AF CDG-BOS: A330 J Class
Dec 3, 2002 | 10:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA PLT; SPG G
Posts: 383
AF CDG-BOS: A330 J Class
If you’re expecting the super-detailed FT standard trip report, let me spare you the disappointment right now:
[list=1][*]I suffer from non-refundable narcolepsy, or the ability to fall asleep in just about any airline seat at any time, so I’m not sure if the flight attendants made four passes with the bread basket or five[*]Who writes those dish descriptions for airline menus and why do people spend the time transcribing them? C’mon, the food ain’t that good[*]I am afraid to contribute to a “detail arms race” that may end up listing every sheet metal worker who assembled the plane (“This trip was on ship OO-..., aptly named as it is one of the worst examples of wing spar riveting in the air.”)[/list=a]
My frame of reference is DL BizElite and CO BizFirst, but I haven’t flown the latter in a few years, so I’m sure things have changed there. At any rate, since SkyTeamers may actually have a motive to choose between DL and AF, I think this is a comparison worth doing.
I have also flown AF J once before (1998). It was on an old 742 where the IFE system was the magazines. This trip also gave birth to my pet name for Air France. For some reason the flight attendants always came towards my seat from behind. They would blow past me, ignoring my pathetic gasping noises as I dehydrated like a mango slice in a Ronco commercial. Thus the name: Derry Air.
This was my first A330 flight. I’ve been in the 300 and the 340. From the inside, the 330 seems smaller than both; it looks a lot like a 767. First Class is one row of seats at the front. It was empty when I boarded near the end of the process (of course we got bussed from gate to plane. Nothing like shelling out $1,300 to get the Greyhound experience). It’s a very small compartment, but I guess if they were lying about the fold-flat seats one of the really rich FTers would have reported this by now. Behind a bulkhead there are two rows of J (2-2-2), then the forward galleys, then another 5 rows of J. I was sitting in this second section of J. “Espace Affaires,” as they call it (sounds like a sci-fi coming-of-age movie on late-night cable) was about 33% occupied. Coach is 2-4-2 in two compartments with tight legroom but very good IFE. Row 29 is the bulkhead in the second compartment and the side seats have more legroom than a pair of Roseanne’s pantyhose. Row 38 has the incredible shrinking fuselage 2-3-2 arrangement so those middle seats have offset video screens and trays.
Legroom looks to be in the mid-50” range. It’s less than DL/CO. I could easily touch the seats in front of me with my feet (I’m 5’11). If there had been someone behind me when I reclined fully, I estimate that I would have been close enough to determine if they were a nose-breather or a mouth-breather, but not so close that I could tell what they had for lunch. Front to back, it’s a little tight. Row 4, the bulkhead in the second J section, looks to have a little more legroom than other rows.
The seat width is okay but not extraordinary. Probably 19.5”, better than a DL 767 but worse than a DL 777 or any CO J seat. Getting to the IFE controller was a blind search but not a thigh massage. I was on an aisle with no seatmate; no service cart bumps.
The seats are done up in navy blue and tan fabric, as if they were designed by someone with a fondness for prep-school uniforms. They have this weird adjustable headrest that is kept in place by Velcro. I couldn’t figure out how to adjust it and at first I thought it was uncomfortably low, but after a while I got used to it. There are electronic controls for the seat back tilt and the leg rest projection. There is no lumbar support and leg rest mobility is limited (although it does also have the unfolding trapeze bar thing as a foot rest). Despite all the nitpicking, the bottom line is that they are very comfortable seats. Firm in the right places, soft in the right places. When putting the seat into full recline it feels like it has a little cradle action. On the back of the seats it says Recaro, so I guess they are the makers. I think DL buys from Denny’s Dental Supply, so the seats are a step up, although the personal room is a step back.
The IFE is terrific. It’s a big screen and the system is totally on-demand. However, as with HDTV they have clearly put the rocket scientists on the technology and left the content selection to the lower primates. None of the seven movies were worth watching. What was very fun was the nose camera that was available full-time (except takeoff and landing, of course). They also pass out Sennheiser noise-reducing headsets, but I already own a pair, so I passed on those. They might be unnecessary. The A330 is a very quiet plane from row 5. Also, the A330s have Empower laptop ports.
The lunch was terrific—easily the best airline meal I’ve ever had (hey, I have flown CX F class a few times). I take back my comment at the top. Foie gras appetizer—a nice sized hunk of the real thing, not the cheap pate stuff. Perfectly cooked cod in some kind of light cream sauce with roasted potatoes and carrots. Cheeses that didn’t get pulled out of the cooler case in the Piggly-Wiggly on route to the ATL flight kitchen. And Breyers doesn’t compare with a jewel-like vanilla-coffee-chocolate mousse-like pastry.
Wine list (or the whine list for the less sufferable FTers): Piper-Heidsieck 1996 (Champagne), Montagny 1er cru Maison Louis Max 2000 (white Burgundy), Gigondas Maison E. Guigal 1998 (Rhone red) and Saint-Julien Amiral de Beycheville 1997 (Bordeaux red). Unlike DL, they actually had all of the above.
The service was very efficient and the flight attendants were friendly, although after the meal service they vanished (there is a self-serve bar). I suppose some people would be disappointed with the service technique (bringing items already plated on a tray, sneezing on the bread) but inasmuch as I’m not commonly waited upon by a Beefeater, Master of the Utensils or Lackey of the Napkin, I thought it went well. Just kidding about the bread.
The amenity kit was not especially attractive but contained a useful assortment of travel-related goods. I won’t be convinced that the airlines are serious about safely ditching in an out-of-the-way place (such as the North Atlantic) until the kit contains waterproof matches, snakebite antivenin and condoms.
Overall, I would rate this as superior in every way to a DL BizElite 767 flight, and equal in quality (with some tradeoffs) to other DL and all CO BizFirst flights. As for AF’s 767, 747 and 340 fleets, I don’t know if Derry Air is still taking to the skies.
------------------
...or passengers swim.
[This message has been edited by Engines turn (edited 12-03-2002).]
[list=1][*]I suffer from non-refundable narcolepsy, or the ability to fall asleep in just about any airline seat at any time, so I’m not sure if the flight attendants made four passes with the bread basket or five[*]Who writes those dish descriptions for airline menus and why do people spend the time transcribing them? C’mon, the food ain’t that good[*]I am afraid to contribute to a “detail arms race” that may end up listing every sheet metal worker who assembled the plane (“This trip was on ship OO-..., aptly named as it is one of the worst examples of wing spar riveting in the air.”)[/list=a]
My frame of reference is DL BizElite and CO BizFirst, but I haven’t flown the latter in a few years, so I’m sure things have changed there. At any rate, since SkyTeamers may actually have a motive to choose between DL and AF, I think this is a comparison worth doing.
I have also flown AF J once before (1998). It was on an old 742 where the IFE system was the magazines. This trip also gave birth to my pet name for Air France. For some reason the flight attendants always came towards my seat from behind. They would blow past me, ignoring my pathetic gasping noises as I dehydrated like a mango slice in a Ronco commercial. Thus the name: Derry Air.
This was my first A330 flight. I’ve been in the 300 and the 340. From the inside, the 330 seems smaller than both; it looks a lot like a 767. First Class is one row of seats at the front. It was empty when I boarded near the end of the process (of course we got bussed from gate to plane. Nothing like shelling out $1,300 to get the Greyhound experience). It’s a very small compartment, but I guess if they were lying about the fold-flat seats one of the really rich FTers would have reported this by now. Behind a bulkhead there are two rows of J (2-2-2), then the forward galleys, then another 5 rows of J. I was sitting in this second section of J. “Espace Affaires,” as they call it (sounds like a sci-fi coming-of-age movie on late-night cable) was about 33% occupied. Coach is 2-4-2 in two compartments with tight legroom but very good IFE. Row 29 is the bulkhead in the second compartment and the side seats have more legroom than a pair of Roseanne’s pantyhose. Row 38 has the incredible shrinking fuselage 2-3-2 arrangement so those middle seats have offset video screens and trays.
Legroom looks to be in the mid-50” range. It’s less than DL/CO. I could easily touch the seats in front of me with my feet (I’m 5’11). If there had been someone behind me when I reclined fully, I estimate that I would have been close enough to determine if they were a nose-breather or a mouth-breather, but not so close that I could tell what they had for lunch. Front to back, it’s a little tight. Row 4, the bulkhead in the second J section, looks to have a little more legroom than other rows.
The seat width is okay but not extraordinary. Probably 19.5”, better than a DL 767 but worse than a DL 777 or any CO J seat. Getting to the IFE controller was a blind search but not a thigh massage. I was on an aisle with no seatmate; no service cart bumps.
The seats are done up in navy blue and tan fabric, as if they were designed by someone with a fondness for prep-school uniforms. They have this weird adjustable headrest that is kept in place by Velcro. I couldn’t figure out how to adjust it and at first I thought it was uncomfortably low, but after a while I got used to it. There are electronic controls for the seat back tilt and the leg rest projection. There is no lumbar support and leg rest mobility is limited (although it does also have the unfolding trapeze bar thing as a foot rest). Despite all the nitpicking, the bottom line is that they are very comfortable seats. Firm in the right places, soft in the right places. When putting the seat into full recline it feels like it has a little cradle action. On the back of the seats it says Recaro, so I guess they are the makers. I think DL buys from Denny’s Dental Supply, so the seats are a step up, although the personal room is a step back.
The IFE is terrific. It’s a big screen and the system is totally on-demand. However, as with HDTV they have clearly put the rocket scientists on the technology and left the content selection to the lower primates. None of the seven movies were worth watching. What was very fun was the nose camera that was available full-time (except takeoff and landing, of course). They also pass out Sennheiser noise-reducing headsets, but I already own a pair, so I passed on those. They might be unnecessary. The A330 is a very quiet plane from row 5. Also, the A330s have Empower laptop ports.
The lunch was terrific—easily the best airline meal I’ve ever had (hey, I have flown CX F class a few times). I take back my comment at the top. Foie gras appetizer—a nice sized hunk of the real thing, not the cheap pate stuff. Perfectly cooked cod in some kind of light cream sauce with roasted potatoes and carrots. Cheeses that didn’t get pulled out of the cooler case in the Piggly-Wiggly on route to the ATL flight kitchen. And Breyers doesn’t compare with a jewel-like vanilla-coffee-chocolate mousse-like pastry.
Wine list (or the whine list for the less sufferable FTers): Piper-Heidsieck 1996 (Champagne), Montagny 1er cru Maison Louis Max 2000 (white Burgundy), Gigondas Maison E. Guigal 1998 (Rhone red) and Saint-Julien Amiral de Beycheville 1997 (Bordeaux red). Unlike DL, they actually had all of the above.
The service was very efficient and the flight attendants were friendly, although after the meal service they vanished (there is a self-serve bar). I suppose some people would be disappointed with the service technique (bringing items already plated on a tray, sneezing on the bread) but inasmuch as I’m not commonly waited upon by a Beefeater, Master of the Utensils or Lackey of the Napkin, I thought it went well. Just kidding about the bread.
The amenity kit was not especially attractive but contained a useful assortment of travel-related goods. I won’t be convinced that the airlines are serious about safely ditching in an out-of-the-way place (such as the North Atlantic) until the kit contains waterproof matches, snakebite antivenin and condoms.
Overall, I would rate this as superior in every way to a DL BizElite 767 flight, and equal in quality (with some tradeoffs) to other DL and all CO BizFirst flights. As for AF’s 767, 747 and 340 fleets, I don’t know if Derry Air is still taking to the skies.
------------------
...or passengers swim.
[This message has been edited by Engines turn (edited 12-03-2002).]
!
Dec 4, 2002 | 1:19 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA PLT; SPG G
Posts: 383
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by garfield5:
the camera itself is not off, but you have to stow your screen for take-off and landing...
</font>
the camera itself is not off, but you have to stow your screen for take-off and landing...
</font>
Dec 4, 2002 | 3:18 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB PLT again afater a decade as plebian
Posts: 22,946
Thanks for the report. I'm interested in your observaton below:
In what way did the A330 seem smaller to you than the 300 and 340s? They all use the same fuselage cross section so it should seem the same inside except for width. The only thing I can think of is that you were on an A330-200 (which I've never been in) which is shorter than the the A340-300 and A300s and A330-300 (flown in all 3 in the front). I'm guessing this as US manages to put a lie-flat row of FC seats followed by 4 rows of 60" pitch BC seats between the 1st and 2nd doors and galley.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Engines turn:
This was my first A330 flight. I’ve been in the 300 and the 340. From the inside, the 330 seems smaller than both; it looks a lot like a 767.</font>
This was my first A330 flight. I’ve been in the 300 and the 340. From the inside, the 330 seems smaller than both; it looks a lot like a 767.</font>
Dec 4, 2002 | 3:22 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB PLT again afater a decade as plebian
Posts: 22,946
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SarahEmm:
Cameras are also off on some airlines (or maybe at crew's discretion like Channel 9?) after a crash where it was speculated that the pax watched the whole thing on-screen...</font>
Cameras are also off on some airlines (or maybe at crew's discretion like Channel 9?) after a crash where it was speculated that the pax watched the whole thing on-screen...</font>
NH (domestic 777s and 747s) has it for one. Some CX 777s have them too.
Dec 4, 2002 | 3:34 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Paris, France
Programs: SkyMiles Platinum, Skywards Silver
Posts: 131
re: the nose and belly cameras, the new SAS longhaul Airbuses (330s and 340s) have them, and in economy class where there's no screen to stow they were on for both takeoff and landing, though they seemed to be switched off immediately before pulling into the gate, at the captain's discretion. Very cool to see a skewed lineup for a crosswind landing with a last-second correction for the roll. Though slightly disturbing to be pointed directly at the Empire State building right before the final turn into Newark.
Dec 4, 2002 | 9:16 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA PLT; SPG G
Posts: 383
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by terenz:
In what way did the A330 seem smaller to you than the 300 and 340s? They all use the same fuselage cross section so it should seem the same inside except for width. The only thing I can think of is that you were on an A330-200 (which I've never been in) which is shorter than the the A340-300 and A300s and A330-300 (flown in all 3 in the front). I'm guessing this as US manages to put a lie-flat row of FC seats followed by 4 rows of 60" pitch BC seats between the 1st and 2nd doors and galley.
</font>
In what way did the A330 seem smaller to you than the 300 and 340s? They all use the same fuselage cross section so it should seem the same inside except for width. The only thing I can think of is that you were on an A330-200 (which I've never been in) which is shorter than the the A340-300 and A300s and A330-300 (flown in all 3 in the front). I'm guessing this as US manages to put a lie-flat row of FC seats followed by 4 rows of 60" pitch BC seats between the 1st and 2nd doors and galley.
</font>
------------------
...or passengers swim.