FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Constructive Criticism of La Premiere
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Old Sep 12, 2017, 9:38 am
  #205  
Goldorak
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,927
Originally Posted by laf747
I recently completed a roundtrip in La Premiere. Just to give a little background, I flew AF to connect at CDG for a flight on HOP to GOA. I used to fly Emirates to MXP and then have a 2 hour drive to Genoa but last year I tried AF and found the service to be excellent so I flew La Premiere again this year. My initial impression at JFK was very positive. Though AF doesn't participate in PreCheck the representative at the La Premiere counter walked me through so that I was able to cut the long security line at T1. Also, I found the small La Premiere lounge to be much brighter and better looking as compared to how it looked last year. AF7 was sold out and delayed 30 minutes but once I boarded I was offered a pre-flight drink and immediately settled in. I don't remember the menu but my dinner was excellent but I did skip the breakfast.
For me what makes La Premiere such an excellent service is the ground assistance at CDG especially, since for my flight to GOA, I had to transfer to Terminal 2G. I along with the other La Premiere passengers was met at the jetway. Though it was too early to go through customs in the lounge I was, as at JFK, able to cut what was an extremely long immigration line and then escorted to the La Premiere lounge where I ordered the scrambled eggs which were as delicious as I remembered from the year before.
I was then driven to Terminal 2G and allowed to board my flight to GOA before my fellow passengers. All in all it was a 10 out of 10.
Upon my return to CDG I was met when I disembarked at the jetway and then escorted to the lounge where I was able to have the immigration formalities completed since it was already the afternoon. Additionally, I also had an excellent lunch, the highlight of which was the most delicious chocolate madeleine that I have ever eaten!!! I along with the only other 2 passengers in La Premiere on Flight 10 were driven to the gate where we then boarded.
Now comes the bad part. No welcome beverage was offered and the service went downhill from there. If you thought the service should be excellent given that there were only 3 passengers in La Premiere you would be wrong. When I was handed a lunch menu I asked could I order then eat at 4:30 p.m. and was informed it would be no problem at all. At 4:45 p.m., when there was no indication that lunch was coming I rang the call button and when the FA came over and I asked about lunch I got an "oops' expression and told that lunch would be served shortly. That it was though my entrée was stone cold and they forgot the salad course. When i asked to speak with the purser I was told he was busy but he would come and speak with me later. Surprise, surprise, he never showed up. Then when we landed, when I was met at the jetway the AF representative asked if I had Global Entry and when i said yes she promptly took off. So the return was a 5 out of 10 and that's being generous!
I hope you complained about your return flight because this is unacceptable in P. The do-not-care attitude of the JFK staff on arrival clearly reminded me my bad departure experience in august that I have reported in the FB Ultimate thread. This is incredible for the main AF station abroad and the "most premium".
I'd like also to ask you for a clarification about the parts of your post I have bolded : since when there is a time to have immigration formalities at the P lounge ? I never had to go through the "regular" immigration counters when transferring to/from P in CDG Could this be due to short-staffing of police ?
thanks for your report
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