Review of Aegean Airlines flight Athens → Paris in Economy

Introduction

(Pour le récit en français, cliquer ici)

This story should have been that of a fairly ordinary return flight on Aegean Airlines.

What makes it unusual is that Ms. Marathon had minor scratches on an ankle which became very badly infected, spent most of our vacation in hospital, and indisputably needed PRM type assistance. The standard crowd at check-in was not going to be a bother for us…

The PMR experience at ATH

… because an employee directed us to the Aegean counter dedicated to passengers needing such assistance.

The hospital had issued her a three-page certificate, which I had sent to Aegean after an initial call for booking assistance. It listed all the possible medical constraints of a PAX. Ms. Marathon was able to take a few steps, but certainly not to climb stairs, and really needed a wheelchair…

… which was going to be necessary up to the door of the plane, but then she was going to be manage to reach row 6 by herself.

As soon as we had arrived at the airport, I made a makeshift wheelchair for her with a luggage trolley and our suitcases

Good news (for me), the hospital had recommended my presence to assist her

I had no illusions about the hospital's last requirement: in an A32x, the only seats providing the extra space for extending a leg are on the exit rows, where for obvious reasons no airline would seat a disabled passenger.
Fortunately, the employee accepted that this checked box would not stop us from flying

Our suitcases were duly checked.
I had already been confirmed on the phone that my wife’s crutch would be accepted on board at no extra charge; in parallel, I had reduced our cabin luggage to the strict mandatory (such as my laptop) or must-have upon arrival (such as her medication).

We received old-fashioned BPs, with equally old-fashioned baggage receipts… but with a link for downloading an electronic version

The last box checked by the hospital doctor was reassuring: the prognosis for a safe trip was good!

Waiting for the processing of the couple who was already there when we arrived, and then processing our own checking in took at least half an hour, and then a PRM assistance staff, who had brought a wheelchair took my wife towards the safety inspection, followed closely by me.

Coincidence: the PRM here in front of us was going to be on the same flight

“If you want my PMR fast track, take my reduced mobility”, but when your mobility is severely reduced, this fast track is appreciable

Because five minutes later, we are airside

Crossing the commercial zone: yes, it’s a wonderful life!” (“La vie est belle” in French, see left)

My wife took the time for a stop in these dedicated toilets (and the PRM assistance staff said no problem, take your time)

In the mean time, I noticed that certain rows of seats are equipped with mains and USB sockets

Spotting at ATH

The employee brought my wife to the boarding gate of our flight, then left us – boarding was not going to happen soon, and it did not make sens for him to wait there doing nothing during over an hour. I indulged in my favorite activity in such circumstances: plane spotting from the terminal:
SX-TFI, an ATR 72-600 SKY express

Takeoff of SE-RZZ, SAS’s latest A320neo

A321neo Lufthansa

SX-DVY, an Aegean Airlines A320ceo

EI-SIG, an A320neo SAS Connect

D-AIZH, a Lufthansa A320 in Star Alliance livery

Also in Star Alliance livery, HB-IJO, a Swiss A320ceo

OE-LBW, an Austrian Airlines A320ceo

EI-HOE, an ITA Airways A320neo

SX-OBI, an ATR72-600 Olympic Air

A320ceo Iberia

SU-GDA, an Egyptair 737-800

SX-SIX, an ATR42-500 Sky Express

SX-OAZ, an Olympic Air ATR42-600. These two turboprops will wait quite a long time here, passing behind all the movements of the jets.

Thereupon, a SMS and an email informed us both that the boarding gate has changed, unsurprisingly because the SAS plane at gate B05 was delaying her departure.
All the PAX had left… except the two PRMs and their companions; we hailed an assistance staff to enquire about what to do now and he told us to not worry, we would be taken in charge in due time.

This allowed me to collect a take afew more snapshots
A321neo Aegean

PH-BCD, a KLM 737-800

Boarding: the PMR experience

Boarding time was approaching, and nothing was happening yet. Was this trio of employees for us? [Answer: no]

Only at 1:58 p.m., two minutes before boarding began at the other end of the terminal, did our guardian angels finally arrive. Three people: two very young employees and a woman who showed all the authority and experience in the role that her age suggested.

See her here opening the passage with flawless (but courteous) efficiency to have the passengers to step aside

Four minutes later, including the elevator to go down one level, we had reached our new boarding gate: since Gate B05 was not available, our plane was on a remote parking space. The manager had already informed us that a lift would be used to board the plane.

Again the of PRMs’ privilege: the manager made the passengers PAX waiting in line for boarding the PAXbus step back and leave space for us. Our BPs were scanned…

… and this was our PAXbus, equipped with a lift at the front…

… and in the rear

The other PRM and her companion go first, which allowed me to record the procedure

The inside is not luxurious, but it is functional

It has a capacity for 2 PAX in wheelchairs (duly strapped so as not to move during the journey) or one PAX on a stretcher, plus four accompanying PAX and two staff.
(Note the leftover Covid era poster on the right, and also that this truck has probably been bought second-hand from a Spanish airport)

Arrival at the plane

The team leader went on board to ensure that everything was ready for the boarding of the PRM

… then helped my wife board the plane. There was a strong wing: see her hair!

An extremely rare fuselage shot from the right side

The PMRbus, seen from my window seat

The aisle seat was already occupied – PAX6D of course immediately stood to let my wife laboriously settle in. A cabin attendant rushed to offer her a glass of water as soon as she was seated.
The seat pitch (measured from the tip of the seat to the back of the preceding seat) is very comfortable in the front seats: 32 cm, vs. a typical 25 cm in Europe. (A word of warning; there is much less space in the rear of the aircraft)text]
https://static.flight-report.com/media/photos/38/1718391832IHTE/img_4342a.jpg
It was nevertheless obviously very insufficient for my wife to extend her leg and keep it propped up as is medically recommended, and as I had anticipated, she placed her leg on my thighs. It was going to last four hours like this, including the waiting time at both airports, and would be able to cope with that.

Wonderful suprise! The cabin crew had noticed our makeshift seating, and as soon as boarding was completed, a flight attendant discreetly offered PAX6D to move to an empty seat in exit row.
She then brought her two cushions, one for resting comfortably against the aisle side armrest, and the other to support her injured ankle.

And consequently, I recovered exclusive use of the entire 46 cm of width between armrests 😉

PAX5E reclined his seat during the flight: not only did this not bother us in any way…

… but it allowed me to find that in this old A321ceo as in the A320neo of the preceding flight, the seat reclines 10°, much more than the 6° I measure in Europe in single-aisle aircraft dedicated to CC/MC.

The safety instruction card was worn, but made of sturdy mattter

Plane spotting during taxiing

End of pushback

Some more plane spotting, during taxiing:
SX-DVV, an Aegean Airlines A320ceo

D-AIRY, a Lufthansa A321ceo

SX-NAB, an Aegean Airlines A321neo

A6-EGI, an Emirates 777-300ER

TC-LOC, a Turkish Airlines A330-300

A320ceo Etihad

N811NW, a Delta Air Lines A330-300

4X-ECD, a 777-200ER El Al

A9C-XC, a Gulf Air A321neo

G-WUKY, a Wizzair A321neo

G-TTNE, a British Airways A320neo

G-JZDB, a 737-800 Jet2. She was going to take off just after us from the same runway

Crossing route 62 in order to reach Runway 03L

The quality of this picture is poor due to the distance and the hot air, but this is a rarity: one of the two Dornier 328 Jets from ADAC Ambulance Service, the medical assistance service of this sprawling German drivers’ association.

Takeoff of OE-IJD, an easyJet Europe A320

HB-IJO, the A320ceo Swiss in Star Alliance livery seen from the terminal, is on her way home

SX-NAB, an Aegean Airlines A321neo

Taking off

Takeoff – an Olympic Airlines ATR72 at the left edge of the photo

The airport terminal and car parks

Planes parked remotely…

…including an Air France A321ceo – it’s probably a cleaning team on the stairs at the rear door

Even more remote car parks

One of the 747-200s of the defunct Hellenic Imperial Airways, surrounded by a few business jets

The end of runway 03R/21L

Artemi

Marathon seen from above by Marathon

I couldn’t waste this opportunity of taking a picture of the city of Marathon!

In the center of the previous photo, the basins built for the Athens Olympics to host the rowing and canoeing events, and on the right, the Schinias – Marathon National Park.

Southwest of Marathon…

…the marble quarry of Dionysus

The northern end of the Athens metropolitan area, with the Dekelia Air Base (LGTT) on the right. This is where the Greek Air Force Museum is located.

The eastern end of the Gulf of Corinth

Meal, and arrival at CDG

Aegean Airlines serves a meal on this flight; we always take a different option when there is a choice.
“Beef and pasta” for my wife, and this was exactly what it was: what to say more about it ?

And “vegetable and rice” (sprinkled with cheese), for me: not bad either.
All with a very small starter of a very bland pasta pearl salad, and decent small oat and chocolate cakes.

Like on our CDG-ATH flight, the cabin crew came back after having distributed all the trays to offer an additional drink –a second coffee for me, which unlike on the previous was not already tepid.

The landscape during most of the flight can be summed up by this photo, with a brief episode of mild turbulence which had been announced by the captain during his welcome briefing at departure.

The curtain was drawn in front of us during the descent

The sky cleared up, as we flew almost vertically over Troyes (bottom left)

The Marne river at Nogent-l’Artaud

And a little upstream, Château-Thierry

Saint-Soupplets, and the gypsum quarry of the Knauf Plâtres factory

Montgé -en-Goële

Juilly

Zooming on the abbey which was a private college until 2012.

Thieux

The interchange between the N2 and N1104, with its unusual quasi-triangular loops

Terminal 2G, dedicated to the smaller Air France and Air France Hop! aircraft

A Vueling A320neo ready for departure

Terminal 2E, Hall K

Landing at 5:04 p.m. local time

Three Air France aircraft at of Terminal 2E Hall K

ET-AUQ, an Ethiopian Airlines 787-9

7T-VKB, an Air Algérie 737-800:

we park next to her

The PMR experience at CDG

A cabin attendant came and asked the two PRMs on the flight to please wait until all the other passengers had disembarked before leaving their respective seats, which made sense.
This allowed us to see the cleaning team enter through the rear door as soon as the cabin had emptied.

What if we had traveled in J?

This would definitely not have been an advantage, because the neutralized seat would have prevented my wife from stretching her injured leg. Note however that not all the middle seats in front of the curtain were neutralized in this way, oddly enough.

A big smile by my wife to the cabin crew who had taken great care of her

And she leaves on the gangway

Arrival in the terminal

Reaching the sas leading to the baggage delivery room

Arrival on the belt of the first PMR suitcase (note the labels!) 24 minutes after arrival at contact: it was indeed delivered in priority

A minute and a half later, here's the other one

My wife goes on, pushed by her guardian angel

Another PMR fast track, this time at the taxi stand, but there are so few customers that it won’t save us any time.

It was the rush hour on Sunday evening, which doubled the travel time: the taxi driver fumed for a long time against the flat rate applicable to airport to city rides, after having waited during two hours in the rear taxi base at CDG, seen here shortly before landing.
I refrained from making his spirits worse by answering that a professional should be aware of the usual traffic conditions!
(Only because Mme was not able to take the train had we chose the taxi option.)

Thanks for reading me!