Backdrop:

• Flying on AF out of CDG, Terminal 2E, to EU (non-Schengen) destination
• First time flying as a Volare Executive (Elite Plus)
• Paid ticket; could not even begin to fathom how I might add my Volare account number to this AF ticket
• My Volare ID was a printed page of my card, in color, with Dear Biggie Fries, Welecome to the ITA Executive Club at the bottom
• I went into this with a sense of adventure -- low expectations, to be sure, but also that sense of self-righteousness that comes from not being sure that you are actually entitled to anything. Also, I got to the airport a little early to leave plenty of time for "play."

Results:

1. Access to Sky Priority check-in (part 1) Put on my best "This is where I am used to being" face, waved printed copy of Volare "card," and was let right in.
2. Bag dropoff. There was only one person ahead of me in the line, which did not stop the process from taking forever. Belt was not working, either, so it was dubious as to who was actually going to take the bag. But the fellow at the desk did plaster it with yellow Priority stickers, and gave me a(nother) boarding pass, before sending me to their ad-hoc deposit system. I did not ask him to enter my Volare number.
3. Sky Priority/Acces No 1 line access (part 1). Guy manning the entry was sending folks away left and right. Including me. He wanted no part of my printed Volare card. I pointed out to him that I had just arrived in front of him from his left, i.e., from the Sky Priority area. He did not care. No way, no how.
4. Access to Sky Priority check-in (part 2) Since I still had some time, I circled back to the Sky Priority check-in. A nice support person there asked me what was up and I explained humorously that this was my second time around -- that I had already checked my bag, but had been refused entry to the priority lane for passport control and security. She took my printed "card" and talked with a colleague who said, yeah, fix the guys ticket with the number. Easier said than done. The two of them worked on it and worked on it, looked up the AZ prefix, tried and tried, but nothing worked. Finally, my original friend said that she would accompany me so that I could get the priority access.
5. Sky Priority/Acces No 1 line access (part 2). That guy still said no! Even with his colleague there, explaining the issue. What followed next is something that could only happen in France: After a few minutes of back and forth, the guy said he would make a special exception for me, just this once, but kept explaining to his colleague how wrong this all was. I figured I was through, so, what the heck, be friendly, thank them both, but by now they had totally forgotten about me. I just walked to passport control with them still at the access point, arguing away.
6. Passport control. Didn't seem to care how I had gotten there.
7. Screening. There was a gal turning people aside, even though they had clearly come from the Priority side. She must have been trained along with the first guy. I did not even try to show her my Volare "card" since, fortunately, she was in an argument with someone she was turning away in front of me. So I just walked through like I belonged there. Which I sort of did!
8. AF Lounge (K gates). Couldn't have been sweeter. Were aware of the new Volare "cards," and welcomed me right in. Had an excellent breakfast, too.

The highlight of all of this was the club (lounge), which made it (including doing the match) all worthwhile. The rest was more by way of curiosity; as is often the case, I'm not sure I would have saved any time if it had all worked smoothly with the "card," With more "wins" than "losses," however, it stayed fun. And, since I prefer having the miles credit to AF, the inability to change the ticket worked in my favor.