Review of Air France flight Vienna → Paris in Economy

Welcome to all of you,

This is it, the last flight of 2023.

A simple VIE-CDG on AF, but to round off the year, I'll be getting a brand new aircraft. 

VIE

To get to VIE, I'm sticking to my usual routine and taking the bus (€9.5 per journey).
Everything could be perfect if it weren't for the impression that the frequency was dropping all the time.
You didn't want to miss this bus because the next one was 2 hours later.
All was OK and my journey went off without a hitch despite the usual Friday traffic jams.

Once off the bus, I entered Terminal 3, but for AF check-in, I had to go to Terminal 1.

I've got quite a lot of time margin, maybe a little too much but I'm going to make the most of it.

So I'm heading for Terminal 1.

Whereas last night there seemed to be nobody there, now it's a real rush!

It's busy busy!

But much quieter at the AF counter.
Check-in for my flight opens at 4.40pm.
For the moment, only the KL flight is being taken into account.
So I'll have half an hour to kill.

Don't panic.
If I'm here, it's because I have to drop my suitcase, and since I've already done that here, i know that I'll pop into BILLA shop at the back of Terminal 1.
What for? To stock up on Manner waffles!
Why ? Because it's 1.5 euros less per pack than the airside prices!
There's no such thing as a small profit.

Then, there's my tribute to the Coca/Pepsi duel next to BILLA shop.
Indeed, while on airside I'll be restocking with Sacher-Tort ('the original' style from Sacher Hotel), I'm going to have the one from the competitor on landside: say hello to AIDA sacher tort.
I can reassure you, if need be, that it's just as expensive with one as with the other… 

airside and lounge

After tea time, I hurried off to drop my suitcase at around 4.45pm.
Then, blessing the sesame for the fast track (there was still a big queue at the security), I found myself airside.
This innocent photo of my entrance to DutyFree is intended to conceal the crime in the Sacher Tort section.

Weighted down like a mule, I head for the lounge.

There's a special offer for admission.
35 € would be fair, but 49 is starting to be a bit to high.

Once I'd got through the entry formalities, it was easy to find a place that I'd describe as a 'control tower'.
The gentleman in brown/khaki/grey (depends your favorite) is your reference point.
There are quite a few people, but given the size of the lounge, it's easy to find a place.

Then, for the buffet photos, it was difficult because it was a bit of a permanent parade of hungry pax.
So I'll have to do with a few snapshots to let you know that we didn't miss anything.

I hesitated and then finally decided that the sandwich from the flight wouldn't be enough for dinner, so I tried a little something (the chicken was very good).
Looking at the photo, you'd think it was a sad atmosphere at VIE, but there are a lof of ways of making your plate more attractive.
There's plenty to choose from, although I must admit I was more enthusiastic about the buffet at Terminal 2F lounge in CDG.

While dining, I remember that I'll have to tell you who's picking me up and it'll be a brand new A220!
Fortunately, everything was in the box while I was on the bus.

With that information, I packed up my things and headed for the door.

boarding and cabin

Last night, our A320 was parked here.
Tonight, it's Greek hegemony.

You have to continue to the very end of hall C, as is often the case.

Everything is ready and the huge SkyPriority queue is about to form.

Our beautiful bird can be seen at the end of the jet bridge.

Boarding starts on time and an ocean of Skypriority rushes down the finger.
I'm at the end of the queue this time. Not always the first!

Jet door picture and a slice of the door, as it's impossible to see the fuselage.

A small J cabin that smells like new.
When I checked in online, I was offered the upgrade for 119 euros (or 139, I'm not sure…).

For me, it will be here. Just behind "the curtain".
F window side, I'm not a fan.

Next to me this evening is another platinum pax who had already settled in.
According to him, we'll win the "Casper lottery" by having the free seat between us.
Will see, as the flight looks pretty full to me.
In the meantime, I'm starting to look around.
We can't say that the cleaning was exemplary.
My copax is not surprised. He told me that he came across the cleaning team panting as he boarded…

As for the exterior photo, it doesn't look very good in the light…
But on the other hand, I have an unobstructed view of the luggage load.

Then I try 2 photos that turn out to be good before giving up…

taxi and take off

6:39pm, doors close and announcements.
WiFi OK and Usb NOK (a bit of déjà vu when you're on a new A220, don't you think?).
Push back at 6:48pm and taxi starts at 6:55pm.
It smells like new everywhere.
Given that it's night time, the photos suck, but just for fun, guess who we bumped into on this one… (easy though).
The taxi will be short because at 6:58pm, we're at the end of runway 29 and its 3158 meters.

if you're a fan of blurred images, mini gallery.
Of course, it's more beautiful in person.

flight

Very quickly, there's nothing left to take photos of outside.
The Wifi check is positive, no more boredom.

At 7.30pm, the service begins.
The choice is the same as on the outward journey: chicken or cheese.
For scientific reasons, I choose chicken.
If I have to choose, I prefer chicken.
On the J cabin, I see the catering and its "shrimp theme".
Enough, if need be, to tell me that I really made the right choice to skip the upgrade.

Once the service was over, the very friendly J purse came to ask my co-host of the day and myself if we would enjoy something more.
Each of us indulged in a little indulgence of our own, and our host for the evening made sure we enjoyed ourselves to the full.
I'm not unhappy with my reverse evening, which ends in an aperitif…
Given that half the plane wasn't "rinsed with champagne", I deduce that all the other SP pax were either gold or too far from the 'curtain'.

A little later, this time it was Y flight attendant who came to see me.
He explained that he'd noticed me taking photos (observation, a very good quality!) and, thinking I might be a bit of a fan of the company, offered me a goodie of my choice.
I don't say no to a little flame, thanking him for this little attention and telling him that as well as a penchant for bubbles, which his colleague up front had unmasked, he had also unmasked my Flight Report penchant.
For once, the cabin crew is not surprised.
That's what I call being an observant and enlightened actor.
At this point, I pay closer attention and notice that he also has a word for several other pax.
This is a very customer-oriented crew.

The flight continues calmly with a rather fast wifi.
At 20:09, the start of the descent is announced.
The crew took their leave at 8:26pm.
We can't say that we weren't pampered.

arrival

At 8:31pm, we were landing like flowers again.
We even suspect that Ben S. has asked the crew to be gentler with the machines, as the 2 landings on this rotation have been particularly smooth. This one even rivals the previous day's landing.
 
If at VIE it was A3 vs TK / PC, here it will be EK vs QR.
CDG picture seems to be better lit because it's less blurry…

blurred, not blurred but blurry..

Final turn.

8.43pm, we're parked like princes.

Barely 2 minutes later the door is open, and it's under the captain's gaze that I immortalise the nose of our A220.
It's the first time I've had to blur a captain.

The classic route begins.

From here, the problem of the captain's anonymity is a thing of the past.

Then it was the baggage rush.
Everything could have been perfect this evening if baggage delivery hadn't taken longer than indicated, but it wasn't a tragedy either!

End of the line for 2023 flights.
Last view from today'sroute with FR24.

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you all, and see you next year for new flights.