Let me preface this by saying that when I first booked my Envoy tickets, I searched high and low for a good trip report, but was only able to find one (here on FlyerTalk) and I didn't feel like it explained much, so I decided to write my own. It's a bit long, but I didn't want to leave out any important details. Thanks for checking it out.
After racking up some US Airways miles on my fairly frequent business travels, and then topping them off with a new US Air Mastercard bonus, my wife and I booked our off-peak award trip to Paris. Since I didn’t have quite enough miles until early September, our choices for the 60K RT Envoy tickets were somewhat limited, but we were still able to book tickets for a 10 day trip. It ended up being $282 total in fees, and 110,000 miles, due to the 5k/ticket discount for US Air credit card holders. Direct flights from PHL-CDG were sold out, so we traveled in First to CLT, then Envoy to CDG. Overall, the good parts were quite nice, while the bad parts were a bit annoying.
Part 1 – PHL Check-in, Envoy Lounge
We were obviously excited about our trip, but unfortunately hit the first small annoyance at check-in. We arrived at PHL Terminal A just after the Caribbean flights departed, but before check-in got going for the European departures, so the entire check-in area was deserted. Great, right? Well, apparently that was shift-change time for the employees, so the woman at the Envoy check-in was less than enthusiastic. I tried to engage her in some friendly banter, which she didn’t even acknowledge, nor did she respond when I said I was having trouble with the check-in kiosk. So, after poking at the screen for a bit, I got it to work, and then she said simply “bags on the scale”. We put the bags on the scale, she printed out our tags, and started to put them on the conveyor without the proper Priority tags we are entitled to, as not only were we flying in First/Envoy, but I am also a DM Gold member. When I asked for them, she seemed like she couldn’t be bothered, and literally rolled her eyes at us, but she did end up affixing them (not that it mattered much, as our bags all stayed in CLT as we continued to Paris. We got them back about 30 hours after arrival). After this, we headed to security, where there was also zero line, so we were through and on our way to the Envoy lounge in about 3 minutes.
At the lounge, we were informed that we were not entitled access during the domestic portion of our flight (which I should have known, though I think it’s still a silly rule) but fortunately, I had a comped lounge pass from my US Air Mastercard, so we sat there until boarding. I learned two interesting things during our stay in the “Envoy” lounge – first, it is no longer exclusively an Envoy lounge. They have changed it to a normal US Airways lounge, so anyone with a membership or day pass can use it, which is very nice, as it is by far the largest lounge in PHL. Second, there used to be an annoying rule because of Pennsylvania’s arcane liquor laws that alcohol cannot be given away, and therefore, even house beer/wine cost $1. According to the bartender, they have now found a way around the law (“a bookkeeping issue” she called it) and now house beer (Bud, Bud Light) and wine are free. Premium beer/wine/spirits are still available for purchase. Our 1.5 hours flew by, and it was time to go to Charlotte.
Empty Terminal A check-in area
No longer just an Envoy lounge
Part 2 – PHL- CLT, US Air 767 First, CLT US Air Lounge
A few weeks prior to our departure, US Air changed our aircraft from an A320, which has the standard domestic first cabin (2-2) to a 767, which has a 2-2-2 configuration and the old Envoy seats. I have previously flown in the 767 Envoy from CDG-CLT, and while it was nice, the seats aren’t lie flat, and not all seats have isle access. However, for a US domestic flight, it was top shelf. Same service, just nicer seats and more legroom. The only slight annoyance was the other side of the plane was offered the snack basket twice before our side got any, though my Glenlivet was delivered as a triple without asking, so that was pretty nice. I just wanted my Kettle Classic Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt chips, because they are oh so good! After the short fight, we were in Charlotte and headed to the lounge.
I have been in a US Air lounge in CLT before, but not the one in Terminal C/D. If you can get there, that’s the lounge to go to. Same food and service as any other lounge, but this one is HUGE. It has a large lobby, two enormous regular seating areas, and a quiet room with about 50 seats. We only had about a half hour before our flight boarded, so I made the most of it, and then we jumped into the fray and boarded our A330 to CDG. TSA was doing random bag checks at the gate, which I’ve never encountered before, but it was no big deal. Time to experience the Envoy Suite.
One of two rooms in the CLT lounge
The quiet room
Part 3 – CLT-CDG, US Air A330 Envoy
My wife and I had seats 1C &F, which have about 4” extra space when the seat is fully reclined. We didn’t need it, but it was nice all the same. The seats lay fully flat, and there are AC and USB ports. I didn’t use the IFE, though a quick browse through the approx 14” screen showed 7 pages of TV shows (though with only one episode of each show) and 9 pages of movies to chose from, plus music and games.
My Seat
Christie enjoying a pre-departure beverage
Amenity kit
Unlike some other airlines, we were not greeted by name upon boarding, which wasn’t an issue, but I thought I’d point it out. Our coats were taken and hung up, our pre-departure sparkling wine (an ok Prosecco) was delivered, and then menus distributed. Orders were taken shortly after, and I waited to see what my wife ordered so we could try different things. She got the filet, so I ordered the crab cakes. The flight was on-time for departure, and soon we were in the air. The warmed nuts snack was delightful with my second scotch of the day (hey, I’m on vacation), hot towels were distributed and collected, and the appetizer of cold shrimp with a sweet Thai chili sauce was set down. Presentation was wonderful, and the shrimp fantastic. The salads with dinner were standard, but it turned out that I made quite the mistake in ordering the crab cakes. While my wife’s filet was delicious (she described it as “better than any steak I’ve had a wedding”), the crab cakes were extremely bready and mushy, and I was only able to eat one of the three. However, the sautéed zucchini side was cooked to perfection. Presentation of both plates was beautiful, and the accompanying warm rosemary rolls were splendid. With dinner, I enjoyed a Domaine Lafage "Coté Est" that was, in my opinion, adequate, though admittedly, I’m not a wine connoisseur. Both of us had the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream dessert. Overall, it was a great meal, though as we’d find out on our flight home, the food in Envoy is really hit-or-miss. Later in the flight, my sleep was interrupted by the FA’s talking loudly, and I had to put in ear plugs to finish my sleep. My fresh fruit and espresso arrival snack was just fine, and upon disembarking, we received the Priority Access customs voucher that all premium cabin passengers get upon arrival to CDG. If only they had those when returning to the States.
A wonderful cold shrimp appetizer
Christie's filet meal
My crabcakes - not the best choice, but amazing zucchini
A nice dessert
CDG Priority customs access pass
One other thing to note is that two weeks prior to the flight, I had called US Air to request a gluten-free meal for my wife, which I was told was available. (If you’re not aware, gluten is a naturally occurring substance in wheat and cereal grains). However, during the flight, it was not acknowledged or brought up. First, I realize we could have asked again, but we shouldn’t have to. Second, the filet meal was inherently gluten-free already, so there were no problems. The odd part, however, was that on our return flight to CLT, and after our meal orders had been placed, a second FA approached my wife and said that she had a gluten-free meal for her, and insinuated that my wife had to take it because “they go to a lot of extra trouble to prepare these meals.” My wife accepted (we had pre-ordered it after all), and it turned out to be a chicken salad meal with vegetables that she said was very bland. Also, US Air and their FA’s seem to be unaware of what constitutes gluten-free; all three meals that she was served were simply salads (snack, meal, arrival snack), when she could have eaten a number of things that were already available in-flight (filet, potatoes, rice, etc). Also, after insisting that she take the special meal, the FA then came around and offered her the bread basket, a big no-no for a gluten-free diet. Then, the topper was that with her third salad of the flight, it was served with a package of – you guessed it – breadsticks! It even said “contains gluten” on the packaging. C’mon guys…
Other quick notes about the return flight to CLT (which I am on as I write this):
-As many know, a FA can make or break the quality of your flight. Well, ours not only broke it, but then drove over the pieces. Kathleen didn’t seem to want to be on the flight at all, and acted very indifferent to us. Service was slow and unfriendly, and less than attentive, even though the Envoy cabin was only half full. She twice tried to take my drinks away when they were only half finished, and once I was finally done with them, let the empties and trash sit there for over two hours (no exaggeration) until I had to ask her to remove them. She also (twice!) leaned in over both my wife and I to shut or open our window shades, which just felt like an invasion of space. She could have simply asked us to lower/open them.
-The “warm nuts” were not warm, and my Glenlivet was only a double. I know – the horror! – but I’m just commenting on what happened.
-My meal (the filet this time) tasted good, but was only lukewarm, and the desert was plain ice cream with sundae toppings, not Ben & Jerry’s.
-We chose the window seats for this flight to try them out. They feel a lot more private than the middle seats. Because of the divider in the middle seats, it’s sort of difficult to converse with a traveling partner anyhow, so being 3A & 4A wasn’t much of a change. Personally, I like the window seats better. Legroom was fine, though I’m only 5’11”, so a taller person may prefer the longer bulkhead seats.
Overall, for the total miles and cash outlay for both of our flights, we received a good value. The Envoy Suite seats themselves are very comfortable and roomy, and the IFE selection is great. Food on the outgoing leg was the best I’ve had on any flight so far. The disappointments really only came with the (quite frankly terrible) service we received in the airport and on our return flight. Had we paid the full $4500/ticket, I would be bothered by it enough to not fly US Airways Envoy in the future, choosing another airline instead.
My return seat - a bit more private than a middle seat