Part 26: Bucharest (OTP) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on Air France
AF1889 - Airbus A320- Seat 1F
STD 14:50pm - STA 17:00pm (flight time 3h10m)
Flying from OTP with a legacy carrier as opposed to a low cost already becomes clear at boarding as there was almost no gate lice whatsoever. Priority boarding was strictly enforced and I was the first to board the Airbus A320 for today's flight to Paris.
Walking towards our aeroplane, which was parked next to a FlyDubai plane.
I was warmly welcomed by two friendly middle-aged Air France air hostesses, who both would turn out to be serving me for most of the flight. Only one row of business class on today's flight, and it turned out I was lucky being the only passenger on board. The plane was clearly quite a bit older but clean. In the seat, a pillow was placed, which is a nice touch which not all European carriers do on short haul flights.
The one row of euro-business class on today's flight.
I can't speak highly enough of the crew on this flight as both ladies were charming, talkative, friendly and very proactive (later more on that..!). Shortly after I took my seat they asked me if I wanted a PDB. I asked for a glass of champagne, as well as some water. Both were quickly delivered. As boarding took a while, they asked if I would like a refill, to which I gladly obliged.
While I was the only one in business, economy looked completely packed. We left some minutes late from our gate but the pilot announced we would easily make up for it once in the air. Taxiing at Otopeni showed one interesting bird as it seemed some high dignitaries were in town judging by Bulgaria's government plane parked near the VIP terminal.
The modern part of OTP's single terminal as seen from the aeroplane.
And the older part.. the overcrowded airport is basically one single, old terminal – with a modern extension at the far end of the concourse.
A Bulgarian government plane
The VIP terminal. Note the red carpet.
Take-off was smooth and there were some decent views of the Wallachian plains on which Bucharest is located. Even though it was a nice day for flying, the scenery still looked quite dreary on this day in March (for anyone considering visiting Bucharest: don't come in winter, it's depressive).
As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign went off, the crew came into action and closed the curtains separating business from economy. Like true Air France dragons they would also guard their post, kicking those in economy who thought they could visit my personal toilet up front to the back of the plane.
The only weird thing of this plane was the plastic/glass window separating the aisle from seats 1ABC. What is the purpose of it and what had the person who designed it in mind? It had a curtain which was also closed, but due to the lousy curtains separating business class from the galley you could still easily have a peek..
First things first, the FA came to me to ask if I perhaps would like another glass of champagne. Who am I to say no to that?
She also came back with the menu for today's flight, which would take a bit over three hours.
The starter was listed as a sautéed shrimp, tomato and red onion tartare. For the mains it gave a choice between grilled beef in red wine sauce and four cheese tortellini, I went for the beef to create a surf and turf. As desserts, both cheese and profiteroles in vanilla custard were given.
I asked the FA if I could have both a white and a red wine to go with the meal as for some proper pairing. I can't after all in good conscience when flying French wash away seafood with a red, or drink a white with beef. That's a capital offence in France which would land your head under the guillotine.
The meal came on one tray, and I thought the presentation looked great. Even though I'm no great fan of shrimps the starter tasted fantastic, the shrimps sautéed to perfection and the tomato and onion tartare adding a nice bite. The beef was tender and tasted equally great, and went very well with the excellent
Chateau Rollan de By 2015. The profiteroles in vanilla sauce were great too, but it's obviously not something you can easily get wrong.
By a mile, it would turn out the best airline meal and wine I would have on this trip. Everything was just absolutely right about it, and I was thoroughly enjoying every single bite. I'm not exaggerating that it even would beat most of the meals I had on long haul flights with airlines known for their good food such as Qatar. Job well done, Air France!
Big was my surprise when I read on the tiny paper [on which the starter was placed in the picture] that it was actually catered in Bucharest... Each time when flying TAROM I get underwhelming meals, while Air France manages to get this gem of a meal out of an outstation...
The surprise was not yet over, as after the tray was taken away the FA asked if I would like some coffee. I kindly asked if I could have a cognac with it as well as a digestif. Little did I expect she would come back with this tray:
Some great Segafredo coffee, Berlingots cookies, Ladurée macarons, a box of pralines, and a double serving of cognac. Count me very, very impressed here for a short haul European flight!
As there were still two hours to go to Paris and the FAs could ostensibly read my mind that I was thoroughly enjoying the flight, they upped the ante even further by literally insisting I should have another drink. When asking for a glass of champagne, they decided I should have the entire bottle (something is becoming quite a theme lately on the flights during this trip..
)
Before I knew it, the champagne bottle was empty and fasten seatbelt signs went on for our descent into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The landing was uneventful, and due to my slightly intoxicated state I forgot to make any pictures during the last bits of the flight/at the airport. What a fun flight it was!
In short: Wow, Air France blew me completely away with this flight. Yes, we all know the intra-European hard product sucks. But what a great soft product did they have. Friendly FAs, great food, great wines, Ladurée macarons. What a world apart from their close partners of KLM where all you get is a sandwich... I wish I had chosen more flights on AF metal instead of codesharing them on TAROM and KLM.
Next up:A short stopover in Paris.