We arrived pretty easily at CDG‘s Terminal 1, which the architectural nerd in me really likes a lot. Designed in the 60‘s by Paul Andreu, its design principles are also to be found at Centre Pompidou in Pari and the building even made it onto the cover of a 1977 Alan Parsons Project album…. but enough of that, lets walk through it towards the lounge.
We arrived right before the start of rhe evening bulk of flights and the checkin areas are full with long, long lines. But we can skip those and head straight to the security check in the satelite that LH is using. There are no lines at all there.
The LH lounge is quite underwhelming in Paris: it is downstairs, no windows and rather small with limited food offerings. But we wont be staying too long anways.
At arrival there, we are presented with a special „CDG 2024 Ducky“, which will be a nice addition to our collection of 25+ special edition duckies from the last 10+ years or so…
We just had some small sweet snacks and watched some more Olympics before it was time to board.
Off to the gate and onto the plane then, with a „first“ for me: a CRJ 900 at CDG, I only ever had A320/321‘s when going to Paris.
Luckily, we departed almost on time, as it meanwhile started to rain and some lightning could be seen in the distance. I was a bit concerned of a possible ground stop, but all good. Off we were…
The flight was completely full and went by super-fast, we spend less than 20 mins or so on cruising level. On arrival , they must have switched runways, cutting another 10 mins as we could land straight-in from west to east. Overflying the city of Mainz and the Rhine river on finals.
We landed 15 mins ahead of schedule and flying a CRJ900 always means a car transfer from the plane to the terminal. This time it was not a Porsche but a Volkswagen van- also fine for us, still a very comfortable (and time-saving) way of getting from the plane to the lounge. The ride was there already when we pulled into the stand.
Another perk of the personal HON transfer are the nice drives across the airfield - you get to see a lot of planes and activities on the ramp. I even had some drivers in the past who asked me if I would prefer a longer drive to the Terminal to see even more planes… I never said no to that 😊
As it was getting late and we did not have dinner yet, we decided to stop by the lounge in Concourse A quick for some dinner. One of my favorite PA‘s waa working there that evening and we talked quite a bit after we ordered our food. She must be working here for 10+ years and she always has great insights into Ops, things to change at the FCT / FCL and so on… always a nice chat.
Food for tonight was a starter of a Salad
Nicoise with tuna and then Wagyu Beef with green asparagus and fries, both from the special menue for the Olympics.
This really nice dinner then concluded a very nice trip to Paris - and no flights in the coming two weeks at all, as its vacation time, and this year we are just off to the Alps in the car for some hiking, sports, nature and wellness… loving the thought of no airports for the time being 😊