Island Hopping on the Caribbean AF A320 (FDF-PTP-PAP-MIA)
Jan 6, 2015, 1:08 pm
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Island Hopping on the Caribbean AF A320 (FDF-PTP-PAP-MIA)
Don't think I've seen one before on the Air France A320s that ply the Caribbean, so thought I'd write this up for anyone looking for some information on what these flights are like.
Saturday 3 January 2015
Air France AF601
Airbus A320 / F-HEPF
Economy Class / Seat 6E
Fort-de-France, Martinique (FDF) to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP)
Scheduled Time: 2:35pm AST - 3:15pm AST
Wheels Up: 2:45pm AST
Wheels Down: 3:12pm AST
After a great week split on Martinique and Guadeloupe (feel free to PM for details if you're thinking of going), it was time to head home. We arrived at the FDF Avis at 1:00pm and spent a good deal of time ("Island Time" I guess) working through our car return and then waiting for the shuttle over to the terminal. A quick ride over to the terminal and we made our way to the Air France counter. There was a short line for Economy check-in and one group ahead of us for Sky Priority check-in. The agent was friendly and helpful and checked our bags all the way through to Miami. There was no wait for security and we were at the gate a little more than an hour before our scheduled 2:35pm departure. Unfortunately, the Air France lounge at FDF does not open until 4:30pm. So we spent our time meandering through the large duty free shop and walking around the empty terminal. Our aircraft was coming in from Cayenne, French Guiana and continuing on with the same flight number to Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. The inbound landed right on time at 1:50pm, however, it was 2:20pm before boarding finally started.
Our relatively new A320 F-HEPF sitting on the gate at FDF
I was sure we'd be delayed, but shockingly everyone was onboard by 2:35pm and we pushed back right on time. A quick taxi out and we were on our way for the short 25 minute flight to PTP. Worthy of note is that the Business Class cabin on these A320s is the same cabin as on the Air France A320 European fleet (i.e., standard coach seats with an empty middle seat). There was no beverage service on this short flight.
The view climbing out of FDF
Cabin view en route
On approach to PTP
We landed right on time and pulled into a hard stand. Even though PTP was the end point for AF601, an announcement was made advising all passengers bound for Miami or Port-au-Prince on AF618 to please stay onboard until all passengers for PTP have exited. We thought this was a bit odd, but we stayed put. Oddly, all the connecting passengers were collected and escorted into a closed jetway to be counted. Once all were accounted for, we were released into the secure zone of the PTP terminal and allowed to access the lounge, etc. This whole process took a solid 20 minutes after arriving at the gate and was a bit annoying. The lounge in PTP was a typical AF lounge, though on the smaller side with a selection a bit more limited than usual. The lounge attendant was very friendly and did call boarding for our next flight.
AF Salon at PTP
Air France AF618
Airbus A320 / F-HEPF
Economy Class / Seat 12C
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP) to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP)
Scheduled Time: 4:40pm AST - 5:40pm EST
Wheels Up: 4:50pm AST
Wheels Down: 5:35pm EST
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP) to Miami, FL (MIA)
Scheduled Time: 6:45pm AST - 8:40pm EST
Wheels Up: 6:58pm EST
Wheels Down: 8:45pm EST
Upon reaching the gate for AF618 it was quite chaotic, the terminal was fully packed with people awaiting afternoon departures to Europe, as well as the crowd for AF618. When early boarding for families was called, all of the passengers awaiting AF618 moved froward and no further boarding announcements were made.
F-HEPF on the stand at PTP
We settled into our exit row seats and had an empty middle seat for the short two hour hop up to Port-au-Prince. In-flight service consisted of a cold mystery meat sandwich (supposedly a choice of chicken or ham), a small side (tablespoon sized portion) of farfalle pasta and mushrooms, and a beverage. When I asked for a glass of red wine, I was informed that the flight was only catered with white. This was a bit surprising given that we've generally been happy with the catering in Air France Economy on both long and short haul flights in the past. Thankfully, we brought a bag of almonds with us and enjoyed with the white wine that was offered. Before we knew it we were on descent into Port-au-Prince. The views on this descent, with the sun setting over the mountains in Haiti, were some of the best views I can recall from a plane in a long time.
On descent into PAP
Upon landing in Port-au-Prince, passengers continuing on were advised that they must exit the plane to the transit lounge for security screening. (On the way down from Miami to Guadeloupe you are allowed to remain on board during the stop in Port-au-Prince). The transit lounge and airport were supposedly going under renovations. The air was quite warm and still and there were quite a few mosquitoes flying about. There was a small "bar" where hot dogs and beverages could be purchased, however, we didn't look into it too carefully.
PAP Transit Lounge
Thirty minutes before scheduled departure there was no boarding announcement, but all of a sudden there was a flow of people out of the transit lounge back down the corridor we came in from thirty minutes earlier. We followed the crowd back to the gate and a makeshift security checkpoint had been set up in the corridor. Every passenger was subject to a (very cursory) pat down by the local security contractors and was required to remove there shoes. This was followed by a (very cursory) physical check of each piece of hand baggage. This process was rather a nuisance given that it seemed to accomplish nothing. The security guard that pat me down was on his cell phone holding what I assume to be a personal call while patting me down.
Once back onboard we settled into the same seats. Surprisingly again, despite the relatively late boarding and manual security check of all passengers at the gate, we were basically ready to go on time. As on the way down, the leg between Port-au-Prince and Miami was a full boat. (The Port-au-Prince to Guadeloupe leg runs about half full at best). The inflight catering was the exact same as on the first leg (same mystery meat sandwich) and we overheard quite a few people talking about how terrible it was. (We held out for a very late dinner in Miami upon arrival). The flight was uneventful, clocking in at just under two hours. We arrived at the gate in Miami just a few minutes behind schedule.
There was no line for Global Entry arriving in Miami and we were at the bag claim just a few minutes after arriving the gate. Unfortunately, since it was the same plane (despite different flight numbers) all the way from Martinique, the bags checked in Martinique were the very last to come off the belt. It was a full 45 minutes after parking at the gate before we were on our way out of the airport with our luggage.
Overall, the flights were a very interesting experience, we were happily surprised that they ran generally on time, and it was a great value at 35,000 SkyMiles per person for the round trip ticket. (Purchasing the tickets would have been well over $700 each). That said, the stop over in Port-au-Prince is rather time consuming and a bit of a hassle on the way back. If we hadn't been using miles, I would have much preferred the non-stop offering on American out of Miami over the Air France flights.
Saturday 3 January 2015
Air France AF601
Airbus A320 / F-HEPF
Economy Class / Seat 6E
Fort-de-France, Martinique (FDF) to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP)
Scheduled Time: 2:35pm AST - 3:15pm AST
Wheels Up: 2:45pm AST
Wheels Down: 3:12pm AST
After a great week split on Martinique and Guadeloupe (feel free to PM for details if you're thinking of going), it was time to head home. We arrived at the FDF Avis at 1:00pm and spent a good deal of time ("Island Time" I guess) working through our car return and then waiting for the shuttle over to the terminal. A quick ride over to the terminal and we made our way to the Air France counter. There was a short line for Economy check-in and one group ahead of us for Sky Priority check-in. The agent was friendly and helpful and checked our bags all the way through to Miami. There was no wait for security and we were at the gate a little more than an hour before our scheduled 2:35pm departure. Unfortunately, the Air France lounge at FDF does not open until 4:30pm. So we spent our time meandering through the large duty free shop and walking around the empty terminal. Our aircraft was coming in from Cayenne, French Guiana and continuing on with the same flight number to Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. The inbound landed right on time at 1:50pm, however, it was 2:20pm before boarding finally started.
Our relatively new A320 F-HEPF sitting on the gate at FDF
I was sure we'd be delayed, but shockingly everyone was onboard by 2:35pm and we pushed back right on time. A quick taxi out and we were on our way for the short 25 minute flight to PTP. Worthy of note is that the Business Class cabin on these A320s is the same cabin as on the Air France A320 European fleet (i.e., standard coach seats with an empty middle seat). There was no beverage service on this short flight.
The view climbing out of FDF
Cabin view en route
On approach to PTP
We landed right on time and pulled into a hard stand. Even though PTP was the end point for AF601, an announcement was made advising all passengers bound for Miami or Port-au-Prince on AF618 to please stay onboard until all passengers for PTP have exited. We thought this was a bit odd, but we stayed put. Oddly, all the connecting passengers were collected and escorted into a closed jetway to be counted. Once all were accounted for, we were released into the secure zone of the PTP terminal and allowed to access the lounge, etc. This whole process took a solid 20 minutes after arriving at the gate and was a bit annoying. The lounge in PTP was a typical AF lounge, though on the smaller side with a selection a bit more limited than usual. The lounge attendant was very friendly and did call boarding for our next flight.
AF Salon at PTP
Air France AF618
Airbus A320 / F-HEPF
Economy Class / Seat 12C
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP) to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP)
Scheduled Time: 4:40pm AST - 5:40pm EST
Wheels Up: 4:50pm AST
Wheels Down: 5:35pm EST
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP) to Miami, FL (MIA)
Scheduled Time: 6:45pm AST - 8:40pm EST
Wheels Up: 6:58pm EST
Wheels Down: 8:45pm EST
Upon reaching the gate for AF618 it was quite chaotic, the terminal was fully packed with people awaiting afternoon departures to Europe, as well as the crowd for AF618. When early boarding for families was called, all of the passengers awaiting AF618 moved froward and no further boarding announcements were made.
F-HEPF on the stand at PTP
We settled into our exit row seats and had an empty middle seat for the short two hour hop up to Port-au-Prince. In-flight service consisted of a cold mystery meat sandwich (supposedly a choice of chicken or ham), a small side (tablespoon sized portion) of farfalle pasta and mushrooms, and a beverage. When I asked for a glass of red wine, I was informed that the flight was only catered with white. This was a bit surprising given that we've generally been happy with the catering in Air France Economy on both long and short haul flights in the past. Thankfully, we brought a bag of almonds with us and enjoyed with the white wine that was offered. Before we knew it we were on descent into Port-au-Prince. The views on this descent, with the sun setting over the mountains in Haiti, were some of the best views I can recall from a plane in a long time.
On descent into PAP
Upon landing in Port-au-Prince, passengers continuing on were advised that they must exit the plane to the transit lounge for security screening. (On the way down from Miami to Guadeloupe you are allowed to remain on board during the stop in Port-au-Prince). The transit lounge and airport were supposedly going under renovations. The air was quite warm and still and there were quite a few mosquitoes flying about. There was a small "bar" where hot dogs and beverages could be purchased, however, we didn't look into it too carefully.
PAP Transit Lounge
Thirty minutes before scheduled departure there was no boarding announcement, but all of a sudden there was a flow of people out of the transit lounge back down the corridor we came in from thirty minutes earlier. We followed the crowd back to the gate and a makeshift security checkpoint had been set up in the corridor. Every passenger was subject to a (very cursory) pat down by the local security contractors and was required to remove there shoes. This was followed by a (very cursory) physical check of each piece of hand baggage. This process was rather a nuisance given that it seemed to accomplish nothing. The security guard that pat me down was on his cell phone holding what I assume to be a personal call while patting me down.
Once back onboard we settled into the same seats. Surprisingly again, despite the relatively late boarding and manual security check of all passengers at the gate, we were basically ready to go on time. As on the way down, the leg between Port-au-Prince and Miami was a full boat. (The Port-au-Prince to Guadeloupe leg runs about half full at best). The inflight catering was the exact same as on the first leg (same mystery meat sandwich) and we overheard quite a few people talking about how terrible it was. (We held out for a very late dinner in Miami upon arrival). The flight was uneventful, clocking in at just under two hours. We arrived at the gate in Miami just a few minutes behind schedule.
There was no line for Global Entry arriving in Miami and we were at the bag claim just a few minutes after arriving the gate. Unfortunately, since it was the same plane (despite different flight numbers) all the way from Martinique, the bags checked in Martinique were the very last to come off the belt. It was a full 45 minutes after parking at the gate before we were on our way out of the airport with our luggage.
Overall, the flights were a very interesting experience, we were happily surprised that they ran generally on time, and it was a great value at 35,000 SkyMiles per person for the round trip ticket. (Purchasing the tickets would have been well over $700 each). That said, the stop over in Port-au-Prince is rather time consuming and a bit of a hassle on the way back. If we hadn't been using miles, I would have much preferred the non-stop offering on American out of Miami over the Air France flights.
Last edited by NHFL9; Jan 6, 2015 at 1:39 pm Reason: Fixing Pictures
