Review of Air France flight from Papeete to Los Angeles in Economy

DO WE HAVE TO GO BACK?

The return is always a bit difficult and especially from such a beautiful place.

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Boarding pass is available on the mobile app.

The cabin doesn't look full by any means. I refrain from buying the front seat option, especially since we have time at LAX.

The flight will be operated in a B777-200ER as always since the retirement of the B747-400, almost 20 years of an undisturbed routine, the better and more confortable A350-900 have since taken over on this route.

This cabin is called "leisure" because it only offers a business cabin unlike the business configuration and therefore a little more seats in total.

AT PAPEETE - TAHITI FAA'A AIRPORT

We reach the airport by transfer from the hotel. We had specified to the hotel that we did not need to be there very early since we could check in using the priority lane, we managed to negotiate 2 hours before instead of 3 hours. Polynesians are never late and the taxi was already 10 minutes before the schedule!

A music to start…

Check-in is completed very quickly, we have 1h55 left! Too bad, I would have slept longer.

The attendant does not flinch despite our 28kg in the hold! The boarding pass will be violently torn up at boarding.

If you bring pearls back with you you can get the tax back, for that you have to fill out papers and more papers, submit them to customs, then put them in an envelope and in a mailbox. No doubt we are in France!

There's not much chance of being lost at PPT… there are only 4 gates for international flights.

Passing in front of the duty free, where the prices are - for once - cheaper than on the islands- a shame to discover this once our suitcases are full.

This may be the reason for the rather modest filling rate of the AF eco cabin…

AT THE AIR TAHITI NUI - MANUHIRI LOUNGE

It's quite strange, there was a time when AF and Air Tahiti Nui shared their codes, the collaboration seems to have stopped at the lounge.
Two tiki guard the entrance.

The beast is asleep…

One of the rare lounges to offer a printer and a work station

Sorry for the blurry picture, but all the booze is available at the lounge!

There is even a smoking booth - not that I use it but no kid playground.

Showers were clean and nice to wake up properly!

Time for a selfie! Hello people!

The lounge is nice to spend some time at, but it is tad limited in terms of food.

The lounge itself is not that spacious but not so crowded.

The lounge being located upstairs, there is a superb view on the planes.

Cheers to you guys (yes it's 6am but I lived in England for 10 years so I learned that an early morning schedule doesn't stop a legitimate thirst).

We start a very friendly discussion with an 86-year-old charming granny whom with we talk about travel, old age etc. She tells us that she travels alone, and always in J since she can afford it - alone because her husband died, and her friends are afraid to go so far. So she doesn't hesitate to start a conversation with young people. 

I want to be the same granny later! 

The FIDS displays "boarding" against our flight but nothing really seems to be happening so we stay a tad longer at the lounge.

Boarding begins, we go first, and in front of this iconic building.

ONBOARD THE B777-200

I already flew on F-GSPF 11 years ago to Argentina, but since the plane has been repainted with the new livery (larger AIRFRANCE title and the old Air Orient prawn logo next to the cockpit windows) and refitted with new eco seats.

Aircraft: Boeing B777-228ER
Tail number: F-GSPF
Engines: 2x GE90
Age: 25 years old
Layout: J28 C24 Y260
Named: Compiègne

The size of these GE90 is always impressive.

The premium eco and the first main eco cabin just behind.

The main cabin… not the best in the world but clearly not that bad.. The pitch is fair and all equipped with IFE and USB plugs.

The details of the seats.

Last view on Air Tahiti

Air France removed the eye mask and hear plugs from the kit, but you can ask for them to the crew.

Safety card for the fans

There is a blanket and pillow, again not the case on every airlines in eco.

A quick word about the crew, who are in a very good mood.
They tease the passengers and crack a few jokes… The passenger sitting next to us sees that there is no one in the row in front and asks to change, to which the cabin crew replies that it will be 50 euros (as a joke of course).
He will come and tell us that we are a nice couple and we will hear that he will have a word for each of the neighboring rows.

What a view on Moorea

Our last take off from Tahiti :(

What a wingflex!

The Venus point 

And the very last view on what Bougainville name "the new Cythère".

Heading to the North

We were in 2022 and the Covid kit was still handed out to passengers - just in case.

A good hour and a half later, the trolleys are out and the first meal is served.

Announcements are made over the microphone about the the hot dish: pasta or veal blanquette.

I naively ask for the Eco menu and the cabin crew tells me that they it had gone for years!
As a starter it was a celery salad, the chicken-pasta the famous cheese, butter and chocolate mousse that held up.
We always have champagne at AF as an aperitif and a choice of wine, that's always nice.
On the other hand the bottle of water is too small I think and the dish was bigger in my memories in Eco.

Our cabin crew comes back for coffees and digestifs, I ask her for a chartreuse, in my memory it was offered in economy, she tells me that there is only cognac. Never mind, she goes to ask in Business and brings me back a bottle without me having to ask her! Air France does know how to the extra mile.

Nothing much to see.

A bar is available in economy at the rear of the cabin.

The second service has been packed in this small bag since covid, second tray no more.
It was very average.

The portions were also reduced.
There is a yogurt, a brownie and a sandwich.  I ask for a hot chocolate on top of the coffee.

Once the breakfasts are cleared away, the cabin manager comes to see us…

"So you're back from your honeymoon?" He tells us. We're very impressed that they passed the word 3 weeks apart!

Our cabin crew also come to congratulate us and give us a bottle of champagne… They had a look at your bookings, they saw that we had a long connection at LAX and so he told us that we could drink it on the beach!

Approaching USA costs.

In terms of entertainment, on top of the IFE, Air France still offers the digital press review app.

The Inflight magazine now just available at the lounges.

First time I ever saw LA on daylight.

La géovision bien pratique…

The plane makes a U turn to be on final on 26L

AT LOS ANGELES - INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Here comes the famous Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Which is next to the AAL terminal building.

Air France offers a few flight per day from LAX to CDG, and during the Cannes film festival also to NICE.

Delta has its own terminal buiding but still leaves from the TBIT for international destinations.

We are waiting for a few minutes - enough for Virgin to leave our gate.

A last view on our B772..

We will have to wait 1h30 to finally get a stamp, the LAX staff redirecting the excess queue to passport control for American citizens. We will come across someone charming.

As expected, our suitcases will have had time to go around the conveyor belt 4567 times while we were at passport control and will end up being placed on the side.