Air France Frequence Plus - Bord a bord

Yesterday, I was flying back from NCE to ORY on La Navette. Many flights were delayed, not only AF, apparently because of industrial action from some firemen from the Nice Cote d'Azur airport.

Many of the passengers on the flight were worried about their connections, especially my neighbor who could be delayed by four hours on his way to UIP (Quimper). We arrived at the jetway and there were some AF staff waiting for passengers to UIP to bring them to their connecting plane. Needless to say, he was very glad as we had discussed the procedure together with the purser. I have experienced this nice, personalized and efficient transfer at CDG twice on my way from LHR to SIN, which involves a blazingly fast drive across CDG and overtaking lengthy security queues. What surprised me was that in the jetway at ORY, there were also some AF staff waiting for passengers connecting in CDG ... I hope the passenger who was supposed to take a flight from NCE to CDG and then connecting to ATH made it. Well, I did not make it to CDG on time to meet a friend who was leaving that evening from 2D ...

The procedure is now officially documented on the AF web sites (France and US) for passengers travelling in the premium cabins.

"For passengers of L´Espace Première or L´Espace Affaires:

If you have a very short transfer time (between 30 and 45 minutes) for an Air France long-haul flight, you are welcomed personally upon arrival of your flight and accompanied to the boarding lounge."

The procedure is now officially documented on the AF web sites (France and US) for passengers travelling in the premium cabins.

"For passengers of L´Espace Première or L´Espace Affaires:

If you have a very short transfer time (between 30 and 45 minutes) for an Air France long-haul flight, you are welcomed personally upon arrival of your flight and accompanied to the boarding lounge."

must be a really new procedure... the last flight in Première (in May 2006)ended somewhere in the middle of nowhere, remote parking possition, two busses were waiting for ALL the passengers: though F and C could leave the aircraft at first, but the bus was not leaving for the gate untill the very last spot in the bus was taken by Y class passengers. Which meant 15 minutes bus loading, 15 minutes CDG tour, then terminal change and guess what.... the connection was gone! Nice treatment for C & F passengers that they put them on the same level as Y passengers.

On the way back to the US, again in F, 45 min. connection at CDG, nobody was waiting, not dedicated C or F security line at the other terminal, would have missed my connection if the connecting flight would not have been delayed by a mechanical.

I never had such a bad treatment in F then by AF. Had two more F flights, but this time with Lufthansa. What a difference!!!!!!

AF must do a lot to match the F product of Lufthansa. But perhaps this "greeting service" for passengers with less then 45 minutes connecting is a first step of AF to treat F & C passengers not like Y passengers... they can learn a lot - especially from Lufthansa!!!!!!

must be a really new procedure...

Well, the link to CDG info appeared within the last week on the home page ...

Well, the link to CDG info appeared within the last week on the home page ...

lets hope that other benefits of flying F will be added soon!

What about the "voltigeurs" at CDG? They used to be deployed at the plane, to help streamline tight connections when an incoming flight was delayed.

Isn't it this very service (available originally to all pax) that AF is promoting now as an "enhancement" reserved for premium passengers only?

What about the "voltigeurs" at CDG? They used to be deployed at the plane, to help streamline tight connections when an incoming flight was delayed.

Isn't it this very service (available originally to all pax) that AF is promoting now as an "enhancement" reserved for premium passengers only?

Well, the bord à bord procedure involves the voltigeurs. So it is the same service. The difference is now that it is a published policy for premium passengers. As for Y passengers not being offered the service, the passengers I was mentioning in my original post were flying the single cabin La Navette connecting to a single cabin regional aircraft to UIP. So, IMHO, this service has not become unavailable to Y passengers. It simply remains an unpublished service.