Review of Air France flight Papeete Los Angeles in Premium Eco

Airline Air France
Flight AF77
Class Premium Eco
Seat 11A
Aircraft Boeing 777-200ER
Flight time 08:00
Take-off 16 May 14, 08:05
Arrival at 16 May 14, 19:05
AF   #26 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 5929 reviews
anthonytahiti
Published on 3rd September 2014
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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (1)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (2)

Many people at the check-in counters this morning.

photo FR104 PPT LAX (3)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (4)

I need 45 minutes to reach the check-in desk

photo FR104 PPT LAX (5)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (6)

Passing passport control and security filters is very fast

photo FR104 PPT LAX (7)

Here I am in the departure hall

photo FR104 PPT LAX (8)photo FR104 PPT LAX (9)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (10)photo FR104 PPT LAX (11)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (12)photo FR104 PPT LAX (13)photo FR104 PPT LAX (14)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (15)

Food offer does not change (not so many choices)

photo FR104 PPT LAX (16)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (17)

I go to the gate 5 minutes after entering the lounge

photo FR104 PPT LAX (18)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (19)

To move towards my bird

photo FR104 PPT LAX (20)photo FR104 PPT LAX (21)

Large fan

photo FR104 PPT LAX (22)photo FR104 PPT LAX (23)

Last moments in the open air

photo FR104 PPT LAX (24)

Furtive view to the Business cabin

photo FR104 PPT LAX (25)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (26)photo FR104 PPT LAX (27)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (28)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (29)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (30)

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)

photo FR104 PPT LAX (31)photo FR104 PPT LAX (32)

Power outlet (functional after takeoff)

photo FR104 PPT LAX (33)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (34)

Safety belt with airbag

photo FR104 PPT LAX (35)

End of boarding

photo FR104 PPT LAX (36)

Push back at the scheduled departure time

photo FR104 PPT LAX (37)

Take off 10 minutes later

photo FR104 PPT LAX (38)

Left turn and views of PPT runway and Tahiti lagoon

photo FR104 PPT LAX (39)

Moorea

photo FR104 PPT LAX (40)

GE90 purring in the sun

photo FR104 PPT LAX (41)

The show begins with Tetiaroa



Then Mataiva, a little too far

photo FR104 PPT LAX (46)

Tikehau is closer

photo FR104 PPT LAX (47)photo FR104 PPT LAX (48)

Village and airport (TIH)

photo FR104 PPT LAX (49)

Focus on coral reef

photo FR104 PPT LAX (50)

GE90 literally swallows Tikehau

photo FR104 PPT LAX (51)photo FR104 PPT LAX (52)

Then comes Rangiroa

photo FR104 PPT LAX (53)photo FR104 PPT LAX (54)

The view of the « Blue Lagoon » is always beautiful



Tuamotu overview nearing completion

photo FR104 PPT LAX (61)photo FR104 PPT LAX (62)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (63)photo FR104 PPT LAX (64)

Distribution of amenity kit (specific of Premium Economy)

photo FR104 PPT LAX (65)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (66)

Distribution of the menu

photo FR104 PPT LAX (67)photo FR104 PPT LAX (68)photo FR104 PPT LAX (69)

Aperitif : Champagne in its plastic glass

photo FR104 PPT LAX (70)

Signature shot

photo FR104 PPT LAX (71)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (72)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (73)

The meal tray is served

photo FR104 PPT LAX (74)

Metal cutlery

photo FR104 PPT LAX (75)photo FR104 PPT LAX (76)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (77)

It's time to eat, reminder of the menu

imagephoto )

Starter, chicken ballottine with crab, summer salad is good

photo FR104 PPT LAX (79)photo FR104 PPT LAX (80)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (81)photo FR104 PPT LAX (82)

Some dairy in a box

photo FR104 PPT LAX (83)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (84)photo FR104 PPT LAX (85)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (86)

It is also quiet in the Economy cabin

photo FR104 PPT LAX (87)

I continue my movie session with 2 french films

photo FR104 PPT LAX (88)photo FR104 PPT LAX (89)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (90)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (91)

We are now approaching the U.S. west coast

photo FR104 PPT LAX (92)photo FR104 PPT LAX (93)

Long Beach

photo FR104 PPT LAX (94)

Oil rig off the coast of Long Beach

photo FR104 PPT LAX (95)

More pictures of Long Beach against the light

photo FR104 PPT LAX (96)photo FR104 PPT LAX (97)

Long Beach Airport

photo FR104 PPT LAX (98)

In Los Angeles flow rivers of concrete

photo FR104 PPT LAX (99)

The concrete also makes nodes

photo FR104 PPT LAX (100)

We touch down at LAX with a few minutes early

photo FR104 PPT LAX (101)

Planespotting from another era

photo FR104 PPT LAX (102)

More contemporary planespotting

photo FR104 PPT LAX (103)

5 minutes later we arrive at the parking stand at TBIT

photo FR104 PPT LAX (104)photo FR104 PPT LAX (105)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (106)

We are at the gate

photo FR104 PPT LAX (107)

Last Air France spotting

photo FR104 PPT LAX (108)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (109)

Short path in a corridor of glass and carpet

photo FR104 PPT LAX (110)

Going down another escalator

photo FR104 PPT LAX (111)

To arrive in the immigration room

photo FR104 PPT LAX (112)photo FR104 PPT LAX (113)

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 »

photo FR104 PPT LAX (114)

The path is signposted thereafter

photo FR104 PPT LAX (115)photo FR104 PPT LAX (116)photo FR104 PPT LAX (117)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (118)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (119)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (120)photo FR104 PPT LAX (121)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (122)

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

photo FR104 PPT LAX (123)


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 …
See more

Verdict

Air France

7.4/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering7.0

Papeete - PPT

7.5/10
Efficiency5.0
Access10.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness8.0

Los Angeles - LAX

9.5/10
Efficiency10.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Air France
Comfort is in line with what I expected, suitable for a day flight. The benefits of premium seat are clearly felt for a day flight : more private space, a larger tablet. Note, however, small people (like my neighbor on the flight) complain about the discomfort caused by the difficulties to reach the footrest. The character too hard of the seat begins to annoy after several hours, but less than for a night flight
Crew : smiling at boarding, we don’t see them often during the flight in the Premium cabin of small size
Catering : a good first meal despite an oversight in the Premium protocol service (the cone with candy) and a really disappointing light meal
Entertainment : The screen is a good size for economy, the choice of film is vast and VOD is nice, weak point is the poor quality of headphones
On time performance : perfectly on time

Manuhiri Lounge
Not rated, I spent only 5 minutes in there

PPT international airport
Easy access to the airport.
Once is not custom, check in was very long, more than 45 minutes despite SkyPriority queue
Airside, nothing changes. Open space pleasant but nothing special.

LAX TBIT
The great surprise of this flight. Passport control took 5 minutes, the transit is quick in a recent and nice terminal. The Air France move to TBIT is great news !

Information on the route Papeete (PPT) Los Angeles (LAX)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 45 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Papeete (PPT) → Los Angeles (LAX).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Air Tahiti Nui avec 7.6/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 7 heures et 53 minutes.

  More information

7 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 117010 by
    Alif A.F. 31 Comments
    Very nice report! The journey from Papeete to LAX must be very lonely as there is literally no islands insight in between the two places!
  • Comment 117011 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    Thanks for sharing another magnificent report.

    AF Y+ is a decent product and there are elements that feel more J than Y. The seat itself is a clear differentiator and other elements like a decent amenity kit, printed menu, real glass, metal utensils and candy cone (which was omitted in your case) contribute to a more dignified experience.

    Catering of the first meal is fine, but the snack service leaves a lot to be desired. The quantity is insufficient in my opinion and the quality could be better. After all, this is a French company and there should be higher expectations. Personally I would be happy with an open faced sandwich made with smoked salmon and a good piece of pastry along with some fruit like grapes, a plum or clementine.

    Looking forward to your continuation.
    • Comment 301670 by
      anthonytahiti AUTHOR 1563 Comments
      Thank you for your comment.
      My opinion, this Premium Eco is more an improved Y than a cheap J. AF economy is not so bad for the service, the seat is a weakpoint with 10 seat in a row. So the Premium seat is clearly an improvement with more space. But the price of this premium is not only some dollars or euros more (like american Y+) but much more expensive (About 1000 € for PPT CDG roundtrip). So I expect more from this Premium.
  • Comment 117131 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Beautiful report as always! The views on departure are heaven...such beautiful colors! As you know, I'm a fan of the AF Premium Economy product for the most part...of course, I imagine prices between Washington, DC and Paris are much more attractive than on such a long flight from PPT to CDG. The snack on arrival is just a bad as the snack on Transatlantic day flights. The larger tray table is definitely a plus if you have work to get done. It's the largest tray table I've encountered in any class.
    • Comment 301671 by
      anthonytahiti AUTHOR 1563 Comments
      Hello Kevin and thank you for your comment.
      Yes Premium Is a good alternative for a day flight not to long like a TATL Europe / East coast
      The price for a very long flight is... maddening (Pititom can book a RTW in J for less)
  • Comment 117603 by
    Invaders 2 Comments
    Great report. Thanks for sharing.

    As noted above, the Y+ product looks great compared to for example British Airways. I`ve not been flying AF since 2006 but PPT is on my to do list along with AF to SXM. Your reports are a great read and I do hope you keep em coming.

Login to post a comment.