introduction
Hello everyone and here we go again for this trip to Japan I did last February, one month before France started a 2-month lockdown.
our japanese route
Enchainement de vols
- 1
- 2AIR FRANCE 272 PARIS ROISSY-CHARLES-DE-GAULLE => TOKYO HANEDA
- 3JAPAN AIRLINES 545 TOKYO HANEDA => KUSHIRO
- 4JAPAN AIRLINES (J-AIR) 2712 OZORA MEMANDETSU => SAPPORO NEW CHITOSE (+ TOURISTIC BONUS)
- 5
- 6AIR FRANCE 291 OSAKA KANSAI => PARIS ROISSY-CHARLES-DE-GAULLE
- 7AIR FRANCE 7708 PARIS ROISSY-CHARLES-DE-GAULLE => NICE CÔTE D'AZUR (+ TOURISTIC BONUS)
the transit at Paris
On the previous flight, I let you at the corridor after we got out of the aircraft coming from Nice, France.
Our flight's boarding gate remained unchanged. But to go to there, you need at least 25 minutes.
Despite the terminal was crowded at some times, the transit was very smooth, which isn't usually the case at CDG.
The border controls were very fast but I won't have a single stamp on any of my passports. This sucks, especially when you think of how expensive it is to have official valid documents…
Next stop, gates L.
A water fountain on the way.
Three AF Boeing. In the background, F-GSPJ is getting ready for Los Angeles (LAX), California. To the front, F-HRBC come back from Panama City (PTY), Panama. It shall go back the day after. And between the two of them our aircraft, F-GSPR.
On the right.
Just after security at gates L, you can find the Air France's lounge.
Here is our gate. The boarding staff is getting ready.
Funny fact : A YO! Sushi is located at the opposite of the gate. Something "typical" before you arrived to your destination…
the inflight experience
Boarding was a complete mess : priorities won't be respected at all. The security agents didn't get your temperature and social distances due to coronavirus weren't very respected. Still, those measures weren't even mentionned back then in France.
This time, the identity control has been made by a security officer. He asked you if in the past year you travelled to a foreign country especially China or if you recently had signs of coronavirus. Fortunately, I was in none of these cases.
Skypriority passengers and passengers with an assistance are about to board. The flight is scheduled to be "on time".
But soon after, the flight has a 10 minutes delay due to the aircraft not ready yet. The boarding staff made an announcement in french, rnglish and japanese.
10 minutes later, the boarding monitor said the boarding is finally suspended and this time, there shall be no announcements. (Although personnally, I think the aircraft wasn't still ready yet because it arrived to its parking around 45 minutes ago…).
Boarding finally started at 3.25 P.M.
The aircrafft's refuelling is in progress. A long journey awaits it. (the distance between both capital cities is around 6 027,93 miles or 9 701 km).
Hello PRofessor 777.
Door and playstation moment.
A very warm welcome from the cultural flight pursuer. I make an attempt if there's still a vacant seat in Business but she'll tell me to see with the senior flight attendant. He answered he'll tell me once boarding is over.
We're passing by Business Best and Beyond cabin, which was tempting…
… and Premium Economy cabin.
Here we are to our seat (23E). Located right behind Premium Economy.
On every seat, there are a pillow and a sheet.
Despite I'm seated at the first row, the legroom might be a little close if you are are tall (1,80m). Besides, the remote on the bottom-left is quite difficult to reach when the table is set.
You have an electric plug under your seat.
Clean test, OK…
The headset.
On the previous flight, the AF magazine dated from last month. This time, it was the one of the month. The Alsacian region (French region close of Germany and Switzerland) is in the spotlight.
AF's fleet. And I can see it hasn't been updated.
On the 1st of january 2020, AF removed the first A380 out of 10 that composed its fleet after a special flight from Paris, France to Shanghai, Republic of China. We are now the 1st of Frebruary 2020, so in other words, AF should have 9 superjumbos remaining in its fleet at the date of the flight… Until the sanitary crisis allowed the French carrier to remove every last one of them at the same time.
The safety card.
My screen.
The entertainement offer is rather generous but it's especially because we're flying the 1st day of the new month. Because we can still watch movies that were still available on the past month and not for the current one.
We pushed-back at 4.06 P.M. The Captain introduced the crew and informed passengers all languages spoken by flight attendants: on top of speaking french, english and japanese, flight attendants also speak spanish, italian and even swedish.
The safety video started. But since I'm seated at the first row, my IFE must be stored during taxiing, take-off and landing procedures.
The AF safety video is so boring they should change it. Besides, during taxiing, I shall be rather interested by something outside the aircraft.
Indeed, one of AF's superjumbos that were still there. And not just any one: its registration F-HPJF, and the aircraft that did the last AF commercial flight in A380 between Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa and Paris (CDG), France on the 23rd of March 2020.
The aircraft is now stored in Teruel airport, Spain… :((
We took-off at 4.22 P.M.
But just a minute ago, while the aircraft was lining up, the baggage rack in Premium Economy mysteriously opened by itself. One of the passengers got up and attempted to close it but the cabin crew ordered from their seats to sit back immediately, even if there was still a chance the baggage may fall during the ascent.
Fortunately, no baggage fell. The rack shall be closed when flight attendants were allowed to get up and closed the wall in front of me.
On my last flight, AF served a drink and a snack to passengers before dinner comes. Here, this service has been depleted in Economy but still remains in Business. The senior cabin crew attendant finally come back to me about my "upgrade" request, which is a complete failure. As a compensation, he gave me a mini-glass of champagne with nuts you find in Business.
the dinner is served !
Menus are given with a refreshing towel.
So, what's on the menu for this flight?
Bad point pour AF: The French carrier don't give any information about the menu on its webiste; you know wht you're gonna have only when you're onboard, whatever the cabin you choose. Not serious at all when France is known as the country of gastronomy. :(
Personnally, I prefer LH or EK because they give the menu on your flight on their website. Even if you didn't buy your ticket yet.
Good point for AF: You can also see the menu on your screen.
You can also see AF "à la carte" menus. Not the smartest idea to promote these meals when onboard because you need to book and pay these meals at least 48 hours before your flight departure.
Besides, AF doesn't precise the conditions to get one. But I'll say more about that on the Osaka-Paris flight, coming soon.
What the à la carte menus offered at the date of the flight with their fees (in euros and Flying Blue miles) and their translation, from starter to dessert.
the Fauchon Menu:
* Cream of artichoke and creamy with herbs, chicken inserts and foie gras
* Saint-Jacques nuts in agrums sauce with spices boulghour and butternut
* Comté and its mango chutney with pineapple curry
* Caramel eclair
My fun menu:
* French beef burger cheese and béarnaise sauce
* Chips
* Drinking yogurt
* Donut
* Haribo candies
The "Ocean" Menu:
* Salmon heart and dill cottage cheese sauce
* Seafood risotto
* Camembert cheese
* Plum cake
The Healthy Menu:
* Salmon heart and dill cottage cheese sauce
* Fish with lemon sauce, brocoli mousse and sour yellow carrots
* Fresh goat chesse, green vinaigrette with old-fashioned mustard and honey
* Pear cooked in orange honey on faisselle, accompanied by dried cranberries and crushed speculoos
* Chocolate
The "Tradition" Menu:
* Duck terrine with foie gras fig mellow and caramelized beggar
* Chicken wine sauce yellow crozets with chanterelles and girolles
* Jura's cheese and its lettuce and beetroot salad
* Plum cake
the "Italia" menu:
* Parma style prosciutto on a bed of melon, mini mozzarella balls and asparagus
* lasagna in parmesan cream sauce, cacciatora chicken and brocoli in butter sauce
* Tiramisu
We are flying around Berlin, Germany when the first service starts.
When I'm served, the flight attendant on my aisle said to her colleague on the other one it's time to close the windows…
Starter : Tabbouleh-style bulgur wheat.
Although the "chicken in a chasseur sauce crushed with potatoes and green beans" and the "cod with miso sauce / rice / cabbage" were both tempting, I chose the chicken. This plate recently become a classic on AF's long-haul flights…
On the Tokyo Narita flight I had plastic cutlery. This time, the cutlery is made of wood. Although wood is more eco-friendly than plastic, nothing changed compared to other airlines whose give you metal cutlery on flights going to Japan while Japan is one of the safest countries in the world…
The cheese, a ridiculous portion of camembert "Président".
Interesting fact : a quote from a former president that gave its name to the hub: "How can you gouvern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?"
Finally, the dessert: a Paris-Brest cake. But personnally, I call it a PAR-BES.
(for those who didn't get it, PAR is the IATA code of all Paris airports (Orly, CDG, Beauvais…) and BES is Brest airport's IATA code.)
The meal was good, nothing more.
As a digestif, it shall be a green tea.
Kanpai ! Tantei Pikachu !
Once the meal is done, flight attendants gave us the immigration cards. There won't be a special document about covid-19.
The lavatories were clean during the entire flight.
Door moment in night mode.
Snacks and drinks available during the flight.
Another movie, and I go to sleep.
A strawberry ice-cream is served by the crew in mid-flight…
Lights are on again 90 minutes before landing. The mood-lightning is an aggressive white.
Those who travel a lot on AF know it, there are two meals served on long-haul flights.
But have you noticed anything strange about it ? Although the menu on the paper version and the one on the IFE match, the paper menu precised there was ONLY ONE MEAL on this flight !!!
I'll have to look on the IFE to see what I'm going to have for breakfast; butter / jam / bread / fruit salad / drinking yoghurt.
Breakfast is given in a "So chic" bag. As the main plate, a pizza pocket with eggs, cheddar and potatoes.
That the bag gives a "so chic", effect, okay. That the fact the bag is easy for flight attendants to give to passengers, fine… But from passegner's point of view, it become more laborious. about removing all the catering inside it.
That's even the limit the table can accept. Besides, it may leave stains. Meaning either the cleaning would take more time that it usually takes, or the cabin will be so dirty you don't even want to fly again.
Breakfast was good but very nutritious…
the arrival in tokyo
30 minutes left before landing. We're still doing the detour as I see…
A film was shown on the monitors about the arrival procedure.
Although it started from a good intention, it concerns your arrival at Paris Roissy-Charles-De-Gaulle, not Tokyo Haneda ; you don't have informations on the proper airport of destination whether for transit on whatever the airline is or the way to reach the baggage claim.
Tokyo Haneda insight…
I didn't take any photos about landing. We arrived to our parking 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. As our neighbor, a Korean Air 777-200ER is about to go back to Seoul Incheon (ICN), Republic of Korea.
Disembarkment. A chart reminds passengers to pick up their baggage at the baggage claim if they have a domestic connection.
I'm spotting this A330-300 Eva Air heading back to Taipei (TPE), Taïwan
For us, it's straight ahead.
Geographically speaking, Japan is closer to China than France. So no wonder there are already sanitary measures at the immigration (like temperature sensors for instance), while the island didn't have many cases of coronavirus back then.
My suitcase is on belt C.
Welcome to Japan. It is alongside Miraitowa (ミライトワ) and Someity (ソメイティ ), respectively mascottes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that this review has come to an end. I hope you liked it. If that's so, please leave a like and an comment. As for me, I thank you for reading me and will find very soon for the next review.