olivedel

This is the main surprise of this TR. Even our friends Nicolas75, Stimpy and JOUY31 did not know about it before this post!
Initially we were supposed to fly back from HKG, but knowing that the new La Première cabin was available from SIN, we decided to change our return flight. We managed to change our intra-Asia flights to fit this new and exciting itinerary. It took quite some work, especially for Goldorak, but things turned pretty well thanks to a nice travel agent located close to the lobby of the Novotel Silom. She found a stunning price for a one-way on CX from BKK to SIN, a price that could be found nowhere on the Internet.
Therefore, here we are, at the CIP Lounge in Changi, same place than in last May, where we held our first revenue La Première Frenzy!













At one point right after our rebooking, we thought that we would be the only guests in the cabin. Unfortunately, that was not the case and we shared the cabin with another woman. The day before, the flight was even P0 but the 4th pax changed his/her plan obviously.

The lounge has not changed much since our last visit. We still took some pictures for the purpose of this TR. The decor is nice but the food offering very poor I must say, not at all on par with expectations in a First class lounge, especially compared to the La Première lounge in Paris. They do not even cater a Champagne, but a low-quality sweet sparkling wine...
We had plenty of time to spare in the lounge before boarding. We also requested to board as early as possible so we could take pictures of the new cabin without being disturbed by any other passenger.



We left the lounge at 2345, a few minutes before boarding time so we could be early per our request.
After another long buggy ride, we proceeded to security by slightly cutting the SkyPriority line and entered the boarding area.

F-GSQH : the only B77W equipped with the new P/J/W/Y BEST seats




Our JetQuay girl escorted us to a seat close to the boarding door. 15 minutes past and right before Priority Boarding, the Flight Manager came to pick us up to board early. Indeed, when we got into the plane, the crew was still finishing the preparation of the cabin. We were warmly welcomed by the Chief Purser and the FA that served La Première passengers on this 14-hour flight to Paris.

The wow-effect was maximal : the colors of the new cabin feel very elegant. The combination between the light blue-creep of the seat cushion, the grey of the headrest and the white of the walls look really great. However, we could imagine that the carpet color is not adapted for planes. The chief purser confirmed that stains are already being spotted in the cabin. However, they try to protect the carpet by avoiding boarding by door 1L all passengers, and reserve the boarding through that door to First Class only.























The remote control with Goldorak’s hand as a size reference


Even with only one row of First class, it did not feel cramped at all. The fact that these are not hard shell suites helps a lot.
The seat was not really a surprise considered the trials made in the various expos, but it felt really great to be able to use all its features. I was seated in 1A while Goldorak was seated in 1L. We had our pre-departure beverage (Champagne, Bollinger La Grande Cuvée) together, with me seating on his ottoman.
While enjoying our glass of Champagne, we had several discussions with the chief purser and FAs about the new products. We could easily feel the excitement they all had to work on this beautiful product.

For the purpose of having a complete TR, here are some pictures of the new BEST J cabin.










Before pushback she distributed the menus, amenity kits and pajamas. Those two were similar to the ones on the inbound.


Here are the distributed menus and wine list:
















It was soon time for pushback. We had a long taxi to the runway and finally took off to Paris.
When we reached our cruising altitude, the captain came on PA to tell us that due to weaker headwinds, the flight would be very significantly shorter and that we would arrive 50 minutes earlier in Paris. He also mentioned that we would experience turbulences 5.5 hours into the flight and during the descent to Paris (which finally did not happen).

Some more views of the cabin












While climbing, I played with the brand new IFE system called Air France touch. I new it from my trip on the new J in June, but it is even more gorgeous on the large screen we got in P.
Especially the flight tracker, which is very advanced and allows you to pretty much do whatever you want. The cockpit view looks stunning and is very realistic.
The only drawback being that the system might not be very easy to use for non digitally engaged people. Also, sometimes, I was struggling to link the actions done on the remote control and what was happening on the screen. If that is not an issue in Y, W or J because you can easily reach the screen and tap into it, that is not the case in F, where you would need to bend a lot to do so.













You can chat with other seats with the IFE. Here we send eachother messages between 1A and 1L seats


The window shades are automatic (a simple button to press). Here is a link to a very short video showing you this :
https://flic.kr/p/pdjqQJ

For the meal service, I moved from 1A to 1F to eat with Goldorak. Soon after, the flight attendant came to take our orders for the appetizers the entrees.
We both chose Champagne again for the pre-meal beverage, and enjoyed it face to face again ! It was really tasty and original, but the cashew-cranberry mix was disappointing.




I then sat on seat 1F. The FA came to set our tables. I was disappointed to see that the new tableware was not yet deployed, but the old one still looks good. She took the time to set the table very elegantly (the gestures were very precise).
I chose to taste the poultry soup before the appetizer. Very tasty, but a little too dense to my taste.


Then came the appetizer, along with a mixed salad. I chose the scallops, while Goldorak chose the terrine.
Scallops were really overcooked. Too bad, because the asparagus coulis was absolutely stunning, with a really strong herbal taste. The white wine I chose was really perfect with it.
The terrine of Goldorak was really good too. The white sweet wine was very adequate, albeit a little too warm to his taste.




Then came the entree. We both choose the beef filet option. It was cooked medium, on the verge of medium-well. Vegetables, however, were cooked up to the perfection. Still a little crispy on the outside and done in the inside.


The Chateauneuf du Pape was completely compatible, but was not warm enough.

At that time, we were almost full. We tasted the cheese plate, not too bad for something catered in Asia, and both chose the sorbet trio as a dessert. Very good quality of ice creams.



After dinner, the FA had prepared our beds, featuring the new Sofitel MyBed pad, comforter and pillow.


I jumped in it, and had a real sensation to be in bed. I then closed the curtains.
Curtains are maintained opened using a holder that closes using powerful magnets. Looks clean. When I closed the curtains, I noticed there are also magnets in the curtains ensuring the complete intimacy and holding tightly closed the curtain. Very smart.
Then, the privacy is maximal. I regret, but I tested several suite types and it just does not give the kind of privacy that this curtains give to you. You really feel like you are in your private plane.



And now, the big question, what about the two people in the middle section? We took pictures. The separator is complete between the two seats (from wall to wall). It creates a full separation of 1-meter height between the two seats. When reclined. There is absolutely no way to see your neighbor. And of course, this separation is commanded so you can choose not to use it when traveling with a partner.







Back to my suite . It was time to sleep, almost 4am SIN time, and 9pm CDG time.
I did not have time to put a movie, I was completely tired and slept straight for 8 hours, like a baby. I did not notice any noise. When I woke up, I watched a movie and as the FA saw some light between the curtains, she opened them a little bit and asked me if I wanted an espresso. She delivered it to my seat promptly with a glass of cold water and lime.

I watched a movie and she asked me if I wanted breakfast. I accepted (for the purpose of this TR, of course ) and she set the table, in the same professional manner than for dinner service. I chose the French Toast.


Without even asking, she was back with an espresso and orange juice, along with a plate of croissants and pains au chocolat. Goldorak took « only » this (no hot meal for him)


The French Toast was really good and tasty, but lacked a little crispy touch. Also, I do not like anymore the cereal yoghurt they still service in J and P. Come on, 15 years without changing that?
I was still full from the day before, so I took some time before eating the fruit salad, and a couple expressos to wash it down.

During our approach, the toilet was constantly being used by our fellow passenger in P, meaning that when it was freed, we had less than 5 minutes to change to our clothes and brush our teeth. We decided to change in our suites by closing the curtains. However, when it was my turn to brush my teeth, the seatbelt sign went on and I and to rush a little bit to finish.



During landing, I used the IFE camera. The definition is way better than the one of the A380, and the sunset was gorgeous!

Due to our late arrival, we were assigned a remote-stand parking. Not an issue for us, we had a limousine van waiting for us, but that is never a pleasant experience after a 12-hour flight for J/W/Y passengers.


To top up the blissful cake of this new P cabin trip, we were limoed to the La Première lounge to wait for our connecting flight to TUN.