CDG DO 2012 - powered by Air France & ADP - LIVE DO REPORT
 

Hello everybody,

only a few more hours and an exceptional event will start at Paris CDG airport. AirFrance invited 40 flyertalker to Paris for a 24h-behind-the-scenes event.

for details about the DO: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-f...-new-post.html

this thread will be used to share the event with many flyertalker who could not attend this DO for various reasons. We will post here our impressions from the various events, add photos to this and hope you'll enjoy reading almost as much as we enjoy the DO.

Your reporter from CDG will be: airchristophe, stimpy, goldorak,
nicolas75, kq321 and me - chrissxb.

To ensure a good reading experience for everybody, please do not post in this thread until the DO is over. if you have questions - post them in the other thread. I asked the moderators here to help us with this. Thanks for your understanding

chrissxb

After a really short night, I am in the waiting area for AF2509. the security check at STR was a real nightmare, but I am in good mood. Will meet with my fellow FTer AF001 soon. He's probably sitting in the lounge - oh the good old days ... ;)

I am really excited and I look forward to an event which did cost me alot of time to plan. First contact between Flyertalk and Air France was established many years ago, we have bi-annual meetings and on the meeting last october we decided finally to go one step further and invite 40 flyertalker to spend 24h with Air France and ADP at CDG airport.

7:40 am at the Sheraton CDG, and it's time for a quick breakfast in the lounge. I arrived last night to find the newly renovated lounge serving a much improved selection of food. ^

After over 16 years of staying at this hotel, most of those years as Starwood Platinum, and never ever receiving a suite upgrade, I decided to force the issue and use the new Starwood suite upgrade program and now I can see for the first time what a suite looks like here. Pretty nice and finally some space. ^

Soon I'll make my way downstairs to the CDGVAL, ride to Roissypole, take the shuttle to the Hyatt and meet the rest of the group. This is going to be a great two days!

I arrived here yesterday. Being met at the gate was a nice touch (thanks Chrissxb!)

Frankc6 was on the same shuttle bus to the Hyatt as me (his FB Gold tag was a bit a of a giveaway that he was likely a fellow FTer...)

Looking forward to meeting everyone else shortly, and to a very interesting DO.

A lot of anxious people here at the Hyatt, ready to go, but as always there are a few stragglers we are waiting for.

Great to see and meet everyone so far!

We've made it to the hub and everyone is going through security

We made it thru security and are discussing at the hub control centre the future projets for. CDG2012.


Very interesting discussion. Did you know that they call the airlines at the 2G "3e niveau" ?

The Hub control center was very interesting and impressive. It is quite a large team of experts that takes care of every flight, baggage, transfers, etc.

It must be insane there when the weather is bad or there is a strike. But they said it was quite peaceful during the volcano. :)

CDG DO 2012 - powered by Air France & ADP - LIVE DO REPORT
 

Just coming out of the Hub control center. Very impressive. Huge room with hundreds of computer screens. That's the place where people are controling departures and arrivals, transfers, irrops, well everything. All functions are represented there, including Servair, police, etc.
We are now moving to Servair, by bus, riding on the tarmac in the middle of big birds.

Now arriving at Servair. Yum

CDG DO 2012 - powered by Air France & ADP - LIVE DO REPORT
 

Breaking news for arrival lounge : will stay at 2C for 2012 and likely 2013 (at least S1). New lounge will be likely between 2E and 2F

CDG DO 2012 - powered by Air France & ADP - LIVE DO REPORT
 

For cost reasons, Y long-haul food is not cooked/prepared anymore at Servair CDG. It is subcontracted to Nestlé or Fleury Michon in Britanny. J&F food is cooked at Servair CDG

Excellent repas at Servair. But the best part was having a deep discussion with Olivier Poussier, sommelier du monde 2000. I didn't take it easy on him though. AF biz class wines arent good enough to me and not enough Burgundy. More later on our discussion, we've put on special coats and boots for the kitchen tour

On the way to AF HQ to meet the AF CEO.

Full of food and drink, we are now at HQ and awaiting the CEO