Dear friends,
This thread being related with several others, I create a new one and I apologize for not linking it to another thread.
One of our clients paid me a Z ticket to NRT
from TLS return to PGF (our new rules prohibit that).
1) I was very warmly welcomed on both legs by the purser, who asked me twice if I had some complains. My command of French being better than mine of English, I explained them (both pursers) my point of view (which is not mainstream on this forum) : I fully understand that the economic model should be based on price spent and not on miles flown ; nevertheless it is a shame to call that an "enhancement". If earning is based on price paid, why increase the prices of the award tickets in Biz ? would have been much more efficient to say "we are losing money, we are devaluating, we are sorry but we are struggling for life".
2) On both legs, F was empty (not sure, I was 6 to NRT, 4A to CDG) and Biz half full to Japan, 3/4 full to France. A great majority of pax were Japanese (code share JAL) and westerners looked my sort (I mean gray haired with conservative suits and laptops), so I do not believe there ere very much GPs.
3) Service was fairly above par (maybe because Tokyo bound and the very exigent Japanese customers).
4) One of my fellow travellers, a Japanese actress, told me that she liked very much AF because FA were very class people, and because AF always had onboard enough Japanese FA : she told me that NWA and Delta, who fly extensively from Japan to the USA do not always have enough Japanese speaking FA.
5) As it is AF, there was a problem
: arriving at NRT, I waited for my suitcase, which did not arrive. With several fellow Biz passengers, we were told very quickly that AF put them at CDG in a Noumea bound container. The Japanese staff at NRT fixed the problem very fast (We lost just 20 minutes).
6) Allways AF : there were no immigration forms onboard, but ground staff was waiting for Biz pax giving them pens and papers and driving them to some special immigration counters.
7) Arriving at CDG the plane was on time (4:15). I did not hurry because the arrivallounge only opens at 5, and I supposed the suitcase would need about an hour to appear. I small talked with a police supervisor about immigrations rules (the officer on duty stamped my passport and realized just after I was a citizen !). When I reached the belt, I saw my suitcase waiting for me (big surprize).