colmc
Jun 24, 06, 7:43 pm
Hi all,
This is just a trip report regarding my recent Air France flight from Dublin to London City Airport (operated by their subsidiary, CityJet). There doesn't seem to be much about them posted before, so I thought it might come in useful for someone in future.
As I was heading to London to do some business which happened to be located on the east of the city, LCY was the most convenient airport for me to fly to from DUB. As such, it gave me a chance to try Air France/CityJet who I've never flown with before.
Outbound: 20/06/06 AF 5118 DUB - LCY
I decided to try checking in online for this flight on the 19th, not knowing whether AF's online check-in facility would work for CityJet flights. However, I figured it was worth an attempt as it would save me a very early morning, and it would spit me out if it wasn't going to work. As it happened, the check in process worked like a dream, allowing me to add my FlyingBlue number and select my seat, 9D. Print your own boarding pass wasn't available from DUB, but as I had bags to drop off, it really didn't concern me. When I did arrive at DUB the next day, there was no queue at check-in/bag-drop and the SkyHandling agent checked my bag in without any fuss.
I asked if the flight was looking busy, and she told me that it was not - good news. I proceeded to clear security and eventually headed to the gate. With only 30 or so fellow passengers waiting around the gate area, I could see it was to be a pretty lightly loaded flight. Boarding commenced on time, and the passengers were all seated quickly. Unfortunately someone had checked in and taken seats 9E and 9F, but a member of the cabin crew invited me to take one of the empty rows - so a lot of space. CityJet operate BAe 146's in a 3 - 3 configuration which does make them pretty tight, seating wise. A 2 - 3 config, like other operators would make a lot more sense.
The safety briefing was given (although the PA system was not operating very well, which made the briefing quite hard to understand), and soon we were taking off. A turbulent ascent soon smoothed out and cabin service began. For Y pax, refreshments were provided in the form of a drinks service (beer, wine, tea, coffee, water or soft-drinks) and a choice of a muffin, biscuits or savoury snacks. Yes, it's not much but it's still a lot more than many other European short-haul operators offer, and it was a nice touch for such a short flight. The faulty PA system coupled with the deafening roar of the BAe146 meant that more unintelligible cabin crew announcements were made. From the bits I gathered, it was mostly to do with the flight speed/location/arrival temperature etc.
Soon we were touching down at LCY and within minutes the luggage was on the baggage belt. From plane to exit in less than 10 minutes - definitely a big advantage of LCY. The verdict so far: good. Small seating and old planes unpleasant, but the cabin crew/handling agents all very good.
Inbound: 22/06/06 AF 5117 LCY - DUB
Time for the return journey. I tried to check-in online, and it seemed to work, but a dodgy hotel PC meant that I was unsure of my exact status until I got to the airport. However, the AF check-in/bag-drop staff member at LCY was great about it, and issued me with my boarding cards and an unexpected refreshment voucher to be used in the airport. I cleared security, and while in the departure lounge, I noticed the baggage receipt tag on the back of my boarding pass had someone else's name on it! I brought this to the attention of the ticket agent, and it seemed to cause some consternation! When at the gate, my luggage was retrieved before loading, brought to me for identification and re-tagged. The ground staff and dispatcher were all very nice about it though, so another plus point for AF. Boarding was again on time, and completed quickly. Economy was much busier this time, and as such you could really feel the pinch in the cramped seating of the BAe146. However the crew were friendly and efficient. As soon as we were up in the air, service began which was identical to the outbound. When we landed in DUB, my baggage was waiting for me on the belt.
All in all a great service from Air France CityJet. Staff all seemed really nice and on the ball, and the service aspect was more than satisfactory. However the noisy, cramped and decidedly elderly BAe146's that make up their fleet need to go, and soon. With a newer, possibly more spacious fleet, they would really get top marks from me.
This is just a trip report regarding my recent Air France flight from Dublin to London City Airport (operated by their subsidiary, CityJet). There doesn't seem to be much about them posted before, so I thought it might come in useful for someone in future.
As I was heading to London to do some business which happened to be located on the east of the city, LCY was the most convenient airport for me to fly to from DUB. As such, it gave me a chance to try Air France/CityJet who I've never flown with before.
Outbound: 20/06/06 AF 5118 DUB - LCY
I decided to try checking in online for this flight on the 19th, not knowing whether AF's online check-in facility would work for CityJet flights. However, I figured it was worth an attempt as it would save me a very early morning, and it would spit me out if it wasn't going to work. As it happened, the check in process worked like a dream, allowing me to add my FlyingBlue number and select my seat, 9D. Print your own boarding pass wasn't available from DUB, but as I had bags to drop off, it really didn't concern me. When I did arrive at DUB the next day, there was no queue at check-in/bag-drop and the SkyHandling agent checked my bag in without any fuss.
I asked if the flight was looking busy, and she told me that it was not - good news. I proceeded to clear security and eventually headed to the gate. With only 30 or so fellow passengers waiting around the gate area, I could see it was to be a pretty lightly loaded flight. Boarding commenced on time, and the passengers were all seated quickly. Unfortunately someone had checked in and taken seats 9E and 9F, but a member of the cabin crew invited me to take one of the empty rows - so a lot of space. CityJet operate BAe 146's in a 3 - 3 configuration which does make them pretty tight, seating wise. A 2 - 3 config, like other operators would make a lot more sense.
The safety briefing was given (although the PA system was not operating very well, which made the briefing quite hard to understand), and soon we were taking off. A turbulent ascent soon smoothed out and cabin service began. For Y pax, refreshments were provided in the form of a drinks service (beer, wine, tea, coffee, water or soft-drinks) and a choice of a muffin, biscuits or savoury snacks. Yes, it's not much but it's still a lot more than many other European short-haul operators offer, and it was a nice touch for such a short flight. The faulty PA system coupled with the deafening roar of the BAe146 meant that more unintelligible cabin crew announcements were made. From the bits I gathered, it was mostly to do with the flight speed/location/arrival temperature etc.
Soon we were touching down at LCY and within minutes the luggage was on the baggage belt. From plane to exit in less than 10 minutes - definitely a big advantage of LCY. The verdict so far: good. Small seating and old planes unpleasant, but the cabin crew/handling agents all very good.
Inbound: 22/06/06 AF 5117 LCY - DUB
Time for the return journey. I tried to check-in online, and it seemed to work, but a dodgy hotel PC meant that I was unsure of my exact status until I got to the airport. However, the AF check-in/bag-drop staff member at LCY was great about it, and issued me with my boarding cards and an unexpected refreshment voucher to be used in the airport. I cleared security, and while in the departure lounge, I noticed the baggage receipt tag on the back of my boarding pass had someone else's name on it! I brought this to the attention of the ticket agent, and it seemed to cause some consternation! When at the gate, my luggage was retrieved before loading, brought to me for identification and re-tagged. The ground staff and dispatcher were all very nice about it though, so another plus point for AF. Boarding was again on time, and completed quickly. Economy was much busier this time, and as such you could really feel the pinch in the cramped seating of the BAe146. However the crew were friendly and efficient. As soon as we were up in the air, service began which was identical to the outbound. When we landed in DUB, my baggage was waiting for me on the belt.
All in all a great service from Air France CityJet. Staff all seemed really nice and on the ball, and the service aspect was more than satisfactory. However the noisy, cramped and decidedly elderly BAe146's that make up their fleet need to go, and soon. With a newer, possibly more spacious fleet, they would really get top marks from me.