TRIP REPORT
This is a short trip report for a flight I did between Ljubljana and Paris with Air France. There is not too much to write about but I noticed there haven’t been too many trip reports from Slovenia lately so decided to share my flight experience.
I took the opportunity to redeem 25,000 Delta SkyMiles for a business class ticket. The flight was operated by Hop! and their E190 aircraft.
Ljubljana Airport was quiet when I arrived and with minimal foot traffic I was able to pass through security relatively quickly. The airport lounge, which is self-operated, was basic but functional. The highlight was a small outdoor terrace, which is a pleasant place to relax pre-departure with some nice views of the tarmac. Inside I find the lounge to be a bit tight and small. This obviously wasn't an issue on the day I was flying out but may be at busier times of day.
The flight boarded on time. Business class was almost empty on this leg with just 2 out of 8 seats occupied. Given the light load, the lack of blocked seats in the E-Jet configuration didn’t make much of a difference. The Embraer was starting show its age with the curtain separating business and economy half detached and the toilet seeing some better days too. But the seats themselves were in good shape and the legroom is decent. I believe the pitch for the remainder of the seats is worse than the first few rows.
The crew was professional and courteous, though the overall service was minimal. Shortly after takeoff, a cold meal was served: a mezze plate featuring hummus and goat cheese. The meal was one of the better ones I have had on an intra-European service and offered alongside drinks, including alcoholic beverages. There was also a selection of cheese, plus a pear tartlet for dessert. No hot meal options were offered, which is understandable for a short regional hop. Coffee and tea were served afterwards out of a large mug which was nice.
The rest of the flight was mostly uneventful. CDG’s layout continues to baffle. Arriving at Terminal 2G, which is reserved for regional flights, meant an immediate disconnect from the main terminal complex. Passengers connecting onward had to go on a painfully slow 20-minute airside shuttle bus journey. It felt more like a sightseeing tour of CDG’s lesser seen backroads than a streamlined transfer process. For a major global hub, the segmentation of its terminals remains one of its weakest points.
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What is a self-operated lounge?
ReplyDeleteThe airport itself operates the lounge. It's not run by third paty or an airline.
DeleteOne thing I've found consistent with Air France is that, no matter the flight, aircraft, or location, their food never disappoints
ReplyDeleteFy for the review
ty*
DeleteCan't agree on this one sadly. On long-haul, their meals are usually amazing in J, but sometimes truly awful in Y. On short-haul it's the opposite - their sandwiches are always fresh and good in Y, but J food can be hit and miss. They also don't serve warm food on short-haul regardless of flight distance, so you can end up with a cold quinoa salad on a five-hour flight such as CDG-EVN (happened to me).
DeleteBravo Fraport!
ReplyDelete"I believe the pitch for the remainder of the seats is worse than the first few rows."
ReplyDeleteSadly it isn't. AF doesn't do the same thing as KL with a bigger pitch in front rows.
Thanks for the nice trip report! I flew with Air France in March from Zagreb to Paris. I was very nice surprised about what they has offered me in economy class - sandwiches, wine etc. This is unfortunately not a standard anymore for most European airlines. The crew was nice. One guy was extremely friendly and the rest was just being normal, which for me is perfectly fine. In general it's not ok to be rude, everything else is more than fine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your report. We (family of four) just flew LJU-CDG-LJU last week. Crew was friendly on both legs. On the flight to Paris we got sandwiches (kids ate two of them each so it seems they were not that bad) and on the flight from Paris we only got a couple of cookies, which was disappointment for kids as they were looking forward to the sandwiches :) As we didn't fly onwards I actually appreciated the small size of 2G terminal. It took us 5 minutes in total to drop the bags and breeze through the security check. There was plenty of space to chill at the terminal until our gate was announced.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, I found your comment quite interesting.
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