Review of Delta Air Lines flight from Seattle to Paris in Business

• Basle - Amsterdam KL / J, Fokker 70: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6366.html
• Amsterdam - Detroit DL / J, Airbus 330-300: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6378.html
• Detroit - Chicago DL / F, MD -88: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6399.html
• Chicago - Atlanta DL / Y, A320: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6441.html
• Atlanta - St Louis DL / Y, MD90: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6447.html
• St Louis - Detroit DL / Y, B717-200: http://flight-report.com/fr/report-6459.html
• Detroit - Chicago DL / F, A319: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6468.html
• Chicago - Minneapolis DL / F, E175: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6469.html
• Minneapolis - Seattle DL / F, B757-300 http://flight-report.com/en/report-6495.html
• Seattle - Fairbanks AK / F, B737-900ER: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6592.html
• Fairbanks - Seattle AK / F, B737-700: http://flight-report.com/en/report-6601.html
• Seattle - Paris CDG DL / J, B767-300ER: Back to CDG
• Paris CDG - Basle AF / Y, ATR72: Won't be published as it was a disaster flight!!

That will be the end of this serie of flights with the last interesting leg. I won't publish the last segment as it was crap and a typical HOP! flight > delayed, no information, passengers treated like sh*t. More at the end of the report.
As I have some time to kill, I head to the Delta lounge which is quite nice:

There are those strange loungers, pretty comfy, but not for me, as the sides are too high and it gave a claustrophobic feeling. I'll then move to a table.

This is the buffet, just after my picture the food will be resplenished. I will only take a few veggies as I would like to dine in the plane.

The bar, with premiums drinks for a free, all others are free of charge:

Nice views of the tarmac and here is my bird for today:

A few minutes before the scheduled boarding time, I'll head to my gate, and again, the boarding will be launched on time with a strict respect of the priorities.
That's the business elite cabin of my 763, very nice:

I have chosen seat 05A, seats are alternatively either against the wall or the aisle. Seats that are next to the aisle have less privacy, that's why I decided for a seat against the wall, with the console next to the aisle.

Legroom shoot:

Next to us:

The screen, smaller than on the 330:

Welcome drinks and lovely savoury snack:

FR Signature on ground:

A word on the welcome drink, it is sparkling californian wine, and not champagne as some cabin crew announce.
Push back on time and I can spot the BA 744 arriving:

737-800 Delta :

American :

Dash 8-400 Horizon for Alaska :

Lining up:

Diverse 747, DC10, 767 :

Seattle is very freight oriented as seen above.
Passing by the terminal:

Passing by Seattle :

Soon after, the menues will be handed out and the orders be taken. An advice here: I noticed on all my flights that the purser does the menu ordering and always starts from 01A towards the end of the cabin and comes back from the last business class seat on the other side to the front. That means that seats on the A side always get their choice, will seats on the other aisle won't get all choices available.
Here's the menu, I was wondering if the food will be as good as on the outbound.

Before eating, I pay my visit to the lavs, they have a beautiful blue lighting, very handy at night to not disturb people seating next to it. I was surprised as well by the pedal to flush or to open the waste bin. To my opinion, this is much more hygienic, as you don't need to touch anything. I will as well change to more comfortable clothes to sleep better.

As an aperitive, here is the safety card:

Hot towel service before the meal:

Diner starts with the amuse-bouche and the drinks. The shrimps and the pineapple were to die for. To go with my food, I asked the purser if I could have the dessert wine, as I love sweet wine. That won't be a problem, and I'll drink almost the whole bottle of an excellent Australian sweet wine.

The salad presentation was a bit strange, but good. So was the soup:

The tablet is magnetised, very handy in case of turbulences and funny to play with:

I took the beef ribs as main, that was not really to my taste, but not bad though.

I'll only have some brie from the cheese card, together with fruits and a lovely vanilla/caramel sundae.

The tray table and the seat controls with a massage function that is not on the Airbus fleet:

Then comes the time to make the bed ;) It does not look like flat, but it is. I found it to be narrower and less comfortable than the Airbus Cirrus seat, but after checking the specifications, I found out that it is not narrower. Maybe it is just because the seat is next to the wall that I felt it smaller.

Before sleeping I had a quick tour to coach, that has been retrofitted as well:

I managed to sleep quite well, when I woke up, we are here. My only concern was that I did not remember having performed a 19'000km flight. There must be a problem with the fligh map :)
Time to think about breakfast:

A sea of clouds below us:

Breakfast starts with juices, fruits and bakeries:

And just after, the hot dish is handed out by the purser. Coffee will follow after I have eaten my first sausage:

The breakfast was excellent, I've finished everything, and I preferred it over diner. We are already over the french costal line:

PSU:

Mints will be distributed just before landing:

Early arrival at CDG and a bit of spotting:

Dedicated to Anthony-Tahiti ;) :

Last view of my bird:

I head to the customs and then to the 2G for my ATR72 flight back to MLH. A flight that I don't want to remember at all.
The lounge was overcrowed and overheated, as usual, but I managed to find a seat. At 2G the boarding gate is only published 20 minutes before the flight's departure time and boarding starts at that time. My flight was due to leave at 01:20p and as the screens in the lounge were out of order, I leave that crap place by 01:00. No gate information yet. All passengers wait up to 01:20 with a screen still showing ON TIME for a 01:20p departure! At 01:25p a gate is announced, but with the mention boarding closed.
We all head to the gate to find two AF agents chatting together. When they see the crowd coming they complain in french something like what the f**k are they doing here? and then say that boarding has not started yet. I ask one of the agent when boarding and departure are scheduled in order to inform my parents that are waiting to pick me up. His answer is An announcement has been made. I ask again my question, as his answer is not an answer. He responds that he just told me that an announcement has been made.
I begin to loose patience, and answer: OK, you made an announcement, but I haven't heard it, as all pax here, but could you please anwer my question? He'll simply answer: If you did not listen, this is not my fault
This time it is too much for me and I explose, I tell him to stop playing this game and tell us when departure time is scheduled. He then tells me that I have to calm down or he will deny me boarding. Still I don't have any clue about our departure time. It is now 01:45pm
Another agent takes the microphone and tell us that boarding is going to be delayed as the plane needs to be boarded by bus and there is no bus available. What a joke !!
15 minutes later, a bus shows up, but we are being told that we have to wait, as they have now to clean the plane. WTF??! Did they not have enough time to do it?? Eventually at 02:10 boarding starts and we will need 20 minutes to be shuttled to the plane. Once aboard, the captain announces a further delay due to bags loading and explains that the initial boarding was due to a technical problem and an a/c change. Take off will be at 03:00pm.
That will kill any will to make a FR on that leg :)
I understand and accept delays, this happens. But it is unacceptable not to inform passengers and treat them like animals. That's so typical of HOP! What a nice image for France.
To end on a positive note, here some pictures of my trip to Alaska.
Lovely dogs:

Dalton Highway:

Lovely sunset:

The Arctic Circle board:

The Dalton Highway board:

A moon aura:

Snow covered trees:

The Trans-Alaska pipeline and a house next to the road:

Fairbanks and a signage with distances:

No intention for me to jump today, given the state of the Chena river below:

A lovely ice museum at Chena Hot Springs:

And an Appletine, cocktail with Martini, Vodka and apple in an ice glass. Lovely but hard to drink as the ice-glass very tick is :)