US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Paris Arrivals Lounge

In a few weeks I will be headed to Paris for a long weekend, flying in envoy class. The USAirways website mentions the Paris Arrivals Lounge called Salon Bleriot. Has anyone here had a chance to visit this facility recently? Please relate any details or observations.

Merci.

I would not get too excited. Standard beverage/snack stuff. It is not near the gates (pre-security) and it is operated by a third party. It is quiet and away from the crowds.

Are there shower facilities?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by inWDC:
Are there shower facilities?</font>


Whoops... now that I re-read your initial post I see you were asking about arrivals not departure.... I don't remember. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Don't know about shower facilities, but the Arrivals Lounge for CDG is at Salon Bleriot (Before Customs and Immigrations, between Satellites 3 and 4, on Lvel 10)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum51/HTML/001285.html

I was in there last summer. To the best of my recollection, there were shower facilities.

Showers: yes. But not been refurbished since T1 terminal was built. Looks dirty. Bring your own towel as the one they provide is ridiculous and some beach shoes to avoid skin contact with the ground.

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check it out : The Airline First and Business Class Service Reviews web site at
http://www.stormloader.com/havane/sleepersintroduction.html

I'm looking for a more recent review please.

I'd support the reviews of the Salon Bleriot. At least you get some free snacks and drinks and are away from crowds.

Just a few other words of advice, in case you want it: the kindest words I can say about the people running CDG, even at the US Airways check-in counter, are that the people are slow, disorganized and incompetent, and there are lots of lines at security and elsewhere (or at least by French standards, they are lines-- mobs of people pushing each other). Allow lots of time to get from Paris to the airport, and don't expect that your airport experience will be nearly as quick and effortless as it would be in the US or Great Britain. I left my hotel (the Marriott on the Champs-Elysees) 4 hours before my flight and barely made it last time since the railway workers suddenly went on strike during the middle of my train trip and since CDG was such a zoo. Also, I have been held up at knifepoint on the RER train from Paris to CDG. I wouldn't take the RER again.

Then again, perhaps my most recent experience was just atypical; surely French people don't deal with that kind of mess on a daily basis.

Then again, I was flying Envoy class, and so I guess my airport experience would have been worse in I were in coach.

I'd support the reviews of the Salon Bleriot. At least you get some free snacks and drinks and are away from crowds.

Just a few other words of advice, in case you want it: the kindest words I can say about the people running CDG, even at the US Airways check-in counter, are that the people are slow, disorganized and incompetent, and there are lots of lines at security and elsewhere (or at least by French standards, they are lines-- mobs of people pushing each other). Allow lots of time to get from Paris to the airport, and don't expect that your airport experience will be nearly as quick and effortless as it would be in the US or Great Britain. I left my hotel (the Marriott on the Champs-Elysees) 4 hours before my flight and barely made it last time since the railway workers suddenly went on strike during the middle of my train trip and since CDG was such a zoo. Also, I have been held up at knifepoint on the RER train from Paris to CDG. I wouldn't take the RER again.

Then again, perhaps my most recent experience was just atypical; surely French people don't deal with that kind of mess on a daily basis.

Then again, I was flying Envoy class, and so I guess my airport experience would have been worse in I were in coach.




CDG is a mess. Complete disorganization...or more accurately official disorganization. For example, upgrades require three different people to approve them which requires a visit to two different desks with their attendant lines. Allow at least 2 hours from when you step in the front door.

The labor situation is pretty comical there. Once, while waiting in the sleazy departures lounge, I heard three different strikes announced. "Ze ramp agentes will begin a twanty minute social action at 2 pm".

I do everything I can to avoid CGD.

I do everything I can to avoid CDG.


Even fly Alitalia? :p

;)

Don't know about shower facilities, but the Arrivals Lounge for CDG is at Salon Bleriot (Before Customs and Immigrations, between Satellites 3 and 4, on Lvel 10)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum51/HTML/001285.html

While It's been two years since I last flew into CDG unless some massive remodeling effort has been completed, the contracted arrivals facility US offers its Envoy pax at CDG I'd have to offer my advice - - don't waste your time.

It is true they offer a good selection of light snacks and beverages the facilities necessary to refresh yourself from the overnight flight are not worth it. The most important thing to me is to shower, shave, and change clothes. They offer you a paper towelette and there is no place to secure your valuables while you are taking care of business. So you are forced to take your luggage into the shower room, try not to get it wet and change there in order to have some amount of privacy. The paper towelette is worthless so you end up dressing while your still damp. Never again will I do this.

I can tell you the contracted lounge US offered at FRA (prior to the UA and Star Alliance arrnagements) was quite nice. It was th Cathay Pacific lounge and offered nice shower facilities.

I wish US flew our of Term 2 at CDG. It is much nicer and probably offers better Arrivals Rooms.

Enjoy Paris. I love it.

So the arrivals lounge is out. I tried this in another post but got no response.

Are there any Star Alliance lounges that one could use instead of the arrivals lounge to shower and freshen up?

As I recall, it is the same lounge for all of the Star Alliance airlines and I agree with the others- it is a dump. I can tell you that when I was in CDG in February I was horrified at the whole place. I am completly French / English bilingual and I still had one hell of a time getting the hotel shuttle. It looks like a third world airport. Go check into your hotel and take a shower there.
BTW, Envoy class from CLT to FRA this week was no better than it was in January PHL-CDG, I guess they aren't too concerned about the international traveler.

I will add my agreement that the lounge is nothing more than a quiet place to spend time between connections. I certainly wouldn't go there for any other reason.

As for CDG, here's my recent nightmare:

I arrived from PRG a full two hours before my connecting US flight. I did not make it. The transfer of terminals took that long.
In a desperate attempt to make the flight, I skipped the desk and went right to the gate. I almost made it on. However, since I was upgrading, they couldn't give me a seat. I told them I'd take coach, but to no avail.

The best the US people (not employees, and it was obvious) would do was let me use the phone to call the states and book a hotel and let my client know why I would not be there for rehearsal.

I like the French. But I hate CDG. It embodies all that is bad about the country.

Thanks, US1@ORF. I was getting ready to type something pretty much like what you wrote. I was there last year and Salon Bleary-Eye was a fairly grim sort of welcome for any Envoy passenger who didn't know enough to give it a miss.


It is true they offer a good selection of light snacks and beverages the facilities necessary to refresh yourself from the overnight flight are not worth it. The most important thing to me is to shower, shave, and change clothes. They offer you a paper towelette and there is no place to secure your valuables while you are taking care of business. So you are forced to take your luggage into the shower room, try not to get it wet and change there in order to have some amount of privacy. The paper towelette is worthless so you end up dressing while your still damp. Never again will I do this.

Thanks, US1@ORF. I was getting ready to type something pretty much like what you wrote. I was there last year and Salon Bleary-Eye was a fairly grim sort of welcome for any Envoy passenger who didn't know enough to give it a miss.

I was there in March. US1@ORF summed it up. There are showers, but you get a paper towel which doesn't help too much. It is still useful if you have a connecting flight and a longish layover.

Sandeep