Climbed to Ulti in Feb. Did ~20 legs since, mostly medium-haul Y/J. Quick thoughts on the experience.

Ground: Nothing special at CDG 2F. Escorted once. One awkward moment with an AF agent yelling “DO ULTIMATE PASSENGER HAVE PRIORTY HERE ? HE IS ULTIMATE HE CAN MAYBE SKIP THE QUEUE!” at security. Pre-boarding is chaotic — you have to walk up, step over PRMs, or be yelled at by clueless external security staff. Lounge in 2E L feels claustrophobic; still need to try 2F. Was escorted to plane once. Abroad = inconsistent. Morocco (RBA & CMN) was the best: RAM staff looked for me and walked me to the gate each time.

In flight: No clear process. All depends on the crew. Some great, some meh. Upgraded once. Sometimes a cushion, often just water + petite lingette. Occasionally champagne or biscuits. Twice got real cup with hot water (nice). Siège de courtoisie only worked twice — frustrating when plane’s half empty. Always odd to see pax upgraded inflight while not at ulti lounge/ pre-boarding. Not the norm, but still jarring. Most striking: service is wildly inconsistent. I fly AF for convenience and crew professionalism, but there’s clear room for improvement — or at least consistency.

Ulti line: Flawless. Always fast, friendly, informed. Honestly the best part of the status.

Just got the Ulti tag. Ben Smith says “le meilleur de l’expérience Air France.” Could be true — if they harmonised service standards. For now, it’s hit or miss.

Looking forward to seeing if long-haul J as Ulti feels different from J as Plat.