They say the third time’s a charm, and I’m happy to report, that was actually the case this time around. After a failed Baltic Sea cruise scheduled for 2020 — for obvious reasons — and an aborted trip to London and Paris in winter 2022 when I got sick, we finally were able to take a big European family vacation. This time, we had no fixed plans in advance, but rather we let the flight availability determine where we went. In the end, the focus was on Belgium and Germany for our two week adventure, and Air France business class ended up being a great way to travel.
I’m not going to do a travelogue on this trip, because frankly, I wanted to actually enjoy myself instead of taking notes on every detail. But I will, of course, write up the flight to Paris and the return from Prague via Paris. I’m also going to write up my day in Friedrichshafen, Germany separately since it is a very cool and out-of-the-way aviation destination.
When I say that flight availability would dictate what we did, what I mean is that we’ve had points stranded with Air France-KLM Flying Blue since that COVID-canceled trip in 2020. So the question was … how could we get to Europe using those points, and where could they take us? And to make things harder, my wife really wanted to fly in business. (I would have been very happy in premium economy.) I won’t split cabins with the kids, so that meant finding decent availability for four of us. Oof.
Remarkably, the Flying Blue strategy now is to put out decent availability, far better than many other programs. We were able to get the four of us in business roundtrip to Europe for 100,000 miles each (less with the child discount) plus a few hundred in taxes. Having date and destination flexibility really makes a difference, and Flying Blue makes it pretty easy to search. With the flights booked, we filled in our itinerary.
We had no trouble at all checking in online. I did it on my computer which then had me scan passports using my phone. I did print out the boarding passes since I didn’t want to worry about a non-functioning phone.
We arrived at the airport just before noon for our early 1:40pm flight, and I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. My first trip to Europe was in 1985, and I departed from the very same Bradley Terminal that my kids would fly from on their first Europe trip. It looks different now, of course, but the ticket counter area still feels the same.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to stop at the ticket counter since with Air France’s generous 2 carry-on + 1 personal item allowance, no checked bags were needed. We had TSA Precheck, so the security line was short, but they kept having crews and other people cut in front so it took awhile to get through. On the other side, we began the long walk over to the midfield concourse where Air France now lives.
The underground tunnel between Bradley and the midfield concourse kind of feels like a poor man’s O’Hare Terminal 1 with more boring lights and blander music. Once we popped up on the other side, we had to take an elevator up to the sixth floor where Air France recently opened its new lounge.
The lounge sits between several other empty spaces that will eventually be lounges for other airlines. For now, Air France is it. The lounge is large with sweeping views to the ocean toward the west… and our aircraft down below.
It’s a very wide lounge but not very deep. When you walk in, to the right is a small seating area with the bathroom, a spa, and a La Premiere lounge space. To the left is the bar.
Past the bar is the main lounge with several separate seating areas and food stations.
I had a quick croque monsieur as we sat and awaited boarding. The lounge attendants came through with an iPad showing which zones were ready to go. We weren’t in a hurry, and when we made it to the gate around forty minutes before departure, it was already nearly fully boarded.
They were using the biometric gates where you just have to look at the camera to be let in. No boarding pass scan required. It’s a fun trick.
Air France 21
August 2, 2024
From Los Angeles
➤ Scheduled Departure: 140p
➤ Actual Departure: 148p
➤ From Gate: 204
➤ Wheels Up: 212p
➤ From Runway: 25R
To Paris/CDG
➤ Wheels Down: 908a
➤ On Runway: 26L
➤ Scheduled Arrival: 920a
➤ Actual Arrival: 919a
➤ At Gate: M28
Aircraft
➤ Type: Boeing 777-328ER
➤ Delivered: December 23, 2004
➤ Registered: F-GSQG, msn 32850
➤ Livery: Standard Air France Livery
Flight
➤ Cabin: Business in Seat 5A
➤ Load: ~99% Full
➤ Flight Time: 9h56m
This was the first time I’d flown Air France since my honeymoon fifteen years ago. I expected a much better experience since that was on a tired 777-200 with angled flat beds, but I was glad to see the traditional dirty Air France airplane paint job hasn’t changed.
We were warmly welcomed onboard and turned left to get to our seats in the smaller forward cabin. We had all of row five to ourselves. For some obnoxious reason, Air France will only let you seat children in the windows when you assign seats, but onboard, they don’t care what you do. Our kids wanted to sit together in the center, so my wife and I each took a window, mine on the left side.
These seats are the previous generation of seats on Air France in a standard reverse herringbone, and I had two big, beautiful windows all to myself. The seats were clearly older, since they were pretty scuffed up and worn, but I found they very comfortable.
The flight attendants came through with menus and pre-departure drinks, though they oddly never actually collected my glass.
I just held on to it as it slid backwards on our climb. After having to navigate around some monsoon storms further inland, we got above the weather and the service began.
First, there was a hot towel service followed by drinks. They took dinner orders, and I settled in try to watch a bunch of movies knowing sleep likely wouldn’t come.
Dinner started with a little tomato and mozarella and a small box of what I’d consider to be fancy Cheez-Its.
Then it was time for appetizers. The lobster with cream and chives was outstanding, and I wanted to ask for more. I don’t even like eating on airplanes, but that was delicious.
For dinner, I opted for the cod with white wine and shallot sauce, quinoa, and sundried tomatoes. I know, I know, never choose the fish… but it was the most appealing on the menu. And in the end, it was fine, but it wasn’t my favorite.
It was followed by a cheese plate, and then I finished up with a fresh fruit dessert that really hit the spot.
At this point, I told the kids they should try to get some sleep, and they looked at me and laughed. It was pretty early for that, but we all tried. I think one of the kids got a couple hours at most, but the rest of us were on the struggle bus.
I just kept watching movies. The setup was great since the remote has that mini screen on it which I could keep tuned to the moving map while I watched movies on the big screen.
It wasn’t long before I felt the peer pressure to kept the window shade mostly closed, because it was so bright. I gave in after dinner.
As we got to the middle of the flight, the sun set, but it never got dark. It stayed in a twilight for a couple of hours since we were so far north, and that was ideal. I could keep the window open without disturbing others.
Air France has a hands-off approach during the middle of the flight. I don’t think I saw a crewmember walk through once during that time. But there were two very large drink and snack stations set up in the galley which I used to fill up more than once.
The sun started to unset as we got further over the Atlantic, and 1.5 hours from Paris it was time for breakfast. I opted for the lox and bagel. The lox was good, but the bagel was not. The croissant, however, was great, as it better be. I didn’t really love the breakfast at all and found myself dreaming of those BA bacon rolls.
I messed around with the entertainment system more and found a link for a Flight Camera! But there was nothing there. I assume it’s just the same interface for all aircraft even on those that don’t have them.
For the last part of the flight, I decided to watch Chariots of Fire. I last saw that movie way back in 2012 on my return from the London Olympics. I suppose it is required to have it onboard when the Olympics are happening in your home base.
It was a very cloudy day as we made landfall over Ireland, so there wasn’t much to see down below. We made a slow and lazy descent into Paris, looping around to land from the east. I snapped this shot of farmland during a rare break in the clouds east of the airport.
We landed on the south runway and then had to taxi all the way back to the northeasternmost gate in the airport, so it took some time. Even with that, we blocked in exactly one minute early.
CDG was chaotic with the Olympics in full swing. There were people everywhere, just swarming the airport. We, however, weren’t staying in Paris. We made our way to the train station and headed north to Belgium where we’d spend a few days exploring before making our way through Germany to the south.
Overall, Air France did a great job, and I thoroughly enjoyed the flight. That early departure time is tough for those who want to sleep, but I’m bad at that anyway on airplanes, so it was more of a problem for the kids. Still, when you have a two week vacation, there’s plenty of time to recover.
26 comments on “An Air France B777-300ER From LA to Paris in Business Class (Trip Report)”
“Cabin: Coach in Seat 5A” should be business here.
Regarding the camera, I recall flying on some other aircraft where the belly camera is probably in or connected with the landing gear. The live streaming video disappeared as soon as we were airborne and only returned as we had the landing gear down. Not sure if this also applies to your AF flight as well.
Wany – Whoops, fixed. As for the camera, I can’t remember if I looked at it while on the ground. I suppose it’s possible, but these are 20 year old 777s I flew, so I’m guessing it just isn’t equipped.
Cranky, I know from firsthand experience that 20+ years ago JAL domestic 777s had cameras, they used to show it on the big screen during taxi in/out; so it’s possible. Something to for me to check in a few weeks when I take this same flight for work. Nice to have a timely trip report. Unfortunately, my employer is all about lowest cost, so I can only hope AF economy is pleasant enough.
Kitsune – That seems like something a forward-thinking, tech-appreciating Japanese carrier might do as opposed to early 2000s Air France. But do let us know if you find it!
Well, a scheduled arrival around 9am in Paris is already in the second wave of transatlantic flights … so it’s not « that early » !
And good choice from your wife to go for Business class seats : I believe, if you only use a reasonable amount of points for them (and I’ve seen days where you could get business on one flight for cheaper than economy on another) they they are worth the splurge on a 9/10 hours flight ! Much more comfortable.
I don’t love the biometric boarding, especially the fact that the government has obviously put enough cameras into the terminals to track everyone. They make these announcements that it’s optional and to contact the gate agent if you don’t want to use biometric boarding. When I tried to do that they told me that it was too late, I’d already been automatically ID’d by the system. Same as the TSA agents who pressure and manipulate you to do image scans at TSA. You can opt out but they pressure you not to.
I am afraid I don’t quite understand the comment about cameras in the terminal. Yes, they exist, but what does that have to do with biometric boarding? Those cameras will capture you whether you board the old style with boarding passes or use your face.
I initially participated in the “boycott” of nudeoscopes and opted for the metal detector and free massage. After a while I just gave up.
Back to the biometric boarding: the government already knows what I look like. They have photos of me from my passport application and my global entry application. And they know when I am leaving the country because the airline tells them, whether I scan my face or my boarding pass. So I am not really concerned about using my face to board.
Not to mention that they’ll capture your image again when you enter through passport control on the return (to match against your passport photo for which they already have your picture).
Cranky,
Are you doing a trip report on the high-speed trains? Hope you do so as the networks between countries is ever expanding.
As Jane Kirtin says about Prague in the 2015 film “Spy”, “too gothic.”
Sorry, it was “The spy who dumped me.”
SEAN – No trip report on trains, but I can give you a quick rundown of what we did.
From CDG, the best-time train up to Brussels was a Eurostar, interestingly enough. Nothing really to speak of since it’s just a short hop. They did sub out the rolling stock so our seats didn’t exist. Had a surly Dutch cabin attendant who eventually just moved us elsewhere in her little tablet. No service or anything. Then it was a local SNCB train over to Gent where we stayed. I was surprised to see so much graffiti on the Belgian trains. Somebody has been very busy painting the network.
We also did a day trip to Brugge from Gent which was a very quick and easy ride. Plenty of service all day long, no reservations needed. It’s a really nice ride.
We rented a car to do a few things while in Belgium, mostly leaving the country go to Lille to see handball in the Olympics, Dunkirk, and over to Maastricht. Then we dropped the car off in Brussels and took a Deutsche Bahn train for the quick trip to Köln where we then picked up another car.
It was WAY cheaper to do that than it was to keep a single car the whole way through.
Other than local trains in Munich after we dropped the car off, the only other train we did was from Munich to Prague. They run both Deutsche Bahn and Czech Railways cars on the same train for the 6 hour run. We booked via Czech since it had an open cabin. Not high speed in the least, but it was almost on time. They were slowed down by track construction along the way. There was no dining car for such a long ride, but they had an occasional snack cart. We ended up hopping off in Pilsen to grab something in the station since it was there for a little longer than usual stops.
Lots of changing engines and directions on this train, which was kind of fun. It was stiflingly hot, but once we got moving the open windows cooled things down. A couple hours in, they came through and told everyone to close the windows and they’d turn the a/c on. It somehow got hotter. But, there was fast and free wifi. Overall, good experience and it was cheap.
I went from Brussels to Brugge last year on SCNB and I was surprised how many trains were covered in graffiti. It felt like the NYC subway of the 1980’s. At least the inside of the train wasn’t covered in graffiti.
Thanks Cranky! There are several YT channels like “Not just bikes” that have been on the high-speed train run lately & I thought I would mention it since you were there.
What book were you reading on the flight to Paris?
Eric – Ah, that was Team of Rivals about Abraham Lincoln. It’s a spectacularly good book, and I hope someone in Gent who finds it enjoys the read. (I love leaving books as I go…)
I don’t know if I could sleep on a flight that leaves that early. 9 AM in Paris is midnight at home. I guess in that case, I would book premium economy. I don’t see the purpose of flying in a flat bed if I’m not going to sleep. I guess that’s why I don’t get using flat beds on domestic flights that aren’t redeyes.
I agree with questioning the value of a flat bed on a flight you won’t be sleeping on. I jumped on an upgrade deal earlier this year (about $500 one way on an American 777 Madrid to Charlotte), and while I tried out the bed in the flat position just to try it, I mostly just spent the flight watching movies, and I don’t drink alcohol, so I’m not sure it’s worth paying extra for over premium economy (which for sure is a nice upgrade from the back of the plane) on a day flight. On a night flight, for sure.
As far as flat beds on domestic flights, if the plane is going to have it for the red eyes, it will have it for the day flights too. Maybe folks who normally work the night shift will appreciate having a flat bed to sleep on a day flight to disrupt their schedule less.
100K miles each. Did you actually book as a RT, or 2 one-ways?
Jetroute – Two separate one ways.
So which airlines will have Chariots of Fire in their entertainment system in 2028 ? How many US carriers will claim to have Los Angeles as a home base ? Lots of kudos points if you can correctly predict the list almost 4 years in advance :-)
Anon – Gotta be Delta since that’s the official airline of Team USA.
I wonder if Allegiant flying to “Demoines” is the airline or airport not knowing how to spell.
“I won’t split cabins with the kids, so that meant finding decent availability for four of us. Oof.”
That’s a good dad. Most of the parents I know would not only happily split cabins, they’d split flights if they could. (Admittedly, their kids are all in their early teens, so it’s not as bad as it sounds.)
And you know you should always choose the lasagna.
“And you know you should always choose the lasagna.”
That’s correct Craig. But believe it or not I recently made an interesting discovery about “Airplane!” We know that most of the film is based on “Zero Hour,” but numerus scenes also come from “Airport 1975” including the sick child Lisa originated by the one & only Linda Blair best known for “The exorcist.”
For those of us who love making obscure Airplane references in this and other av blogs, this is required reading and entertaining as hell:
https://bookoutlet.com/book/surely-you-cant-be-serious-the-true-story-of-airplane/zucker-david/9781250289315B
Maybe you’ll get lucky and Brett will leave one for you on his next flight!
Too bad that LAX can’t do the tunnel to the midfield concourse like Detroit does its tunnel between concourses.