Bonjour and Hello from Paris Charles-De-Gaulle airport.
Today, I was heading to Tromsø for a quick Weekend getaway.
Today's ride was F-HEPE, a 15 year old A320 named "Valence".
Arrival
I arrived from ZRH this morning and funny enough, had to deplane the plane by stairs just to walk straigt up the stairs again into a jetbridge.
Once in the terminal, I went onto the quick walk to the Air France Lounge, or 'Salon', as they call it.
Lounge
I love the architecture of this lounge which offers beautiful sunrises through huge windows.
I opted for a light breakfast only as I had previously eaten and did not feel that hungry.
Boarding and Cabin
Boarding began on time and was cramped (like always in CDG due to lack of space).
Like every other carrier in Europe, AF does not feature upgraded seats and instead just blocks the middle seat off.
Catering
There was no meal choice and the served meal consisted of a lentil-whatever with cold with fish, a lonely pancake and some yoghurt. Safe to say, I was disappointed and honestly, I don't understand why European Airlines are so OBSESSED with fish on their short haul business routes.
I did it some of it, however, and afterwards ordered a tea to wash it down.
Approach and Landing
I adore Norway's landscape. Full on snowy mountains presented themselves outside my window as we approached.
Since it was the beginning of polar night, it already started to get dark too, even though it was only 1pm.
Despite pushing back from our gate 9 mins late, we arrived at the TOS gate 22 mins early.
It's clear that Air France is not at the level in the medium-haul business class. A one-and-a-half-hour flight receives the same service as a two-hour flight and more critical service than a flight over three hours. They only maintained their service level after COVID, while competitors have significantly improved it in the last two years.