Review of Air France flight from Papeete to Los Angeles in Premium Eco

Here I go for a short business trip in France.
Short because family (my wife and my 3 years old kid) did not want to come with me and stay in France for holidays. But a lonely trip brings a lot of benefits ;)
As this is a business trip, I don’t pay myself the ticket, and as the stay is short, I would like to travel in more comfortable conditions than coach class. I asked for a flexible ticket in Economy or Premium Economy, so a paid upgrade would not be too expensive for me.

1ST PART : From Tahiti to France Papeete [PPT] - Los Angeles [LAX], Air France AF77, B772, Premium Eco, May 16, 2014
YOU ARE HERE Los Angeles [LAX] - Paris [CDG], Air France AF77, B772, Premium Eco, May 16, 2014 CLICK HERE 2ND PART : Back from France to Tahiti : Flying with style Paris [CDG] - Los Angeles [LAX], Air France AF66, A380, Premiere, May 25, 2014 CLICK HERE Los Angeles [LAX] - Papeete [PPT] Air Tahiti Nui TN1, A343, Business, May 25, 2014 CLICK HERE

For this trip to France, this is a Premium Economy ticket. Today is the first day of school holidays in Tahiti, so the plane is full in all classes, and I had no opportunity at any time to find a Z or I fare (cheapest Business fares).
This is how I find myself in Premium Economy cabin for this trip, in a cabin that I had often taken in the past on this route and that I’m not a fan, considering the unfavorable price value. I find the the seat too uncomfortable on a flight as long, especially at night.
But I will not be choosy, so here we go :
Let’s go to PPT airport in a sunny morning

Classic flight schedule today with AF flight to LAX and CDG and TN flight to Tokyo NRT. Recently, Air Calin moved its flight between NOU and PPT from Wednesday to Friday

Many people at the check-in counters this morning.

I do not advance quickly despite I’m in the SkyPriority lane

I need 45 minutes to reach the check-in desk

Yesterday, I have done my online check-in on the Internet for all flights of my journey on two different folders, but registering my baggage to the final destination will be a bit laborious

Passing passport control and security filters is very fast

Here I am in the departure hall

I go upstairs to have a view on the tarmac:
On my left, my 777 today will be F-GSPD (B777-200ER)

On my right, the A332 of Air Calin, which will take off to Noumea only in the late afternoon

I go to the airport lounge, I have to hurry, I only have a few minutes before boarding

Food offer does not change (not so many choices)

This time I don’t drink the famous Hinano beer, but another local beer while boarding starts

I go to the gate 5 minutes after entering the lounge

Now come the best moment as I walk away from the terminal

To move towards my bird

Large fan

Last moments in the open air

Furtive view to the Business cabin

And here is my seat in the Premium Economy cabin, the best one I could choose: window left side, middle rank

Generous legroom, the advantage of the Premium Economy is a space saving

Air France Magazine, and a menu that is not the one of this flight distributed in advance, but the previous LAX PPT forgotten in the pocket

The safety card is well hidden in a corner of the legroom, I searched a little while

The tray table has the advantage to unfold in 2 to provide a large surface for laying meal tray and laptop for example (tray table is reduced at the first row, one of the reasons that I did not want this first row)

Power outlet (functional after takeoff)

IFE, with good size screen for economy, and headphones (commonplace quality) and remote controller

Safety belt with airbag

End of boarding

Push back at the scheduled departure time

Take off 10 minutes later

Left turn and views of PPT runway and Tahiti lagoon

Moorea

GE90 purring in the sun

The show begins with Tetiaroa

Then Mataiva, a little too far

Tikehau is closer

Village and airport (TIH)

Focus on coral reef

GE90 literally swallows Tikehau

Then comes Rangiroa

The view of the « Blue Lagoon » is always beautiful

Tuamotu overview nearing completion

Last view on Rangiroa, with vineyards planted in the middle of the coral

Distribution of amenity kit (specific of Premium Economy)

Content identical to the Business one, but lacks the sample of Clarins cream

Distribution of the menu

Aperitif : Champagne in its plastic glass

Signature shot

Before serving the meal, I start my movie session with a good one : Monuments men

The size of the screen, as big as in Business ;)

The meal tray is served

Metal cutlery

I continue the meal with Champagne. Its better with a real glass made of… glass

It's time to eat, reminder of the menu

Starter, chicken ballottine with crab, summer salad is good

I selected as main course chicken fafa with coconut milk which is also good

Some dairy in a box

At last the dessert, the chocolate cake is good but a little too stodgy

This meal is satisfactory, although the meal ends there but it seemed to me that the Premium catering was improved by some sweets after meal
After that, the Premium economy cabin is quiet

It is also quiet in the Economy cabin

I continue my movie session with 2 french films

During this movie session, the Premium seat reminds to my good memories, I begin to have sore buttocks
The light meal is served 1 hour 30 minutes before arrival

The quality is less than average, even disappointing like the sandwich

We are now approaching the U.S. west coast

Long Beach

Oil rig off the coast of Long Beach

More pictures of Long Beach against the light

Long Beach Airport

In Los Angeles flow rivers of concrete

The concrete also makes nodes

We touch down at LAX with a few minutes early

Planespotting from another era

More contemporary planespotting

5 minutes later we arrive at the parking stand at TBIT

We are not too disoriented with our neighbor (Air France B772 4 classes P,J,W,Y performing AF69/AF72 flights)

We are at the gate

Last Air France spotting

We disembark quickly
Transit Guide in the new TBIT
Here is an illustrated transit guide in the Tom Bradley Terminal for the PPT LAX CDG flights, Air France has established all its flights to and from LAX here instead of Terminal 2 (since end of march 2014)
Upon disembarking, follow the signs going up an escalator

Short path in a corridor of glass and carpet

Going down another escalator

To arrive in the immigration room

There are few people and passport control takes only few minutes. After that, there is no customs control for this transit (no more blue paper to fill) and I go to a passage marked by AF staff holding a panel « Paris CDG »

The path is signposted thereafter

We pass through a corridor used by the pax heading to the boarding area

We arrive behind the security checks that we bypass on the right

We arrive now into the check-in area of the TBIT

But we are directed immediately to our left to a dedicated queue to security checks for transit pax

After that, we find ourselves in the corridor that we crossed earlier and we follow the direction To all gates to the departure hall

The transit procedure is much easier and faster than before in the Terminal 2, it took me about 20 minutes. A very significant improvement from AF and LAX.
To be continued …