Trenta: A Birthday Adventure to the Tuscan Countryside
Jun 29, 2023, 3:55 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Trenta: A Birthday Adventure to the Tuscan Countryside
Greetings from 30,000 feet above rural Mississippi! Mrs. WS93 and I are off today to celebrate my birthday with some friends in Tuscany! The pieces of this trip started coming together over two years ago when Mrs. WS93 won a week at a villa in Tuscany in a charity auction. Due to the timing of other trips and our upcoming wedding, we decided to use that as the centerpiece for my round number birthday trip.
Booking Flights
It’s no secret that Summer 2023 has been one of the most in demand travel periods, and the weeks surrounding the 4th of July holiday were no different. Once we set the week for our villa stay I got to work on the flights.
It was much more difficult to find TATL business class award availability for two than I have ever had before. After searching like crazy, I finally found an Air France flight for our outbound from New York-JFK to Brussels with a connection in Paris for 55k Flying Blue points and $300 in taxes and fees per person.
For the return, we wanted to try and spend some time in Rome before our departure but I couldn’t make anything work schedule wise. I ended up using some extra Marriott Bonvoy miles to top off my American AAdvantage account and booked British Airways from Rome to Houston with an overnight at London-Heathrow for 57.5k AAdvantage miles and $400 in taxes and fees each.
To get from Brussels to Rome, ITA was the best option timing and price wise. $300 per person one way for an Economy flight with checked bags was the best I was able to do on our travel dates.
For the positioning flights, I booked a cheap, sub $200 one way first class fare on Delta from Dallas to New York-JFK, with a 9 hour layover in NYC. With the flight only running 3x daily, I was worried any delays on the midday flight would cause us to misconnect. To get back to Dallas I booked a one way United fare in Economy from Houston to Dallas for $180 one way per person. We changed this mid-trip to a flight from Houston to Austin as Mrs. WS93's dad decided to come down to watch our house while we were gone.
Ultimately, our routing was as follows:
Booking Lodging
The auction company put us in touch with Hill Town Tours to plan the details of our villa stay in Tuscany. After some discussions with them, we settled on Villa Ronzano which is located in Cortona, near the town of Montepulciano. They handled the rest of the items related to our accommodations including any pre-arrival shopping we wanted done as well as booking tours.
For our stays outside of Italy, we had two nights in Brussels and one night in London that we needed to account for. For our night in London, since we didn’t have much time to go sightsee, I booked the Renaissance London Heathrow for only $120 for the night. We later swapped this to The Westminster in the city since we were able to get an earlier flight to London to do some sightseeing, which cost us 59,000 HHonors points.
In Brussels, we wanted to maximize our short time in the city so being centrally located was important to us. I used my annual $200 hotel credit from my American Express Platinum card at the NH Collection Grand Sablon. In addition to the $200 credit, we also received complimentary breakfast, early check in, a credit to use at the property, and an upgrade on a space available basis.
With the trip all planned out, we drove up to Dallas to drop Gumbo off at my in-laws and hopped on a flight to head for Belgium.
In this trip report:
This trip report and more can be found on ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter.
Booking Flights
It’s no secret that Summer 2023 has been one of the most in demand travel periods, and the weeks surrounding the 4th of July holiday were no different. Once we set the week for our villa stay I got to work on the flights.
It was much more difficult to find TATL business class award availability for two than I have ever had before. After searching like crazy, I finally found an Air France flight for our outbound from New York-JFK to Brussels with a connection in Paris for 55k Flying Blue points and $300 in taxes and fees per person.
For the return, we wanted to try and spend some time in Rome before our departure but I couldn’t make anything work schedule wise. I ended up using some extra Marriott Bonvoy miles to top off my American AAdvantage account and booked British Airways from Rome to Houston with an overnight at London-Heathrow for 57.5k AAdvantage miles and $400 in taxes and fees each.
To get from Brussels to Rome, ITA was the best option timing and price wise. $300 per person one way for an Economy flight with checked bags was the best I was able to do on our travel dates.
For the positioning flights, I booked a cheap, sub $200 one way first class fare on Delta from Dallas to New York-JFK, with a 9 hour layover in NYC. With the flight only running 3x daily, I was worried any delays on the midday flight would cause us to misconnect. To get back to Dallas I booked a one way United fare in Economy from Houston to Dallas for $180 one way per person. We changed this mid-trip to a flight from Houston to Austin as Mrs. WS93's dad decided to come down to watch our house while we were gone.
Ultimately, our routing was as follows:
Booking Lodging
The auction company put us in touch with Hill Town Tours to plan the details of our villa stay in Tuscany. After some discussions with them, we settled on Villa Ronzano which is located in Cortona, near the town of Montepulciano. They handled the rest of the items related to our accommodations including any pre-arrival shopping we wanted done as well as booking tours.
For our stays outside of Italy, we had two nights in Brussels and one night in London that we needed to account for. For our night in London, since we didn’t have much time to go sightsee, I booked the Renaissance London Heathrow for only $120 for the night. We later swapped this to The Westminster in the city since we were able to get an earlier flight to London to do some sightseeing, which cost us 59,000 HHonors points.
In Brussels, we wanted to maximize our short time in the city so being centrally located was important to us. I used my annual $200 hotel credit from my American Express Platinum card at the NH Collection Grand Sablon. In addition to the $200 credit, we also received complimentary breakfast, early check in, a credit to use at the property, and an upgrade on a space available basis.
With the trip all planned out, we drove up to Dallas to drop Gumbo off at my in-laws and hopped on a flight to head for Belgium.
In this trip report:
- Delta A220-100 First Class (DFW-JFK)
- Our Afternoon in New York
- Air France Lounge JFK
- Air France B777-300 Business Class (JFK-CDG)
- Air France Plane to Rail Transfer Paris-Charles de Gaulle
- SNCF TGV First Class (Paris-Brussels)
- NH Grand Sablon Brussels
- Exploring Brussels
- A Day Trip to Bruges
- Diamond Lounge BRU
- ITA Airways A320 Economy (BRU-FCO)
- Villa Ronzano
- Our Week in Tuscany
- British Airways Lounge FCO
- British Airways A320 Club Europe Business Class (FCO-LHR)
- The Westminster London, A Curio Collection Hotel
- An Evening in London
- British Airways Galleries Lounge LHR
- British Airways B777-300 Club Suite Business Class (LHR-IAH)
- United A319 Economy (IAH-AUS)
This trip report and more can be found on ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram and Twitter.
Last edited by wakesetter93; Sep 19, 2023 at 10:40 am
Jul 4, 2023, 1:37 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Delta A220-100 First Class (DFW-JFK)
To kick off our trip to Belgium and Italy, we first needed to get to New York. We drove up from Austin to Mrs. WS93’s parent’s house in Fort Worth to drop off Gumbo before heading out to start our adventure.
Booking
Our Air France flight from New York to Paris was leaving at 9:30p local time. With the chaos that usually surrounds New York area airports in the summer (this was booked prior to the extra chaos brought by ATC, wildfire, and weather issues) I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to connect. Ultimately, Delta had a morning flight that would put us into JFK around noon, I could also tag my bags all the way through to Paris thanks to their partnership with Air France which was a major plus.
First Class seats were a small premium over economy and I paid just under $200 per person for our flight. While I have ridden on the A220 before, this would be my first time in First Class so I was interested to see how it compared.
Pre-Flight
With a 7:10a scheduled departure time, we were awake by 4:30a and in the car by 5:00a to head over to DFW Airport. We were curbside at Terminal E 25 minutes later and made our way over to the Delta counter. Even at 5:30a the counter was a mess as the airline was still dealing with repercussions from the weather on the East Coast the previous day. Multiple flights weren’t able to make it to Dallas, leading to cancellations that morning.
Fortunately for us, our flight arrived from LaGuardia the afternoon before and spent the night in Dallas. It was supposed to fly a DFW-JFK-DFW turn later that day but both were canceled due to the weather.
After a 5 minute wait in the Sky Priority queue, a helpful Delta agent issued our boarding passes and tagged our luggage all the way through to Paris. I also had AirTags in them in case they accidentally ended up on the belt at JFK.
From there, we headed off to security where there was nobody in the CLEAR lane and were on our way to the Sky Club in minutes.
Lounge
A quick scan of our boarding passes and we were admitted into the Sky Club. With about an hour to go until boarding we grabbed a couple of seats near the window and had a snack, though we didn’t go too crazy as we would have a real breakfast onboard. The DFW Sky Club is decent for an outstation but I wouldn't go out of my way to spend time here.
Boarding
Five minutes before our scheduled departure time, we started the trek from the Sky Club down to gate E17 and our waiting Airbus A220-100.
Pre-boarding was called at the scheduled boarding time and, due to the large number of families with small children, boarding began a few minutes later than scheduled. We boarded with First Class and headed down the jet bridge to our plane.
Delta Air Lines
DL 451
DFW-JFK (Dallas/Ft. Worth International - New York John F. Kennedy International)
Seat: 2A (First)
A220-100 (N133DU)
Scheduled: 7:10a-11:55a
Actual: 7:13a-11:57a
Seat
Delta’s A220 is configured in a 2-2 layout, which is standard for domestic first class. Though, the A220 is narrower than the 737 and A320 which means the seats feel a bit tighter. The armrests only have space for one drink and the standard Delta water bottles were in cubbys underneath as they wouldn’t fit on the armrest tray.
Seat pitch in First is tight on the A220, and didn’t feel much better than the extra legroom, Comfort+ seats.
There was a high resolution IFE screen located in the seatback along with a literature pocket and storage area. It appeared that the screen had been cleaned with a dirty rag as soon as the sunlight hit it. The storage was also on the small side so I just used it to store my tablet.
The tray table popped up and out from the armrest, though it took some convincing. You could leave it folded if you didn’t need much space or open it up to hold a laptop, food tray, etc.
For some reason, the seat braces on the A220 were oddly spaced and even a backpack wouldn’t fit fully underneath due to the brace and IFE box.
Between the two seats there were two power outlets. Also, a USB port was available under the IFE screen.
Our plane also seemed like one of the earlier A220’s delivered to Delta as some wear was noticeable throughout the cabin.
Departure
Prior to departure, the crew came around with open bar pre-departure beverages. I had a club soda which was served in a plastic cup. Mrs. WS93 ordered one as well but the FA seemed to forget. After the rest of the cabin was served we reminded her and she apologized and quickly brought one over.
The captain came out of the cockpit and made his pre-flight announcements from the cabin which I though was a nice touch and informed us that we should have a smooth ride up to New York. This was reassuring as the previous few days had been chaos for flying in the northeast.
We pushed back next to a Frontier A320 and taxied to the north end of the airport. Due to some taxiway construction we had to weave a bit but soon we were rocketing off of runway 36R towards the south.
In Flight
As we climbed, we turned from south to east and ended overflying our old Dallas neighborhoods of Uptown and Highland Park.
As we flew east, our Detroit based crew hopped into action to start the breakfast service. First, tablecloths were distributed and beverage orders were taken. Mrs. WS93 and I both opted for mimosas which were served in real glasses.
We pre-selected our meals a few days before the flight and I selected the breakfast sandwich while Mrs. WS93 had the coconut chia pudding. The presentation on hers was great while mine looked like it came out of a fast food bag, however it was quite tasty once I removed some of the excess cheese.
By the time the meal was finished we were passing over Little Rock, Arkansas and I fired up the IFE and watched In Bruges. We took a northern route to New York, flying close to the US/Canadian border and, after she fell asleep, I pulled up the moving map on Mrs. WS93’s screen.
Once the movie ended, I took a trip to the lavatory at the front of the plane which was surprisingly spacious for a plane this size. There was even a large, fold down changing table available.
Grown Alchemist hand cream as well as Purell soap were available. Also, unlike almost every travel writer on the planet, I resisted the urge to check out the rear lavatory with the window.
As we got closer towards New York, I spent time just looking out the window. Soon, the outskirts of the city started to appear.
Before we started our initial descent, the flight attendant working the First Class cabin came around with the snack basket and I grabbed some Sun Chips and almonds.
Arrival
We started our descent and flew directly over New York-LaGuardia before going out over the bay and making a sweeping circle around to land from the northeast.
Once on the ground, we had to hold for some departing traffic before taxiing over to our gate in the new A concourse expansion of Terminal 4.
During our taxi we passed by a Kenya Airways 787 headed for Nairobi and an Etihad 787 bound for Abu Dhabi. The variety of airlines you see at JFK is always cool.
We we pulled into our arrival gate, A11, a few minutes late next to a Delta Connection CRJ-900. Since we were seated in row 2, we were off the plane in no time and headed into the terminal.
While I appreciated not having to make the long trek from the high B gates (B53 was our original arrival gate), the newly opened A gates seem like a halfhearted attempt to add capacity to Delta’s operation at T4. Ground level boarding for all gates and a cramped, dark waiting area didn’t help the atmosphere.
With our bags tagged through to Paris, we bypassed baggage claim and followed the signs to the terminal exit and the AirTrain which would take us to the subway into the city.
Summary
It was another pleasant flight up to New York on Delta, though the A220-100 First Class slightly missed the mark. Service was great and the crew was attentive but the seat can feel cramped due to the pitch and narrow fuselage. It’s a great aircraft in economy with a 2-3 configuration but if you’re flying in First Class I’d opt for an A320 or B737 family aircraft for some extra wiggle room.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter!
Booking
Our Air France flight from New York to Paris was leaving at 9:30p local time. With the chaos that usually surrounds New York area airports in the summer (this was booked prior to the extra chaos brought by ATC, wildfire, and weather issues) I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to connect. Ultimately, Delta had a morning flight that would put us into JFK around noon, I could also tag my bags all the way through to Paris thanks to their partnership with Air France which was a major plus.
First Class seats were a small premium over economy and I paid just under $200 per person for our flight. While I have ridden on the A220 before, this would be my first time in First Class so I was interested to see how it compared.
Pre-Flight
With a 7:10a scheduled departure time, we were awake by 4:30a and in the car by 5:00a to head over to DFW Airport. We were curbside at Terminal E 25 minutes later and made our way over to the Delta counter. Even at 5:30a the counter was a mess as the airline was still dealing with repercussions from the weather on the East Coast the previous day. Multiple flights weren’t able to make it to Dallas, leading to cancellations that morning.
Fortunately for us, our flight arrived from LaGuardia the afternoon before and spent the night in Dallas. It was supposed to fly a DFW-JFK-DFW turn later that day but both were canceled due to the weather.
After a 5 minute wait in the Sky Priority queue, a helpful Delta agent issued our boarding passes and tagged our luggage all the way through to Paris. I also had AirTags in them in case they accidentally ended up on the belt at JFK.
From there, we headed off to security where there was nobody in the CLEAR lane and were on our way to the Sky Club in minutes.
Lounge
A quick scan of our boarding passes and we were admitted into the Sky Club. With about an hour to go until boarding we grabbed a couple of seats near the window and had a snack, though we didn’t go too crazy as we would have a real breakfast onboard. The DFW Sky Club is decent for an outstation but I wouldn't go out of my way to spend time here.
Boarding
Five minutes before our scheduled departure time, we started the trek from the Sky Club down to gate E17 and our waiting Airbus A220-100.
Pre-boarding was called at the scheduled boarding time and, due to the large number of families with small children, boarding began a few minutes later than scheduled. We boarded with First Class and headed down the jet bridge to our plane.
Delta Air Lines
DL 451
DFW-JFK (Dallas/Ft. Worth International - New York John F. Kennedy International)
Seat: 2A (First)
A220-100 (N133DU)
Scheduled: 7:10a-11:55a
Actual: 7:13a-11:57a
Seat
Delta’s A220 is configured in a 2-2 layout, which is standard for domestic first class. Though, the A220 is narrower than the 737 and A320 which means the seats feel a bit tighter. The armrests only have space for one drink and the standard Delta water bottles were in cubbys underneath as they wouldn’t fit on the armrest tray.
Seat pitch in First is tight on the A220, and didn’t feel much better than the extra legroom, Comfort+ seats.
There was a high resolution IFE screen located in the seatback along with a literature pocket and storage area. It appeared that the screen had been cleaned with a dirty rag as soon as the sunlight hit it. The storage was also on the small side so I just used it to store my tablet.
The tray table popped up and out from the armrest, though it took some convincing. You could leave it folded if you didn’t need much space or open it up to hold a laptop, food tray, etc.
For some reason, the seat braces on the A220 were oddly spaced and even a backpack wouldn’t fit fully underneath due to the brace and IFE box.
Between the two seats there were two power outlets. Also, a USB port was available under the IFE screen.
Our plane also seemed like one of the earlier A220’s delivered to Delta as some wear was noticeable throughout the cabin.
Departure
Prior to departure, the crew came around with open bar pre-departure beverages. I had a club soda which was served in a plastic cup. Mrs. WS93 ordered one as well but the FA seemed to forget. After the rest of the cabin was served we reminded her and she apologized and quickly brought one over.
The captain came out of the cockpit and made his pre-flight announcements from the cabin which I though was a nice touch and informed us that we should have a smooth ride up to New York. This was reassuring as the previous few days had been chaos for flying in the northeast.
We pushed back next to a Frontier A320 and taxied to the north end of the airport. Due to some taxiway construction we had to weave a bit but soon we were rocketing off of runway 36R towards the south.
In FlightAs we climbed, we turned from south to east and ended overflying our old Dallas neighborhoods of Uptown and Highland Park.
As we flew east, our Detroit based crew hopped into action to start the breakfast service. First, tablecloths were distributed and beverage orders were taken. Mrs. WS93 and I both opted for mimosas which were served in real glasses.
We pre-selected our meals a few days before the flight and I selected the breakfast sandwich while Mrs. WS93 had the coconut chia pudding. The presentation on hers was great while mine looked like it came out of a fast food bag, however it was quite tasty once I removed some of the excess cheese.
By the time the meal was finished we were passing over Little Rock, Arkansas and I fired up the IFE and watched In Bruges. We took a northern route to New York, flying close to the US/Canadian border and, after she fell asleep, I pulled up the moving map on Mrs. WS93’s screen.
Once the movie ended, I took a trip to the lavatory at the front of the plane which was surprisingly spacious for a plane this size. There was even a large, fold down changing table available.
Grown Alchemist hand cream as well as Purell soap were available. Also, unlike almost every travel writer on the planet, I resisted the urge to check out the rear lavatory with the window.
As we got closer towards New York, I spent time just looking out the window. Soon, the outskirts of the city started to appear.
Before we started our initial descent, the flight attendant working the First Class cabin came around with the snack basket and I grabbed some Sun Chips and almonds.
Arrival
We started our descent and flew directly over New York-LaGuardia before going out over the bay and making a sweeping circle around to land from the northeast.
Once on the ground, we had to hold for some departing traffic before taxiing over to our gate in the new A concourse expansion of Terminal 4.
During our taxi we passed by a Kenya Airways 787 headed for Nairobi and an Etihad 787 bound for Abu Dhabi. The variety of airlines you see at JFK is always cool.
We we pulled into our arrival gate, A11, a few minutes late next to a Delta Connection CRJ-900. Since we were seated in row 2, we were off the plane in no time and headed into the terminal.
While I appreciated not having to make the long trek from the high B gates (B53 was our original arrival gate), the newly opened A gates seem like a halfhearted attempt to add capacity to Delta’s operation at T4. Ground level boarding for all gates and a cramped, dark waiting area didn’t help the atmosphere.
With our bags tagged through to Paris, we bypassed baggage claim and followed the signs to the terminal exit and the AirTrain which would take us to the subway into the city.
Summary
It was another pleasant flight up to New York on Delta, though the A220-100 First Class slightly missed the mark. Service was great and the crew was attentive but the seat can feel cramped due to the pitch and narrow fuselage. It’s a great aircraft in economy with a 2-3 configuration but if you’re flying in First Class I’d opt for an A320 or B737 family aircraft for some extra wiggle room.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter!
Last edited by wakesetter93; Jul 7, 2023 at 10:05 am
Jul 7, 2023, 10:02 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
An Afternoon in New York
Since our Delta and Air France flights were on two separate reservations, I wanted to make sure we had a buffer in case the northeast summer air travel issues reared its ugly head. With only 3x daily DFW-JFK flights on Delta, we elected to take the early one which gave us a 9.5 hour layover. Since we didn’t want to spend all that time lounge hopping (ok maybe I did but Mrs. WS93 wasn’t gonna go for that) we decided to spend the afternoon in the city.
We had no real plans other than an early dinner at Red Farm so we made our way over to the AirTrain upon our arrival at JFK. Initially, I had planned on taking the LIRR to Grand Central but during all my travels to New York I’d never made it to Wall Street. Therefore we decided to take the A train to Manhattan which would get us within walking distance.
The Air Train, for all of its flaws, provides some great views of the ramp action at JFK which is always unique.
Anyone who has used it recently can tell you that the AirTrain is a mess with station closures due to construction. We didn’t find it that difficult to navigate until we got to the end and tried to leave. The NYC subway and most of the buses are on the new OMNY tap to pay system but the AirTrain still uses the old MetroCard, so we had to buy one at the kiosk. We bought the 10 AirTrain ride pass as it was cheaper than buying 4 individual tickets.
The whole trip from JFK T4 to Manhattan took about an hour and soon we were back above ground and made our way over towards the New York Stock Exchange. We took the typical pictures of the building and the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue before heading down towards Battery Park in search of some food.
A Nathan’s hot dog cart happened to be waiting at the corner of the park so we grabbed a couple of hot dogs and walked around watching the tourists race to ferry boats and the New Yorkers playing in the park.
With our bellies full, Mrs. WS93 wanted to find a place to grab a drink. She found a couple of promising bars in Tribeca on the waterfront so we strolled up the Hudson River Greenway adjacent to the West Side Highway, passing in front of One World Trade and the 9-11 memorial.
In Tribeca, we headed to Grand Banks, which is a restaurant and bar located on an old ship moored to Pier 25 on the Hudson River. The hostesses seated us quickly at the bar and we perused the menu.
One thing of note if you decide to visit, this is an actual boat floating in the river, not in drydock. So waves from passing boats can cause it to rock, take note if you’re someone that gets seasick easily.
The drinks were great and we relaxed for an hour or so and enjoyed the view.
At one point, a rain shower passed over us which forced some folks to flee under the covers. Thankfully our seats were covered so we managed to stay dry.
The restrooms are located down in the bottom of the boat and have not been retrofitted to 2023 human sizes so watch your head and your step should you choose to head down below.
After drinks it was time for one of our favorite New York restaurants, Red Farm. Anytime we find ourselves in the city we always get at least one meal here and today was no different. We took the 1 Train up from Tribeca to the Upper West Side and made the short walk over just as they opened at 4:30p.
The restaurant was empty and we were seated instantly. During our last visit we discovered that Red Farm was opening a 4th location (accompanying the two in New York and one in London) in Austin and Mrs. WS93 has already managed to befriend the manager there. Hopefully I don’t have to stop doing my crazy New York layovers though.
We were on a mission since we needed to get back to JFK and face the chaos that is T1 security so we ordered right away, two orders of the pork and crab soup dumplings and the duck noodles. The full menu is below.
After dinner, a very happy Mrs. WS93 and I headed down to the subway and caught a southbound 1 Train to Penn Station.
We made a quick dash to the Long Island Railroad platforms and caught a train to the airport, which deposited us at Jamaica station just before 6:30p.
From there, we hopped on board the AirTrain for the ride over to JFK T8 and then the shuttle bus to T1, as the AirTrain is under construction, to check in for our Air France flight to Paris.
Thanks for coming along on this quick afternoon visit to New York! For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter
We had no real plans other than an early dinner at Red Farm so we made our way over to the AirTrain upon our arrival at JFK. Initially, I had planned on taking the LIRR to Grand Central but during all my travels to New York I’d never made it to Wall Street. Therefore we decided to take the A train to Manhattan which would get us within walking distance.
The Air Train, for all of its flaws, provides some great views of the ramp action at JFK which is always unique.
Anyone who has used it recently can tell you that the AirTrain is a mess with station closures due to construction. We didn’t find it that difficult to navigate until we got to the end and tried to leave. The NYC subway and most of the buses are on the new OMNY tap to pay system but the AirTrain still uses the old MetroCard, so we had to buy one at the kiosk. We bought the 10 AirTrain ride pass as it was cheaper than buying 4 individual tickets.
The whole trip from JFK T4 to Manhattan took about an hour and soon we were back above ground and made our way over towards the New York Stock Exchange. We took the typical pictures of the building and the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue before heading down towards Battery Park in search of some food.
A Nathan’s hot dog cart happened to be waiting at the corner of the park so we grabbed a couple of hot dogs and walked around watching the tourists race to ferry boats and the New Yorkers playing in the park.
With our bellies full, Mrs. WS93 wanted to find a place to grab a drink. She found a couple of promising bars in Tribeca on the waterfront so we strolled up the Hudson River Greenway adjacent to the West Side Highway, passing in front of One World Trade and the 9-11 memorial.
In Tribeca, we headed to Grand Banks, which is a restaurant and bar located on an old ship moored to Pier 25 on the Hudson River. The hostesses seated us quickly at the bar and we perused the menu.
One thing of note if you decide to visit, this is an actual boat floating in the river, not in drydock. So waves from passing boats can cause it to rock, take note if you’re someone that gets seasick easily.
The drinks were great and we relaxed for an hour or so and enjoyed the view.
At one point, a rain shower passed over us which forced some folks to flee under the covers. Thankfully our seats were covered so we managed to stay dry.
The restrooms are located down in the bottom of the boat and have not been retrofitted to 2023 human sizes so watch your head and your step should you choose to head down below.
After drinks it was time for one of our favorite New York restaurants, Red Farm. Anytime we find ourselves in the city we always get at least one meal here and today was no different. We took the 1 Train up from Tribeca to the Upper West Side and made the short walk over just as they opened at 4:30p.
The restaurant was empty and we were seated instantly. During our last visit we discovered that Red Farm was opening a 4th location (accompanying the two in New York and one in London) in Austin and Mrs. WS93 has already managed to befriend the manager there. Hopefully I don’t have to stop doing my crazy New York layovers though.
We were on a mission since we needed to get back to JFK and face the chaos that is T1 security so we ordered right away, two orders of the pork and crab soup dumplings and the duck noodles. The full menu is below.
After dinner, a very happy Mrs. WS93 and I headed down to the subway and caught a southbound 1 Train to Penn Station.
We made a quick dash to the Long Island Railroad platforms and caught a train to the airport, which deposited us at Jamaica station just before 6:30p.
From there, we hopped on board the AirTrain for the ride over to JFK T8 and then the shuttle bus to T1, as the AirTrain is under construction, to check in for our Air France flight to Paris.
Thanks for coming along on this quick afternoon visit to New York! For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter
Jul 10, 2023, 7:02 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Jul 10, 2023, 3:54 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,643
Thanks 757! The Air France Lounge is up on my website and will have it up on FT in a couple hours. Got busy with work today so it's halfway done in another tab at the moment
Jul 10, 2023, 5:08 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,643
Air France Lounge JFK
After our early morning flight up from Dallas on Delta and an afternoon in New York, it was time to continue our journey to Belgium. The AirTrain deposited us at JFK Terminal 8 and a short shuttle bus ride later, we were curbside at Terminal 1. We stopped by the Air France counter to collect our boarding passes and then headed off to the lounge.
Location
Terminal one at JFK is on the smaller side, so you don’t have to go very far to find the lounge. Once you clear security, head to the right in the direction of Gate 1. Past the gate, at the end of the hallway, you'll see the entrance to the lounge straight ahead.
Hours of Operation
Air France currently lists the hours of operation as 10:00a-11:00p daily. It's worth noting that the American Express Global Lounge Collection website lists the hours as 9:45a-11:30p, so there are some discrepancies out there though I’m going with the times listed by the airline.
Entry Requirements
You can enter the Air France JFK Terminal 1 Lounge a few different ways. Passengers flying in La Premiere (First Class) and Business Class (Standard and Flex Fare) have access to the lounge with their ticket.
Flying Blue Platinum members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under 18. Flying Blue Gold members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under the age of 12. SkyTeam Elite Plus members can also access the lounge and bring one guest. All Flying Blue/SkyTeam elites and their guests must be flying on an Air France or SkyTeam operated flight departing from Terminal One.
In addition to Air France/SkyTeam elites, the lounge can be accessed using Priority Pass, though access may be restricted between 1:00p-10:00p due to space constraints.
There were a couple of people in front of us waiting to enter but with two agents we were helped quickly. One scan of our boarding pass and we were admitted into the lounge.
Layout
The Air France Lounge is split up into two levels, though there is no real difference between the two of them in terms of seating. There was a separate room for passengers flying in La Premiere though, obviously, I didn't go in.
The majority of the seating was in the form of café style tables, given the short flight between New York and Paris, some passengers choose to eat in the lounge to maximize sleep. However, there were some lounge style seats available on the first floor.
Buffets and restrooms were located on both floors, though the Clarins treatment area (which we didn't book anything at) and the showers are located on the first floor. The restrooms were on the smaller side, especially given the number of passengers utilizing the lounge.
We grabbed a table near the windows on the second floor which had some massive windows overlooking the approach road to the Terminal and the AirTrain.
The other side of the lounge had views out over the ramp and I managed to snag a shot of an ITA Airways A330neo, Turkish Airlines 777-300 and F-GSQB, an Air France 777-300 that would taking us to Paris later that evening.
Food and Beverage
After we dropped our bags at the table, I went off to check out the buffet. It's worth noting that, due to the short flying time between New York and Paris, Air France offers to let passengers dine in the lounge to maximize sleep on board. The Air France website officially lists flights AF9 and AF17, but we were extended the same offer on AF11. Since we were full from our early dinner/late lunch at Red Farm, we opted to eat onboard.
The buffet had a decent spread, and consisted of one long, 'L-shaped', bar with the drinks located opposite. There was a large selection of meats and cheeses along with some desserts and fruits/juices in a chilled area.
Also in the chilled area was a build your own salad bar.
For the warm dishes, there were two quiches, a ham and cheese as well as a broccoli and cheese, as well as three platters. The platters consisted of some roasted potatoes with vegetables, a lightly fried flounder, and a beef stew.
Finally, there was a selection of fruit, nuts, trail mix, and pies available at the end of the buffet.
The bar was located opposite the buffet on both levels and was completely self service. There was a decent selection of drinks, though nothing groundbreaking. For wine, there was champagne and three whites in an ice bucket. Next to this was a selection of three reds.
There was a small selection of spirits, though I hadn't heard of any of them really and was a little underwhelmed (maybe the brands are more popular in Europe/France).
Coffee, water, and espresso machines were located next to the spirits and sodas, juice, beer (Heineken), and hard seltzer (White Claw) were located underneath.
Since we had eaten earlier in the city, I wasn't very hungry and grabbed a couple slices of quiche and a piece of flounder which I accompanied with a glass of champagne. I ended up going back for two more slices as hunger started to creep in due to a slightly delayed boarding time.
Atmosphere
The lounge was fairly nice though it was very busy during our stay. The staff was working quickly but tables were hard to come by and they had trouble keeping the food stocked. I'm fairly sure it was a combination of the delays that impacted New York area airports causing flights to back up, full summertime flights, and the evening departure bank. It wasn't a terribly relaxing lounge experience. Though, it was definitely much quieter and less chaotic than being in the old, cramped Terminal 1 concourse.
Summary
The Air France Lounge JFK Terminal 1 is an above average lounge in a below average terminal. I would absolutely spend time here again rather than the chaos that is JFK Terminal 1. The lounge does get crowded at times so be aware that it may not be the most relaxing space.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter
Location
Terminal one at JFK is on the smaller side, so you don’t have to go very far to find the lounge. Once you clear security, head to the right in the direction of Gate 1. Past the gate, at the end of the hallway, you'll see the entrance to the lounge straight ahead.
Hours of OperationAir France currently lists the hours of operation as 10:00a-11:00p daily. It's worth noting that the American Express Global Lounge Collection website lists the hours as 9:45a-11:30p, so there are some discrepancies out there though I’m going with the times listed by the airline.
Entry Requirements
You can enter the Air France JFK Terminal 1 Lounge a few different ways. Passengers flying in La Premiere (First Class) and Business Class (Standard and Flex Fare) have access to the lounge with their ticket.
Flying Blue Platinum members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under 18. Flying Blue Gold members can access the lounge and bring one guest, with no limit on children under the age of 12. SkyTeam Elite Plus members can also access the lounge and bring one guest. All Flying Blue/SkyTeam elites and their guests must be flying on an Air France or SkyTeam operated flight departing from Terminal One.
In addition to Air France/SkyTeam elites, the lounge can be accessed using Priority Pass, though access may be restricted between 1:00p-10:00p due to space constraints.
There were a couple of people in front of us waiting to enter but with two agents we were helped quickly. One scan of our boarding pass and we were admitted into the lounge.
Layout
The Air France Lounge is split up into two levels, though there is no real difference between the two of them in terms of seating. There was a separate room for passengers flying in La Premiere though, obviously, I didn't go in.
The majority of the seating was in the form of café style tables, given the short flight between New York and Paris, some passengers choose to eat in the lounge to maximize sleep. However, there were some lounge style seats available on the first floor.
Buffets and restrooms were located on both floors, though the Clarins treatment area (which we didn't book anything at) and the showers are located on the first floor. The restrooms were on the smaller side, especially given the number of passengers utilizing the lounge.
We grabbed a table near the windows on the second floor which had some massive windows overlooking the approach road to the Terminal and the AirTrain.
The other side of the lounge had views out over the ramp and I managed to snag a shot of an ITA Airways A330neo, Turkish Airlines 777-300 and F-GSQB, an Air France 777-300 that would taking us to Paris later that evening.
Food and BeverageAfter we dropped our bags at the table, I went off to check out the buffet. It's worth noting that, due to the short flying time between New York and Paris, Air France offers to let passengers dine in the lounge to maximize sleep on board. The Air France website officially lists flights AF9 and AF17, but we were extended the same offer on AF11. Since we were full from our early dinner/late lunch at Red Farm, we opted to eat onboard.
The buffet had a decent spread, and consisted of one long, 'L-shaped', bar with the drinks located opposite. There was a large selection of meats and cheeses along with some desserts and fruits/juices in a chilled area.
Also in the chilled area was a build your own salad bar.
For the warm dishes, there were two quiches, a ham and cheese as well as a broccoli and cheese, as well as three platters. The platters consisted of some roasted potatoes with vegetables, a lightly fried flounder, and a beef stew.
Finally, there was a selection of fruit, nuts, trail mix, and pies available at the end of the buffet.
The bar was located opposite the buffet on both levels and was completely self service. There was a decent selection of drinks, though nothing groundbreaking. For wine, there was champagne and three whites in an ice bucket. Next to this was a selection of three reds.
There was a small selection of spirits, though I hadn't heard of any of them really and was a little underwhelmed (maybe the brands are more popular in Europe/France).
Coffee, water, and espresso machines were located next to the spirits and sodas, juice, beer (Heineken), and hard seltzer (White Claw) were located underneath.
Since we had eaten earlier in the city, I wasn't very hungry and grabbed a couple slices of quiche and a piece of flounder which I accompanied with a glass of champagne. I ended up going back for two more slices as hunger started to creep in due to a slightly delayed boarding time.
Atmosphere
The lounge was fairly nice though it was very busy during our stay. The staff was working quickly but tables were hard to come by and they had trouble keeping the food stocked. I'm fairly sure it was a combination of the delays that impacted New York area airports causing flights to back up, full summertime flights, and the evening departure bank. It wasn't a terribly relaxing lounge experience. Though, it was definitely much quieter and less chaotic than being in the old, cramped Terminal 1 concourse.
Summary
The Air France Lounge JFK Terminal 1 is an above average lounge in a below average terminal. I would absolutely spend time here again rather than the chaos that is JFK Terminal 1. The lounge does get crowded at times so be aware that it may not be the most relaxing space.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter
Jul 11, 2023, 2:45 am
#9
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Bonvoy LT Titanium ANA Diamond
Posts: 763
There was a small selection of spirits, though I hadn't heard of any of them really and was a little underwhelmed (maybe the brands are more popular in Europe/France).
What sir ! You have not heard of Ricard !!!!!!!,
Jul 11, 2023, 6:34 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Jul 13, 2023, 10:32 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Jul 13, 2023, 11:10 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,643
Air France B777-300 Business Class (JFK-CDG)
After flying in from Dallas-Ft. Worth in Delta’s A220-100 First Class and spending the afternoon exploring Manhattan, it was time for us to continue on to Paris. We had a very enjoyable flight last year in Air France’s B777-200 Business Class so I was looking forward to this flight!
Booking
This summer has been absolutely insane with regards to travel demand so I had to hunt for a long time to find any sort of decently priced award availability across the Atlantic. The best deal I found was from New York to Brussels with a stop in Paris for 57,500 Flying Blue miles plus $200 in taxes and fees per person. Brussels wasn’t even on our radar but every other city pair I could find was well in excess of 150,000 miles.
When I booked, there was only availability on the 4 cabin 777-300 with the old business class seats. I kept checking for availability on the 3 cabin 777-300 with the new business class suites though availability never opened up.
Pre-Flight
Due to all of the construction at New York-JFK, we took the AirTrain from the Long Island Railroad’s Jamaica Station to Terminal 8. From there we headed down through the parking garage to a line of waiting shuttle buses that took us around to Terminal One.
The bus dropped us off on the departures level in front of the ITA Airways/EgyptAir doors and, once inside, we headed over to the A check-in desks.
With nobody in the Sky Priority lane, our documents were quickly verified and boarding passes issued. We checked our bags through to Paris when departing Dallas but, since the flights were on two separate tickets, we still had to do a document check to get our boarding passes. Otherwise, we could have headed straight for security.
The security checkpoint nightmare at JFK’s Terminal 1 has been well documented over the years so, I was excited to see signage for TSA PreCheck. Unfortunately, the line moved extremely slowly and was basically PreCheck in name only, though I did get to keep my shoes on. It took over 20 minutes for us to clear security and, once airside, we headed for the lounge.
Lounge
Passengers flying in First (La Premiere) and Business Class on Air France have access to the Air France Lounge located next to Gate 1. It’s an above average lounge located in a below average terminal. Given the length of the security lines in the terminal, get here early and head for the lounge just in case. I did a full writeup of the lounge a few posts up.\
Boarding
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9:30p but with a slightly delayed inbound we left the lounge and headed for the gate just after 9:00p.
Our flight was scheduled to depart from Gate 5 and boarding was already underway when we arrived, with lines extending down the concourse. Thankfully, there was a separate Business Class line so we were able to jump the long Economy queue. A quick scan of our boarding passes and we headed down the jetway.
Air France
AF 11
JFK-CDG (New York John F. Kennedy International - Paris Charles de Gaulle International)
Seat: 4E (Business)
B777-300 (F-GSQB)
Scheduled: 9:30a-11:00a (+1)
Actual: 9:35a-11:01a (+1)
Air France used a single jetway to board our 777-300 so things backed up a bit and we had to wait a few minutes before stepping aboard through door 2L. From there, we made a left into the forward Business Class cabin and our home for the next 7.5 hours.
Seat
I assigned Mrs. WS93 and I seats 4E and F in the second row of the forward business class cabin. With only one row of business class in front, and the separate La Premiere cabin ahead of that, I figured this would minimize foot traffic and galley noise on this short flight.
Waiting at my seat upon boarding was a pillow, small blanket, coat hanger, and the menu for tonight’s flight.
The IFE screen was crisp, given the age, and folded out from the seat in front.
Headphones were hanging inside the main storage cubby next to the seat along with the amenity kit for the flight. The headphones were decent quality, but not fantastic.
The amenity kit consisted of socks, earplugs, toothbrush, eye mask, toothpaste, and some lotions from Clarins.
To the right of the cubby, next to the seat, was the infotainment controller as well as a small reading light. The controller can pop out as well for easier use.
The seat controls were located on the side of the table separating the two seats and were simple and intuitive. You could also control the overhead reading light from here.
Underneath the seat controls was the tray table, which slid out and could be adjusted and folded as needed.
Though we didn’t use it, there is a partition between the seats that can slide out should you be seated next to a stranger. It isn’t a full partition but does provide ample privacy.
Overall, the seats were comfortable and at 6'2" I had enough space to not feel cramped though they are definitely showing their age. If given the option, I’d fly one of the flights operated by the three-cabin 777-300 with the updated seats.
Menu
While boarding was wrapping up, I took the time to peruse the menu. Dinner would be served shortly after departure with breakfast prior to landing. The menu read as follows.
Departure
Prior to departure, flight attendants came through the cabin and offered pre-departure beverages with a choice of water or juice. After all the champagne in the lounge, I opted for water which was served in a real glass.
Even though our inbound flight and boarding were delayed, we still managed to push off the gate just five minutes behind schedule. Weather delays coupled with the evening departure bank made for a long taxi over to the runway. I fired up the IFE and started Ticket to Paradise and, roughly 40 minutes after leaving the gate, we were lumbering down Runway 22R and into the night sky on our way to Paris.
We had a fairly bumpy climb out as we were passing through some weather and the captain and crew made multiple announcements throughout. Roughly 20 minutes after departure the seatbelt sign was turned off and I went to visit the restroom, which was on the small side. It was clean, though this was the beginning of the flight, and aside from some Clarins perfumes was relatively sparse.
Dinner
With the slight delay and long taxi, the dinner service began just over an hour after leaving the gate. The flight attendants seemed to take the orders of the passengers seated in the window seats throughout the cabin before starting with the middle pairs. Once they reached us, open bar beverages were offered and I went with the Pommery Brut Royal champagne which was served with some cheese crackers that I have become addicted to.
The starter consisted of duck foie gras with Armagnac, pear jelly, and a quinoa and vegetable medley. This was served with a side salad as well as the cheese and dessert. I’m assuming this was to save time? Bread was also offered but, with no room on the tray, I had to sit it on the tablecloth.
For my main, I had the duck confit gratin which was served with a potato puree, vegetables and a foie gras sauce. While it wasn’t bad, it seemed to miss the mark and was mediocre at best. Mrs.WS93 had the braised beef and said it was almost inedible.
After my main, I moved on to the cheese and dessert course, which had been on my tray from the beginning. The cheese was good and consisted of a brie and two others that I didn’t get the name of. For dessert, a pistachio macaron and a small, bite-size opera cake and raspberry crumble rounded out the meal.
At this point, it was 11:30p local time and just under 2 hours after departure. Instead of trying to sleep immediately, for some reason I thought it was a good idea to order an espresso, which was served with a small chocolate.
Part of the reason I ordered that was because any hope I had of getting some sleep was going quickly. I planned our seats to be in the quiet part of the cabin as I find it hard to sleep on planes, but the passenger in front of us kept his reading light on the entire flight and the guy next to me kept getting visits from his friend in La Premiere. I can’t imagine the other LP passengers enjoyed this either.
Eventually, the long travel day finally caught up to me so I put my seat into bed mode around 11:45p local time, popped in my AirPods, and managed to sleep for about 3.5 hours.
Breakfast
I awoke somewhat dazed and definitely tired with a little over an hour and a half remaining until Paris. Once the flight attendant noticed I was awake, he came over to see if I wanted breakfast.
The only choice of breakfast on this flight was between the full breakfast or the express breakfast in the event you wanted to get some more sleep. The meal was served on a single tray and consisted of yogurt, fruit salad, and a cheese omelet with spinach and potatoes. I also had a cup of coffee as well.
There’s no way to sugar coat it, the breakfast was awful. The omelet was basically rubber and the potatoes were powdery. I tried one bite of each and that was enough for me so I snacked on the fruit. The flight attendant asked if I would like a croissant which I appreciated and accepted, though what came next was odd. He took my tray before bringing the croissant to me which meant I had nowhere to put it other than on the tray table itself.
I cut my losses and drank coffee while watching the moving map as we approached Paris.
Arrival
As we began our descent into Paris, the flight attendants distributed hot towels which helped wake me up a bit.
Once on the ground we taxied over to the L satellite of Terminal 2E and blocked in just one minute after our scheduled arrival time. Even at their home base, Air France decided to deplane everyone through a single door though, surprisingly, they used 1L. One thing I love about Paris-CDG is the glass jetway which gave me a great look at our 777-300.
We followed the signs up to customs and immigration only to find that nobody had unlocked the doors to let us through.
A few minutes later that had been resolved, though not before backing up the stairs and escalator, and we began the longest trek to immigration I’ve ever had in my life. After walking the entire length of the L Satellite, we then took the train over to the K gates and finally to immigration 15 minutes after deplaning.
From there, we grabbed our bags and went through customs before being deposited in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2E 35 minutes after deplaning. From there, we followed the signs for the train station and our connecting train to Brussels.
Summary
I’ve long held Air France in high regard as offering a great business class experience but everything on this trip seemed like a miss. The staff was friendly but the service was odd and the food was worse than expected. I had been looking forward to this flight, and still want to try the new business class seats, though I left feeling disappointed. Hopefully this was a one off but only time will tell.
For more photos and additional trip reports, visit ATXJetsetter.com or follow along on Instagram or Twitter
Booking
This summer has been absolutely insane with regards to travel demand so I had to hunt for a long time to find any sort of decently priced award availability across the Atlantic. The best deal I found was from New York to Brussels with a stop in Paris for 57,500 Flying Blue miles plus $200 in taxes and fees per person. Brussels wasn’t even on our radar but every other city pair I could find was well in excess of 150,000 miles.
When I booked, there was only availability on the 4 cabin 777-300 with the old business class seats. I kept checking for availability on the 3 cabin 777-300 with the new business class suites though availability never opened up.
Pre-Flight
Due to all of the construction at New York-JFK, we took the AirTrain from the Long Island Railroad’s Jamaica Station to Terminal 8. From there we headed down through the parking garage to a line of waiting shuttle buses that took us around to Terminal One.
The bus dropped us off on the departures level in front of the ITA Airways/EgyptAir doors and, once inside, we headed over to the A check-in desks.
With nobody in the Sky Priority lane, our documents were quickly verified and boarding passes issued. We checked our bags through to Paris when departing Dallas but, since the flights were on two separate tickets, we still had to do a document check to get our boarding passes. Otherwise, we could have headed straight for security.
The security checkpoint nightmare at JFK’s Terminal 1 has been well documented over the years so, I was excited to see signage for TSA PreCheck. Unfortunately, the line moved extremely slowly and was basically PreCheck in name only, though I did get to keep my shoes on. It took over 20 minutes for us to clear security and, once airside, we headed for the lounge.
Lounge
Passengers flying in First (La Premiere) and Business Class on Air France have access to the Air France Lounge located next to Gate 1. It’s an above average lounge located in a below average terminal. Given the length of the security lines in the terminal, get here early and head for the lounge just in case. I did a full writeup of the lounge a few posts up.\
Boarding
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9:30p but with a slightly delayed inbound we left the lounge and headed for the gate just after 9:00p.
Our flight was scheduled to depart from Gate 5 and boarding was already underway when we arrived, with lines extending down the concourse. Thankfully, there was a separate Business Class line so we were able to jump the long Economy queue. A quick scan of our boarding passes and we headed down the jetway.
Air France
AF 11
JFK-CDG (New York John F. Kennedy International - Paris Charles de Gaulle International)
Seat: 4E (Business)
B777-300 (F-GSQB)
Scheduled: 9:30a-11:00a (+1)
Actual: 9:35a-11:01a (+1)
Air France used a single jetway to board our 777-300 so things backed up a bit and we had to wait a few minutes before stepping aboard through door 2L. From there, we made a left into the forward Business Class cabin and our home for the next 7.5 hours.
Seat
I assigned Mrs. WS93 and I seats 4E and F in the second row of the forward business class cabin. With only one row of business class in front, and the separate La Premiere cabin ahead of that, I figured this would minimize foot traffic and galley noise on this short flight.
Waiting at my seat upon boarding was a pillow, small blanket, coat hanger, and the menu for tonight’s flight.
The IFE screen was crisp, given the age, and folded out from the seat in front.
Headphones were hanging inside the main storage cubby next to the seat along with the amenity kit for the flight. The headphones were decent quality, but not fantastic.
The amenity kit consisted of socks, earplugs, toothbrush, eye mask, toothpaste, and some lotions from Clarins.
To the right of the cubby, next to the seat, was the infotainment controller as well as a small reading light. The controller can pop out as well for easier use.
The seat controls were located on the side of the table separating the two seats and were simple and intuitive. You could also control the overhead reading light from here.
Underneath the seat controls was the tray table, which slid out and could be adjusted and folded as needed.
Though we didn’t use it, there is a partition between the seats that can slide out should you be seated next to a stranger. It isn’t a full partition but does provide ample privacy.
Overall, the seats were comfortable and at 6'2" I had enough space to not feel cramped though they are definitely showing their age. If given the option, I’d fly one of the flights operated by the three-cabin 777-300 with the updated seats.
Menu
While boarding was wrapping up, I took the time to peruse the menu. Dinner would be served shortly after departure with breakfast prior to landing. The menu read as follows.
Departure
Prior to departure, flight attendants came through the cabin and offered pre-departure beverages with a choice of water or juice. After all the champagne in the lounge, I opted for water which was served in a real glass.
Even though our inbound flight and boarding were delayed, we still managed to push off the gate just five minutes behind schedule. Weather delays coupled with the evening departure bank made for a long taxi over to the runway. I fired up the IFE and started Ticket to Paradise and, roughly 40 minutes after leaving the gate, we were lumbering down Runway 22R and into the night sky on our way to Paris.
We had a fairly bumpy climb out as we were passing through some weather and the captain and crew made multiple announcements throughout. Roughly 20 minutes after departure the seatbelt sign was turned off and I went to visit the restroom, which was on the small side. It was clean, though this was the beginning of the flight, and aside from some Clarins perfumes was relatively sparse.
Dinner
With the slight delay and long taxi, the dinner service began just over an hour after leaving the gate. The flight attendants seemed to take the orders of the passengers seated in the window seats throughout the cabin before starting with the middle pairs. Once they reached us, open bar beverages were offered and I went with the Pommery Brut Royal champagne which was served with some cheese crackers that I have become addicted to.
The starter consisted of duck foie gras with Armagnac, pear jelly, and a quinoa and vegetable medley. This was served with a side salad as well as the cheese and dessert. I’m assuming this was to save time? Bread was also offered but, with no room on the tray, I had to sit it on the tablecloth.
For my main, I had the duck confit gratin which was served with a potato puree, vegetables and a foie gras sauce. While it wasn’t bad, it seemed to miss the mark and was mediocre at best. Mrs.WS93 had the braised beef and said it was almost inedible.
After my main, I moved on to the cheese and dessert course, which had been on my tray from the beginning. The cheese was good and consisted of a brie and two others that I didn’t get the name of. For dessert, a pistachio macaron and a small, bite-size opera cake and raspberry crumble rounded out the meal.
At this point, it was 11:30p local time and just under 2 hours after departure. Instead of trying to sleep immediately, for some reason I thought it was a good idea to order an espresso, which was served with a small chocolate.
Part of the reason I ordered that was because any hope I had of getting some sleep was going quickly. I planned our seats to be in the quiet part of the cabin as I find it hard to sleep on planes, but the passenger in front of us kept his reading light on the entire flight and the guy next to me kept getting visits from his friend in La Premiere. I can’t imagine the other LP passengers enjoyed this either.Eventually, the long travel day finally caught up to me so I put my seat into bed mode around 11:45p local time, popped in my AirPods, and managed to sleep for about 3.5 hours.
Breakfast
I awoke somewhat dazed and definitely tired with a little over an hour and a half remaining until Paris. Once the flight attendant noticed I was awake, he came over to see if I wanted breakfast.
The only choice of breakfast on this flight was between the full breakfast or the express breakfast in the event you wanted to get some more sleep. The meal was served on a single tray and consisted of yogurt, fruit salad, and a cheese omelet with spinach and potatoes. I also had a cup of coffee as well.
There’s no way to sugar coat it, the breakfast was awful. The omelet was basically rubber and the potatoes were powdery. I tried one bite of each and that was enough for me so I snacked on the fruit. The flight attendant asked if I would like a croissant which I appreciated and accepted, though what came next was odd. He took my tray before bringing the croissant to me which meant I had nowhere to put it other than on the tray table itself.
I cut my losses and drank coffee while watching the moving map as we approached Paris.
Arrival
As we began our descent into Paris, the flight attendants distributed hot towels which helped wake me up a bit.
Once on the ground we taxied over to the L satellite of Terminal 2E and blocked in just one minute after our scheduled arrival time. Even at their home base, Air France decided to deplane everyone through a single door though, surprisingly, they used 1L. One thing I love about Paris-CDG is the glass jetway which gave me a great look at our 777-300.
We followed the signs up to customs and immigration only to find that nobody had unlocked the doors to let us through.
A few minutes later that had been resolved, though not before backing up the stairs and escalator, and we began the longest trek to immigration I’ve ever had in my life. After walking the entire length of the L Satellite, we then took the train over to the K gates and finally to immigration 15 minutes after deplaning.
From there, we grabbed our bags and went through customs before being deposited in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2E 35 minutes after deplaning. From there, we followed the signs for the train station and our connecting train to Brussels.
Summary
I’ve long held Air France in high regard as offering a great business class experience but everything on this trip seemed like a miss. The staff was friendly but the service was odd and the food was worse than expected. I had been looking forward to this flight, and still want to try the new business class seats, though I left feeling disappointed. Hopefully this was a one off but only time will tell.
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Last edited by wakesetter93; Jul 13, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Jul 13, 2023, 11:33 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: Previously top-tier everything, now a happy free agent
Posts: 1,003
Great report so far (as with all of your other reports). Bummer you weren't able to get the new business class seats. I think the older generation is perfectly serviceable... Especially given the Flying Blue prices you can frequently get (and that you're looking for 2 tickets together!).
I feel like AF's food is generally okay and acceptable in J and the route network is generally strong to get you to where you need to be, and it seems to have been the case for you both.
I flew SFO-CDG-LIN-CDG-SFO back in 2021 and CDG-SFO was swapped to the even older seats (2-3-2) since the flight the previous day had been canceled and they needed more capacity to accommodate passengers. While I was a bit peeved, I had to remember that I only spent 125K Flying Blue + taxes for a roundtrip during the Christmas / New Year's period, which was a steal.
I feel like AF's food is generally okay and acceptable in J and the route network is generally strong to get you to where you need to be, and it seems to have been the case for you both.
I flew SFO-CDG-LIN-CDG-SFO back in 2021 and CDG-SFO was swapped to the even older seats (2-3-2) since the flight the previous day had been canceled and they needed more capacity to accommodate passengers. While I was a bit peeved, I had to remember that I only spent 125K Flying Blue + taxes for a roundtrip during the Christmas / New Year's period, which was a steal.
Jul 17, 2023, 8:53 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,643
Great report so far (as with all of your other reports). Bummer you weren't able to get the new business class seats. I think the older generation is perfectly serviceable... Especially given the Flying Blue prices you can frequently get (and that you're looking for 2 tickets together!).
I feel like AF's food is generally okay and acceptable in J and the route network is generally strong to get you to where you need to be, and it seems to have been the case for you both.
I flew SFO-CDG-LIN-CDG-SFO back in 2021 and CDG-SFO was swapped to the even older seats (2-3-2) since the flight the previous day had been canceled and they needed more capacity to accommodate passengers. While I was a bit peeved, I had to remember that I only spent 125K Flying Blue + taxes for a roundtrip during the Christmas / New Year's period, which was a steal.
I feel like AF's food is generally okay and acceptable in J and the route network is generally strong to get you to where you need to be, and it seems to have been the case for you both.
I flew SFO-CDG-LIN-CDG-SFO back in 2021 and CDG-SFO was swapped to the even older seats (2-3-2) since the flight the previous day had been canceled and they needed more capacity to accommodate passengers. While I was a bit peeved, I had to remember that I only spent 125K Flying Blue + taxes for a roundtrip during the Christmas / New Year's period, which was a steal.