Considering my popular 2006 CDG-SIN-CDG L'Espace Première / L'espace Affaires trip report (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=516187), I have decided to do it again with this time an Air France CDG-NRT-CDG trip in l'Espace Première (intercontinental first class). I did a few pictures that I will post throughout the story.
Part 1: AF276 (CDG-NRT)
New dedicated l'Espace Première check-in services at CDG (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7694287&postcount=2)
New l'Espace Première lounge at CDG (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7695104&postcount=4)
New boarding procedure for l'Espace Première passengers at CDG. Limo transfer to the aircraft (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7702271&postcount=6)
Boarding. B772 l'Espace Première cabin (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7702363&postcount=7)
Lunchtime (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7707222&postcount=13)
Turndown service and night (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7774018&postcount=18)
Breakfast and arrival (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7774133&postcount=19)
Part 2: AF277 (NRT-CDG)
Check-in and AF lounge at NRT T1 North Wing (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7907946&postcount=25)
Boarding and B773 l'Espace Première cabin (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7908064&postcount=26)
Dinner (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7908217&postcount=27)
Originally I was curious enough to inquire about where Air France was standing with their premium product, which has evolved notably for one year. Air France is completing the long refurbishment process of their business class and intercontinental first class products (the 'New Travel Concept') throughout the 777 fleet. This process has been thoroughly discussed here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357571).
AF's 777-300 ERs already had the new seats last year when I flew to SIN but it's the 777-200s that have faced the most drastic changes with the introduction of 4 NTC (New Travel Concept) first class seats instead of the 12-seat old configuration. Moreover, Air France has just launched new 'exclusive' services for their l'Espace Première passengers departing from CDG. These are precisely the services I wanted to try out on a day flight to Japan.
Air France has a pretty decent offer of flights to Japan from CDG: Tokyo Narita (20 weekly flights + 3 weekly flights operated by JAL), Osaka Kansai (1 daily flight) and Nagoya (1 daily flight operated by JAL). I selected AF276.
Air France AF276
From: Paris Charles De Gaulle FR (CDG) Terminal 2F
Departure Time: 1:15 pm
To: Tokyo Narita JP (NRT) Terminal 1
Arrival Time: 7:55 am
Duration: 11h40m
Meal: Lunch - Breakfast
Aircraft Type: Boeing 772
Seat: 1L
One of the main changes at CDG is the dedicated check-in lounge for l'Espace Première passengers. It is located at Terminal 2E and open to all l'Espace Première passengers departing from CDG, whichever terminal they will actually depart from. Setting up such a centralized reception implies a proactive information process to all actual and potential first class passengers. Having already traveled in l'Espace Première, I had received a small information package about this change.
Document: Information letter about new l'Espace Première ground services (pdf, in French) (http://www.afklm-newsaffaires.fr/pdf/Lettre-Bristol-espace-premiere.pdf)
However first class check-in is still available at the other terminals as I noticed in 2F before heading for 2E. I suppose that passengers ticketed in l'Espace Première showing up early for check-in at 2F or 2C would be redirected to 2E so that they could benefit from the services I will describe later.
The l'Espace Première check-in area is clearly marked from outside with 2 red l'Espace Première totem poles located door 2.03. There is a bellboy waiting for passengers with a hotel-style luggage cart.
Picture: L'Espace Première check-in lounge at CDG 2E (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/12/009/7C/17/1B/B4/SjDY6EtJ6v2BzuLgsGsOfHWRc9q34dwD0300.jpg)
As soon as I entered the check in lounge I was immediately greeted by a charming Air France check-in agent. We were only 2 passengers checking in at that moment and the process was seamless: confirmation of my preassigned seat, checking of my luggage, labeling with priority luggage tag and new red luggage tag for first class luggage, wrapping of checked luggage in a plastic foil. She then called the first class lounge: "Mr. Falco Peregrinus has arrived, I am guiding him through security and we will be in the lounge within 10 minutes". Everything went very quickly then. I handed over my BP and my passport to my accompanying agent and we proceeded to the lounge via a magical itinerary involving backdoors, swiping cards and secret codes.
Surprise: No more immigration check by the Police de l'Air et des Frontières. They normally occur before the security check but from my conversation with my accompanying agent I understood Air France has negotiated with the French air and borders police that immigration check could be carried out after security and not before. I will go back over this topic a bit later.
Having your own security line (with a red carpet!) on a busy Saturday morning at 2E is really a nice touch. Remember CDG2E accommodates all AF, DL and NW flights bound for the USA and the 10 am – 1 pm slot must be the busiest slot of the day for the security staff who have to inspect about 1,000 passengers per hour (AF6, DL119, AF50, AF366, AF24, AF28, DL43, DL21, AF72, AF84, NW4, AF18, AF90…). A few steps further and I was pushing the red glass door of the l'Espace Première lounge.
view
May 6, 07, 9:29 am
Nice start, looking forward to your complete review of this trip, epecially the new CDG services you mentioned ^
Falco Peregrinus
May 6, 07, 9:43 am
The lounge supervisor greeted me in a way that was both very professional and warm and started to explain to me how the time would elapse until boarding. Drinks and snacks were offered and I had to hand over my boarding pass and passport again while the French police would carry out the immigration check outside the lounge.
The lounge is pleasing to the eye but almost… tiny. Officially, it will seat about 30 people, 20 would certainly be more reasonable. I have read somewhere that on average no more than 100 l'Espace Première passengers depart or transit from CDG from 8 am to 11 pm each day. So the lounge capacity seems in line with the P traffic. Anyway those finding it quite claustrophobic may proceed downstairs to the large l'Espace Affaires / SkyTeam Elite Plus lounge, probably AF's nicest business class lounge (quite busy at 11 am). At no time we were more than 10 in the Première lounge anyhow. As the 2 lounges communicate with one another, a security agent seating at the exit of the Première mezzanine lounge is in charge of repulsing fare-dodgers (did I hear O fares?) from downstairs… ;)
A decent cold buffet, certainly not comparable to what we had at the TLS Do (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=569978&page=42) but still better than La Mère Poulard (http://www.mere-poulard.fr/) biscuits from the 2C and 2F lounges. I opted for the following selection:
Mousse de Saint Jacques en tartare et son corail
Marbré de chèvre à la tomate confite
Tartare de saumon à la crème de fenouil et à la moutarde ancienne
Wine selection:
Champagne Duval Leroy (http://www.duval-leroy.com/), Cuvée des Roys, millésime 1995 ^
White Burgundy: Saint Véran 2003 Joseph Drouhin (http://www.drouhin.com/fr/produits/accueil_lesvins.php)
Red Burgundy: Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos du Paradis, 2003, Michel Picard (http://www.michelpicard.com/pages/index.php) ^ ^
Red Bordeaux: Saint Estèphe Prieur de Meney, domaine Cordier (http://www.cordier-wines.com/CORDIER_MESTREZAT.html)
White Alsace: Riesling Furstentum, domaine Paul Blanck (http://www.blanck.com/index_en.php?mod=shop&pID=207&set_lng=en) ^ ^ ^ ^
Picture: selection from the cold buffet and glass of Cuvée des Roys (http://shutter04.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/00A/57/D7/62/05/Iv1y4cAEUfIOll5xsEu64pRK-bz6oIyD0300.jpg)
They also serve some Max Havelaar fairtrade coffee and teas from Le Palais des Thés (http://www.palaisdesthes.com/eng/index.cgi). A classic selection of newspapers and magazines in English, Spanish, German and French but nothing in Chinese, Korean or Japanese although Air France does operate first class to these destinations.
The overall atmosphere in the lounge is somewhat different from the one in the large Affaires lounges, the main reason being that the Première lounge looks a bit like a busy command center where they supervise the position of passengers and limos in the airport, landside and airside. A large screen displays departure times, a bit useless here since it lists only 2E flights and since each passenger is personally followed by one of the lounge attendants. By the way, at 12:30 I was informed that my flight was delayed by 20 min and I would have to stay in the lounge until 1 pm. A good reason for tasting:
Crumble de citron en gelée de cassis
Macaron chocolat amandes
with a (small) glass of Mercurey and another one of Furstentum.
A policeman dressed in plain clothes entered the lounge and came up to speak to me. I feared a breath test and was ready to argue I was not AF276's captain nor would I drive the limo... :o "Are you Mr. Falco Peregrinus?" he said. "Here is your passport and your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight."
It was 1 pm exactly (35 min. before the new time of departure) when one of the lounge attendant came up to me and informed me it was time to walk to the airside car park from where we would drive to the aircraft.
Ginger K
May 7, 07, 11:28 am
Great trip report, FP! Love your level of detail. ^ ^ ^
Falco Peregrinus
May 7, 07, 3:43 pm
Again things went off very smoothly. A 5-min walk through a series of backdoors, corridors and lifts and we ended up on a small outdoor car park outside 2E. My chauffeur opened the doors of a new, small BMW limo with a Munich registration number and helped me to load my hand luggage into the rear trunk. Don't ask me which BMW version it was, I'm better at identifying aircrafts than limos. All I can say is that it was a small limo. A kind of B767 limo, not a B773 one. ;)
I wish the car hadn't stayed parked under the sun all morning long… it was awfully hot inside, probably not far from 40°C! Only a 5-minute drive to 2F anyway, much shorter than the traditional noria of CDG transfer buses: 2E, 2C, 2A, 2B, 2F. There we drove straight from 2E to 2F.
It's an exciting feeling to approach so close to a B777's landing gear, knowing everybody is already on board waiting for you so that the aircraft can finally push back… :cool: It's not like climbing stairs outside with dozens of other passengers. Actually I didn't know how they would make me board. I thought we would have to use the small stairs tied up to the end of the mobile segment of the jetway: it must be considered too dangerous so we climbed a spiral staircase inside the concrete pillar supporting the jetway structure. Not really passenger friendly if you ask me but well, it's the result that matters. A few steps further and I boarded AF276 at 1:10 pm with warm thanks to my accompanying agent.
Falco Peregrinus
May 7, 07, 4:01 pm
The Chef de Cabine l'Espace Première (l'Espace Première lady Chief Purser) welcomed me in a very professional way. As expected (and checked in advance on www.checkmytrip.com) seat 1A was already occupied by a Japanese traveler and I made my way towards 1L. I had read in AF's literature that I should be "introduced to the crew" and I had already imagined a sort of review of the troops with a dozen of crew members passing by my seat one after another. Thank goodness nothing too formal, just the Chief Purser of the flight and the captain who introduced himself and explained the route we would be following that day (almost 11 hours of flying, more northern than usual due to severe turbulences over Siberia.) He even mentioned we would have a very short night of 1 or 2 hours only! I was not seated on the right side though and I would miss the strange path of the sun setting down under the horizon and rising again just afterwards. Unless I would accept to be reseated in l'Espace Affaires (business class), of course… :o
1:20 pm, time to relax and enjoy a preflight flute of Champagne Billecart-Salmon (http://www.champagne-billecart.fr/) Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, 1998, exclusively produced of Chardonnay grapes. The rear jetway was removed at 1:20 pm, the front door closed at 1:27 pm and we pushed back at 1:32 pm.
Picture: AF B772 l'Espace Première (First Class) cabin, seating only 4 (http://shutter04.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/006/7F/9D/B3/77/wxW+VqjTdXvL0Bumf8gZtpjzvmDxJ2Lt0300.jpg)
The pictures shows seat 1E and 1F, taken from 1L while 1A is taking a nap in the background. :o
violist
May 7, 07, 8:29 pm
Merci beaucoup, M. Falco!
francophile
May 7, 07, 11:53 pm
M. Peregrinus
Vous avez ecrit une rédaction superbe! Encore, encore!
Serpentos
May 8, 07, 6:07 am
A trip report in Falco' s style : Detailed, humoristic, classy and build like famous TV shows : can't wait for the next episode !
Nice work Falco, this reflects so far exactly what I felt (same route, same class, same schedule...a few days earlier).
After several up and down over the last years I'm in love with AF now...again...
More Champagne Sir?
May 8, 07, 7:13 am
Excellent trip report so far! Thanks Falco! ^^
bigguyinpasadena
May 8, 07, 8:53 am
Thanks so much for the report and photos!I want to go!Wish I could cash in some WP miles for first on AF :(
Falco Peregrinus
May 8, 07, 12:04 pm
We took off at 1:45 pm from RWY 27L/Y13. Because of the vibrations during take off, the tables of seats 1E and 1F started coming out of their storage compartments and eventually stood to attention before the whole cabin, the FAs in their jumpseats and the first rows of the l'Espace Affaires cabin. These are large and heavy wooden tables and you can't help noticing them when they are in the upright position. There were also two noisy and stressful "slams" when the wooden covers of the tables' storage compartments completely opened and released the tables. It must happen all the time; I noticed that on the 773 too although the tables didn't fully escape from their compartments. Not a security issue of course, but a bit embarrassing for the crew who must have dealt with that dozens of times… :o
Curtains were closed and menus handed over. :p
Menu by Guy Martin (http://www.lesrestos.com/images/1_468065202.jpg), Chef at the Grand Véfour (http://www.grand-vefour.com/fr/diaporama.htm), Paris, 3 stars in the Michelin Red Guide
Déjeuner à la carte
Lunch à la carte
~~~~~~~~~
Mise en bouche
Appetizer
Raviole de radis blanc, roquette et ricotta, gâteau de carotte au gingembre et à la cannelle
White radish ravioli with argula and ricotta cheese, carrot cake flavored with ginger and cinnamon
Gaufrettes Fauchon au sel de Guérande
Fauchon mini waffles with Guérande salt
Otsumami (おつまみ)
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de hors d'œuvre
Choice of hors d'oeuvre
Foie gras de canard aux zestes de citron vert
Duck foie gras with lime zest
Coquilles Saint-Jacques légèrement panées au ras-el-hanout, concombre aux tomates séchées
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices accompanied by cucumber with oven-dried tomatoes
Fenouils crus, d'autres cuits en salade
Salad of cooked and raw fennel
~~~~~~~~~
Salade fraîcheur
Fresh seasonal salad
Vinaigrette au vinaigre balsamique "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" French dressing with balsamic vinegar
Huile d'olive au citron "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" lemon olive oil
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf servi avec un jus au thé Earl Grey conjugué aux notes acides sucrées des radis blancs caramélisés et accompagné de haricots plats
A filet of beef with Earl Grey jus, paired with the sweet and sour notes of the caramelized white radish, offering an interesting contrast in flavors and accompanied by snow peas
Délicat filet de bar au coulis de petits pois aux truffes en harmonie avec les saveurs anisées des artichauts au fenugrec
A delicate fillet of sea bass with a coulis of peas and truffles, harmonizing with the anise flavors of the artichokes with fenugrec
Déclinaison autour de l'aubergine mise en valeur de cinq façons
Eggplant reinvented in five different ways
Plat du jour : Filet de poulet fermier au jus d'ananas et à la moutarde, épinards et tomate grappe
Plat du jour: Fillet of free range chicken with mustard pineapple sauce, spinach and vine tomatoes
~~~~~~~~~
La sélection du maître fromager (présentée et découpée sur le chariot)
Our special selection of cheese
Camembert, Roquefort, Pérail, Langres, Beaufort
~~~~~~~~~
La corbeille du boulanger
Fresh bakery selection
~~~~~~~~~
Le chariot des desserts
Dessert cart
Petits fours frais
Miniature pastries
Mousseline aux amandes, spéculos et orange à la coriandre
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Ananas caramélisé au miel
Honey caramelized pineapple
Dacquoise noisette
Hazelnut dacquoise
Mousseline à la poire, au café et à la cardamome
Pear and coffee cardamom mousseline
Sorbet et petits fours secs, assortiment de fruits frais
Sherbet served with cookies, assortment of fresh fruit
~~~~~~~~~
Carte des vins par Olivier Poussier
Wine list by Olivier Poussier
Champagne
Billecart-Salmon brut blanc de blancs grand cru 1998
Bordeaux blanc liquoreux
White Bordeaux liqueur
Barsac Château Climens 1994 1er cru Lurton
Bourgogne blanc
White Burgundy
Chablis 1er cru Les Vaillons 2004 William Fèvre
Bourgogne rouge
Red Burgundy
Maranges 1er cru Les Clos Roussots Château de Mercey 2004 Antonin Rodet
Bordeaux rouge
Red Bordeaux
Margaux Château Lascombes 2002, 2ème grand cru classé
~~~~~~~~~
Apéritifs
Blended Scotch Whisky – 12 ans (12 years old)
Pure Malt Whisky – 15 ans (15 years old)
Bourbon – 8 ans (8 years old)
Apéritif anisé, Licorice-flavored apéritif, Gin, Vodka, Vermouth
Port
Porto Late Bottled Vintage 1998
Digestifs
Brandy & Liqueurs
Eau-de-vie de fruit (Fruit Brandy)
Bas-Armagnac 1993
Cognac XO
Calvados hors d'âge
Liqueur de Whisky (Whisky Liqueur)
Boissons diverses et eaux minérales
Soft drinks, beer, mineral water (Evian, Badoit, Perrier)
~~~~~~~~~
Pictures:
Appetizer, Fauchon waffles, otsumami (http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/10/002/5A/BF/2B/F0/GDMc6ex+T-jNRUOme0dF4eDlpiNarG2y0300.jpg)
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices, Chablis 1er Cru (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/12/001/5A/BF/2B/F0/bg43iirIyw3EAfq6Ui-gOOquoCEGfm5J0300.jpg)
L'Espace Première chief purser preparing the scallops in the galley (http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/005/7C/F3/E1/6D/F8RXk3v0JlDmthp+mOShT7akPyars4n20300.jpg) ;)
Fillet of beef, Earl Grey jus, caramelized white radish, snow peas, Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé (http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/12/004/6B/FD/4B/0A/fOHodLFxIH5bFs9T2WW7hTOr7ajSjcZw0300.jpg)
Camembert, Langres, Roquefort, Margaux (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/006/6B/FD/4B/0A/8xaplakzFSaqF4yIpSZcbKBEszerP6wk0300.jpg) (again :p )
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton (http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/001/69/FE/E4/8D/X0M3nEZ6noLLxKzcG1pYIL9DJweHQfPO0300.jpg)
Linguistic comment: I realized with amusement that the somewhat pretentious turn of phrase "Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf" had been translated in a much less sophisticated English by "A fillet of beef". Guy Martin surely knows that the French word relief not only means something remarkable but in a gastronomical context inevitably recalls its cousin reliefs, which means left-overs in English. :D Un beau relief, en effet, Monsieur Martin !
On a more serious note, I chose the scallops in this original preparation ideally deserving its role of hors d'oeuvre. Could not match the perfect freshness of Tsukuji market's scallops but still very nice. Foie gras is a classic of its kind but I had mixed feelings of the one served in Première between JFK and CDG last year. I took less risks with the main course: a tender fillet of beef, slightly (inevitably?) overcooked, whose Earl Grey jus was not strong enough to match the rich taste of the meat. I gobbled up the caramelized radishes in next to no time, absolutely delicious…
A great pleasure too to see the cheese cut on a wicker basket, with perfectly matured Camembert and Langres.
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
Serpentos
May 8, 07, 4:12 pm
Mousseline aux amandes, spéculos et orange à la coriandre
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton (http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/001/69/FE/E4/8D/X0M3nEZ6noLLxKzcG1pYIL9DJweHQfPO0300.jpg)
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
You got them both ?? I chose the almond cake as well which literally put me down on my knees...delicious ! HOw did you get the chocolate mousse as well ???:eek:
Flyingfox
May 8, 07, 9:40 pm
The meal presentation just does not seem very good - why can't AF make it LOOK nicer, dress it up a bit? It looks lonely. Quite shameful coming from a country with such lovely cuisine. At least it tastes good, right?:confused:
david4455
May 10, 07, 8:13 pm
The meal presentation just does not seem very good - why can't AF make it LOOK nicer, dress it up a bit? It looks lonely. Quite shameful coming from a country with such lovely cuisine. At least it tastes good, right?:confused:
I kind of thought the same thing.. it actually looks like airplane food.
Moomba
May 11, 07, 3:13 am
Excellent and humorous report. ^
Are you going to keep us waiting for weeks for the remaining portions, like you did last time? ;)
Falco Peregrinus
May 21, 07, 4:44 pm
Lunch service came to an end at 3:30 pm with a refreshing verbena rooibos tisane accompanied by Michel Cluizel (http://uk.cluizel.com/) Lilliputian chocolates:
Ganache chocolat noir pur cacao "1er Cru Concepcion" du Venezuela
Bitter ganache "1er Cru Concepcion" cocoa from Venezuela
Praliné feuilleté amandes et noisettes
Almond and hazelnut crunchy praliné
Praliné amandes et noisettes broyées en gros grains
Almond and hazelnut praline ground into large grains
Ganache chocolat noir à la pulpe de framboise
Bitter ganache with raspberry pulp
While the FA was turning 1F into a bed for me (mattress, duvet, feather pillow, red pure wool blanket… I wish all airlines could have that kind of turndown service!) I was struggling to find something interesting to watch on the IFE. Although l'Espace Première has larger individual screens than in Affaires (business class) and in Tempo (economy), the entertainment programme is the same and was particularly poor in April. AF claim they have actually increased the selection of movies (12) but the selection is now the same from and into CDG, with a few movies already showed the month before (like La Môme, Casino Royale, Rocky Balboa…). Again, the movie selection of June will include 6 movies of May! The quality of the screen left a lot to be desired too with interference, an overall lack of brightness and a rather inefficient touch-sensitive control.
4 pm is a bit early to go to bed, but breakfast was about to be served 7 hours later and I had to sleep. I knew it's OK to sleep in Tokyo's trains but I had much more interesting things to do than sleeping under the cherry blossom at Ueno…
I wish I could have slept more than 4 or 5 hours (should I have drunk Champagne instead of Perrier?) and I admit I was expecting less traffic in the cabin, especially around 7 – 8 pm, when I could here a FA walking around every 10 minutes… Anyway I woke up 1h45 before landing as we were flying over Khabarovsk, ready for a hearty breakfast.
Pictures:
Michel Cluizel chocolates (http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/12/004/75/C3/BA/85/8jYYjqYcWNtmBBP1mXvh8niW6ScG5ltY0300.jpg)
Somewhere over the Northern coast of Poland (?) (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/024/75/C3/BA/85/OaIorHK1BVx5raebLz0YGGyq3PhdO2HL0300.jpg)
Seat 1E in bed position, with mattress, duvet and pure wool blanket (http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/008/7F/1D/71/4B/dpD0WgO2POohTgsIbVEe1byG3lr-Omn60300.jpg)
Verbena roiboos, Le Palais des Thés (http://shutter07.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/004/7B/EB/30/7C/LKt9tQaMIyAziXsEOsdXN9nN6nSbqJZN0300.jpg)
Verbena roiboos, picture #2 (http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/004/0F/FD/4E/84/1xyY4G1k3g7dP57-E6pDMfpQIVcBrf2e0300.jpg)
Lacroix pajamas and amenity kit (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/026/7F/BB/5C/9E/EgCOs7LX5emau8PsEM7+tL3oQXLNsZAY0300.jpg)
Lacroix pajamas, close-up (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/025/78/E3/CC/9E/gW-BxV0s-BevF8Zc8jgk3x3cS1Mksd1S0300.jpg)
Falco Peregrinus
May 21, 07, 4:59 pm
Petit Déjeuner
Breakfast
~~~~~~~~~~
Salade de pastèque et d'orange
Orange and watermelon salad
Yaourt aux céréales
Cereal Yogurt
Beurre, confiture et miel
Butter, preserves and honey
~~~~~~~~~~
Assortiment de viennoiseries
Fresh bakery selection
Pains aux raisins et croissants
~~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Œufs brouillés, magrets de canard poêlés, sauce caramel au poivre du Sichuan
Scrambled eggs accompanied by pan-seared breast of duck with caramelized Szechuan pepper sauce
Pain perdu, confiture de pastèque et figue rôtie
French toast accompanied by roasted fig and watermelon preserves
~~~~~~~~~~
Breakfast was tasty but I was a bit disappointed by the somewhat overcooked scrambled eggs, looking more like an omelet than real, creamy scrambled eggs. It's too difficult to make good scrambled eggs in an aircraft, why don't they just offer omelet instead? And serving breakfast on a tray is not that classy, especially 1h30 before landing when there is no need to rush breakfast service for just 2 passengers. Fortunately, the Illy espresso made up for an otherwise plain J breakfast.
Landing was uneventful and on time, except for an endless taxiing period that made me think we had landed on the Polderbaan (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555054&highlight=polderbaan)and that gave Tokyo a little flavour of Amstersdam.
Pictures:
Scrambled eggs accompanied by pan-seared breast of duck with caramelized Szechuan pepper sauce (http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/05/003/23/91/38/67/raByXWsJ5ghXe0T97+Qri4g0XznIGyys0300.jpg)
Illy espresso (http://shutter06.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/002/5B/FA/69/32/cWJfbuWoR04J7svv3hNz5ZmTyfuAXtZf0300.jpg)
A flavour of Amsterdam (Geen fietsen plaatsen AUB!)... (http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/03/005/47/CB/D0/F0/PA3CGGhIlZpZBRAtxX72-Oh9VlAZN3AH0300.jpg)
Falco Peregrinus
May 21, 07, 5:06 pm
Are you going to keep us waiting for weeks for the remaining portions, like you did last time? ;)Yes.
:p
BenjaminNYC
May 24, 07, 1:43 pm
Petit Déjeuner
Breakfast
~~~~~~~~~~
Salade de pastèque et d'orange
Orange and watermelon salad
Yaourt aux céréales
Cereal Yogurt
Beurre, confiture et miel
Butter, preserves and honey
~~~~~~~~~~
Assortiment de viennoiseries
Fresh bakery selection
Pains aux raisins et croissants
~~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Œufs brouillés, magrets de canard poêlés, sauce caramel au poivre du Sichuan
Scrambled eggs accompanied by pan-seared breast of duck with caramelized Szechuan pepper sauce
Pain perdu, confiture de pastèque et figue rôtie
French toast accompanied by roasted fig and watermelon preserves
~~~~~~~~~~
Breakfast was tasty but I was a bit disappointed by the somewhat overcooked scrambled eggs, looking more like an omelet than real, creamy scrambled eggs. It's too difficult to make good scrambled eggs in an aircraft, why don't they just offer omelet instead? And serving breakfast on a tray is not that classy, especially 1h30 before landing when there is no need to rush breakfast service for just 2 passengers. Fortunately, the Illy espresso made up for an otherwise plain J breakfast.
Landing was uneventful and on time, except for an endless taxiing period that made me think we had landed on the Polderbaan (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555054&highlight=polderbaan)and that gave Tokyo a little flavour of Amstersdam.
Pictures:
Scrambled eggs accompanied by pan-seared breast of duck with caramelized Szechuan pepper sauce (http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/05/003/23/91/38/67/raByXWsJ5ghXe0T97+Qri4g0XznIGyys0300.jpg)
Illy espresso (http://shutter06.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/002/5B/FA/69/32/cWJfbuWoR04J7svv3hNz5ZmTyfuAXtZf0300.jpg)
A flavour of Amsterdam (Geen fietsen plaatsen AUB!)... (http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/03/005/47/CB/D0/F0/PA3CGGhIlZpZBRAtxX72-Oh9VlAZN3AH0300.jpg)
Fantastic report!
I will echo what others have said; presentation is not so impressive.
cptango
May 24, 07, 1:45 pm
Great report thank you for writing it. The food seems better than what i get to eat at home unisual for an airplane.
madhatter
May 24, 07, 9:53 pm
Great trip report! ^
andre1970
May 25, 07, 8:36 pm
La sélection du maître fromager (présentée et découpée sur le chariot)
First Class! ^
The meal presentation just does not seem very good
Agree!
While the FA was turning 1F into a bed for me (mattress, duvet, feather pillow, red pure wool blanket… I wish all airlines could have that kind of turndown service!)
Swiss gets pretty close. (No pajamas though!)
Sooo, that was it Falco Peregrinus? :p
Beautiful report!^
Falco Peregrinus
Jun 15, 07, 11:57 am
Enough procrastination.
AF 277, NRT-CDG
Departure: 9:55 pm
Arrival: 4:15 am +1
Distance: 6040 mi.
Duration: 13:20
Air France is the only airline to operate a night flight from NRT to Europe: with the same departure time and a slightly shorter duration, a BA flight would land into London at about 2:30 am… This flight virtually enables all connections to European cities, with the inconvenient that it arrives very early (4:15 am!).
Terminal 1 has a very nice outdoor observation deck, really worth a 15 min visit if you're not lured into the food court for a last minute ramen. The late opening hours of the post office enabled me to test my basic skills in moderately polite Japanese: 切手をください。(Kitte o kudasai!).
At 8 pm the check-in area was certainly much less crowded than in the morning when dozens of people queue for the X-Ray pre checks. AF share the North Wing of Terminal 1 with chiefly SkyTeam members (i.e. few airlines :o ) and the notable exception of BA. Check-in was seamless. The First Class check in counter was staffed even if turned out that we were only 2 passengers in l'Espace Première that evening. There is not much to say about security and immigration: again, Terminal 1 North Wing went very quiet after the departure of NW10 and NW22.
AF operate their own lounge at NRT. It is not particularly worth the detour: it can hardly welcome 40 P, J and ST Elite Plus passengers. 4 armchairs in the corner were marked with a reservation sign ("l'Espace Première passengers only"). Seemed like an old trick to make J passengers think that 4 passengers were actually flying in P that night. ;) Anyway nobody dared remove the plastic notices from the armchairs so they remained empty. Disappointing experience for such a prestige route, to say the least, especially when you realize that some Air France lounges in Europe are more attractive (GVA, TXL) and almost as large as in NRT. Isn't it high time to merge with this lounge (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=685906)?
Picture
Air France check in area at NRT (http://shutter03.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/008/7F/FE/72/E7/NY7t2LqPmtcn2urKEeBNZNdRooaaUuO00300.jpg)(from behind)
Falco Peregrinus
Jun 15, 07, 12:21 pm
Boarding was delayed by 20 minutes. The lounge attendants invited everyone to proceed to the gate, but the small elevator could obviously not accommodate 50 people leaving the lounge at the same time, so stairs it was. Dedicated P/J/priority line, clear instructions and spontaneous, collective self discipline (Yôkoso Japan!), dedicated jetway for rows 1 to 4 made the whole boarding process very efficient (and certainly more efficient than my usual CDG 2C or 2F fuzzy boarding experiences).
Again a warm welcome from the Chef de Cabine l'Espace Première, followed by a short personal introduction from the captain who commented on the new features of the moving-map system. I had secured 1L while 2A was the only other occupied seat in this 77W l'Espace Première cabin seating 8. The P cabin of AF 77W seems more popular than the recently refurbished 772 with its enclosed configuration (see my pictures in this thread). 1 or 2 glasses of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1997 and I let the Chief Purser inform the captain I was ready for take off. :cool:
AF 77W seatmap (http://www.airfrance.fr/common/image/PlansCabine/fr/B777300_nev_310pax_maxi_fr.gif)
Pictures
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs (http://www.taittinger.com/cuvees/main/images/ComtesBlanc95%2BEtuiGr.jpg) (courtesy of Taittinger)
Moving-map IFE system (http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/02/001/7F/F7/FA/0F/bG23nIvnKlp++ZOICxd-HIAG3IZ9avA00300.jpg)(with a sort of 3-D effect)
77W l'Espace Première cabin (http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/12/008/76/EE/8A/04/mG-9jJ8nzdUzLftBh+BQFMGXAqe5qx-C0300.jpg), just after take off
Seat 2L (http://shutter10.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/002/3D/FF/AE/1A/34n+uxZT-VGRfarMJ0Jdtwh9xnNf187k0300.jpg)
Falco Peregrinus
Jun 15, 07, 12:48 pm
Good, excellent news. I recalled my 2006 CDG-SIN flight from which I drew the conclusion that late departing flights had expedited service, but Serpentos had informed me about the full service on AF277. And full service it was:
Menu by Guy Martin
Dîner à la carte
Dinner à la carte
~~~~~~~~~
Mise en bouche
Appetizer
Gelée de legumes, crevette et melon au curry, palet de radis au curcuma et au fromage de brebis, concombre, tomate et poivron jaune
Vegetable aspic, shrimp and melon with curry, radish with turmeric and sheep's milk cheese, cucmber, tomato and yellow bell pepper.
Gaufrettes Fauchon au sel de Guérande
Fauchon mini waffles with Guérande salt
Otsumami (おつまみ)
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de hors d'œuvre
Choice of hors d'oeuvre
Foie gras de canard aux abricots secs, chutney de poires aux épices douces
Duck foie gras with dried apricots, pear chutney with sweet spices
Effiloché de cabillaud à la moutarde en grains et tomate réduite
Flaked cod with mustard seeds and tomato reduction
Jeunes légumes en salade aux truffes
Baby vegetable salad with truffles
~~~~~~~~~
Salade fraîcheur
Fresh seasonal salad
Vinaigrette au vinaigre balsamique "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" French dressing with balsamic vinegar
Huile d'olive au citron "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" lemon olive oil
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Filet d'agneau croute à la tomate, fenouils au jus, d'autres au ras-el-hanout
Fillet of lamb in tomato crust served with fennel au jus and fennel flavored with ras-el-hanout.
Filet de daurade, hoummos de betterave au cumin et céleri
Fillet of sea bream, beet hummus with cumin and celery
Déclinaison autour de l'aubergine
Eggplant composition
Plat du jour : Filet de poulet vapeur au jus de tomate acidulée, polenta aux olives et purée de pois au cumin
Plat du jour: Fillet of chicken with tangy tomato sauce, polenta with olives and pea purée flavored with cumin
~~~~~~~~~
La sélection du maître fromager
Our special selection of cheese
~~~~~~~~~
La corbeille du boulanger
Fresh bakery selection
~~~~~~~~~
Le chariot des desserts
Dessert cart
Petits fours frais
Miniature pastries
Tarte amandine à la banane et au curry
Banana almond tart flavored with curry
Blanc manger à la pistache et à la cerise amaréna
Blancmange with pistachios and amarena cherries
Dacquoise au café et à la cardamome, poire et vanille
Coffee cardamom dacquoise with pear and vanilla
Sorbet et petits fours secs, assortiment de fruits frais
Sherbet served with cookies, assortment of fresh fruit
~~~~~~~~~
Carte des vins par Olivier Poussier
Wine list by Olivier Poussier
Champagne
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1997
Bordeaux blanc liquoreux
White Bordeaux liqueur
Barsac Château Climens 1994 1er cru Lurton
Bourgogne blanc
White Burgundy
Chablis 1er cru Les Vaillons 2004 William Fèvre
Bourgogne rouge
Red Burgundy
Maranges 1er cru Les Clos Roussots Château de Mercey 2004 Antonin Rodet
Bordeaux rouge
Red Bordeaux
Margaux Château Lascombes 2002, 2ème grand cru classé
~~~~~~~~~
Apéritifs
Blended Scotch Whisky – 12 ans (12 years old)
Pure Malt Whisky – 15 ans (15 years old)
Bourbon – 8 ans (8 years old)
Apéritif anisé, Licorice-flavored apéritif, Gin, Vodka, Vermouth
Port
Porto Late Bottled Vintage 1998
Digestifs
Brandy & Liqueurs
Eau-de-vie de fruit (Fruit Brandy)
Bas-Armagnac 1993
Cognac XO
Calvados hors d'âge
Liqueur de Whisky (Whisky Liqueur)
Boissons diverses et eaux minérales
Soft drinks, beer, mineral water (Evian, Badoit, Perrier)
~~~~~~~~~
Let's put it simply, the food was awesome, surprisingly better than the CDG-NRT segment yet supposed to benefit from CDG's superior P catering. Impressive and hearty flaked cod with mustard seeds and tomato reduction, sophisticated and tender fillet of lamb, let alone the infamous desserts. My points are relatively minor and have been commented extensively by other posters: the main course would benefit from a better presentation, the cheese was anonymous (there's just no comparison with what I had from CDG to NRT) and they had the same wine selection as on my outbound flight (admittedly not a minor point). Service was outstanding.
Pictures:
Vegetable aspic, shrimp, melon, radish and sheep's milk cheese, cucumber, tomato and yellow bell pepper (http://shutter03.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/13/00A/57/EE/35/2F/0e4paCtE7FgXBPKqEuO1n4ksv2goR8iA0300.jpg)
(in other words, "appetizer" :p )
Flaked cod with mustard seeds and tomato reduction (http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/01/007/57/EE/35/2F/gy8yACllRNQhmu2Dd+gzZfTVqm9m1C2z0300.jpg)
Fillet of lamb in tomato crust served with fennel au jus (http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/10/002/6E/F5/6A/39/Hat-I3OxIgwNq3eVf-XqP7CbrGIJ7XEA0300.jpg)
Special (?) selection of cheese (http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/09/002/77/FE/0D/C9/5P5tLzPdAVtzNx7cBtbqc50pbgOBU1AZ0300.jpg)
Blancmange and coffee cardamom dacquoise (http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/001/7F/6F/EF/B1/dMUg4HopORkkOftsoxc1g9ACUWiVP5Ph0300.jpg)(yes, 2 desserts again :o )
Rooibos from Le Palais des Thés, miniature pastries and chocolates (http://shutter01.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/10/007/37/D5/43/2C/Xnu3MGap+aAjlLbFuZnPeTfza1-LSVjf0300.jpg)
jetfan
Jun 16, 07, 1:34 pm
Thanks for a truly excellent flight report!
The seat looks really really good and service seems really attentative - now AF just need to fix their IFE.
I must say I was a bit disappointed with the food from Japan when reading your report, as I was under the impression that, in line with restaurant food, the catering from Japan is always excellent.
A few weeks ago I flew Japan to AMS on J-class KLM and that food looked a lot better in terms of quantity and quality (and the service was outstanding).
I look forward to selecting a business trip where I can upgrade on AF to P-class as our corporate travel policy allows only Skyteam carrier where available, above 4 hours in J, otherwise in whY. :rolleyes:
Thanks again!
elitetraveler
Jun 16, 07, 8:50 pm
Great Report ^^^ Have to schedule a RTW with new AF F - also maybe KE new F as well!
Joelle
Jun 19, 07, 5:37 am
Deux desserts a chaque fois !!!! :o ;)
bodory
Jun 19, 07, 4:07 pm
Great trip report !
Thanks
AF680
Jul 4, 07, 12:05 pm
Thank you very much Falco for this fantastic trip report.
It is the same pleasure to read this report than the previous one... and with pictures this time!
We are waiting for the last segment of your trip:
(nothing to say about) First Class arrival experience, arrival lounge, and RER transportation!
Joelle
Jul 5, 07, 11:00 am
One should not forget the impressive lines for immigration police clearance....
This is also part of the trip! ;), as well as luggage delivery time....
dm101
Mar 27, 08, 5:34 am
Just read this report, after doing a search on First Class. Truly amazing! ^
Thinking of booking my self a First Class award-ticket later this summer, and this was indeed a great "preview". :)
Now I have to decide if it's worth the extra 20K to go for First instead of Business. One way trip between Gothenburg and Shanghai in July.