
But before that, it's drama: HBLG comes to pick us up, the same plane as the day before.
It's not good for the fleet discovery statistics.
What's more, we already know all about him.

But there's no need to worry, we'll console ourselves as best we can with a superb view of the runway, the operations and, above all, the landings.

There aren't a thousand movements either, but enough to keep you busy while you chat with a glass (or a cup) in your hand.
Our now-familiar ride also arrives. 

A closer look, or rather a different profile.

But we don't just have one for AF Hop, the others are just as interesting.
By the way, you'll notice that the AF Hop profile above was taken just after a mini traffic jam with the WIZZ pushing back.
Between Ryanair and Buzz, there's no denying that the ITA livery really pops. 

Plane landed, taxi completed, time to head for the gate.

BOARDING, taxi and Flight

Once again, the group split up to go to the door.
Esteban wasn't with us, so I teamed up with SaintPiev to be among the first, while the rest of the team enjoyed the view from the lounge for a few more moments.
We were soon joined by Michelg (!).
2 queues are clearly marked between Skypriority pax and "regular" pax.
Boarding starts on time, but there's a bit of a post-boarding wait before we reach the jetbridge.
I'll leave it to you to guess who of the 2 pax in front of me is a FRist and who will be the contradictory participant in the "Mont Blanc crossing from the right or the left" debate.
No, there's no trick!

Door, fuselage and seat pictures in a row, but there's a big difference: this is now the 4A!

Since the environment is familiar, I just check that everything is clean.
The underside is less sexy than on the outbond flight, due to the crumbs. 

The seat folder is OK.

And the shelf is not so bad without being dramatic (it's not very visible, but the little AF wipe available on the door will be very useful).

At 3:29pm, everyone is supposed to be on board, and then I have a neighbour.
At 3.35pm, the door is closed and push back.
Given the great weather, I hope to see some mountains! 

In the meantime, a quick taxi and a numerical answer to one of the questions raised by reading the ground markings on the tarmac near the jetbridges.
And yes, with 3300m, it's easy to get wide-body aircraft here (hence the mention of the 777 on the tarmac).
The runway looked visually shorter from our view point. 

We won't be staying long.
Take-off in fine weather, majestic mountains on the horizon and clear plains.
We turn sharply to line up northwards, in half-turn mode. 

We're tacking and climbing, which will allow me to take a portrait of…

de TRN ! even though I wasn't on the right side at the beginning.

The mountain section won't be as clear as all that (including because of the corroded window), but I'll have seen more than on the outbond flight.
Don't talk to me about Mont Blanc, I don't know where it is in the end, right, left, I'm lost.
I'm counting on the other Flight Reports to sort it all out. 

Then came the catering, which looked exactly the same as the first leg.
Forget the feeling of surprise.
Same vegetable sandwich, no other choice. 

The flight continued without a hitch.
At 4:26pm, we begin our descent and announce of our arrival at 5pm.
Captain comment: Paris will be visible on the left of the aircraft.
I'm standing by.
It will start with views of the plains, a power station and above all ORY!
Even if my zoom is weak (FR on the phone), it's a good omen for Paris! 

Welcome to Paris !

The Louvre.
Up close, from afar. 

Small golden triangle with Etoile, Eiffel Tower and Invalides.

With a real zoom lens, you could almost read the street signs…

I couldn't do better for the Eiffel Tower, but it's the first time I've had such a beautiful view of Paris.

I'll miss La Défense once we've passed Paris and made our right turn.
Now we're lined up, all we have to do is land. 

arrival

Landing right after the wiew of Terminal 1, we're ready to taxi.
On time, on the southern runway doublet. 

But before taxiing to 2G, we stopped at the end of the runway to watch 2 beautiful take-offs in the fading light.

The second one.
It's always impressive to see in this position. 

But it's time to go home.

Parking stand.

We'll be out in no time.

It's beautiful, isn't it ?

I need to work on my compositions…
Clean framing shouldn't have included the ramp agent or the van… I'll make a note, I'll make a note. 

Bye Bye dear little bird.
And next time, give us a chance with another E190 colleague! 

The walk to the terminal will not be exhausting.

The final walk and the goodbyes are just as effective.
The group parted at the baggage claim, no tears as we'll be seeing each other again soon for sure.
And at 5:14pm, I'm out. 2G is efficient. 

We'll say goodbye here.
Maybe we'll meet again next year for the gold 2024 dinner, if the wind carries me further than I've forecast.
In the meantime, good flights to you all.