CDG-HKG, AF, l'Espace Première and new CDG 2E terminal (50 pics!)
Well, it's time for my yearly trip report, with some pictures of CDG's newly reopened 2E main building and an update on Air France's long haul First Class product, l'Espace Première.
Flight: AF184 I was actually connecting in CDG. There isn't much to say about the feeder segment except that it was a typical AF medium haul flight in l'Espace Affaires (business class) with a light breakfast service:From: CDG To: HKG Departure time: 13:35 Arrival time: 07:15 +1 Flight time: 11:40 Distance: 5,965 miles Cabin: L'Espace Première Aircraft: 772 Seat: 1L http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/...07f625d8c8.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2478230886/ I had managed to reserve seat 2D which is probably one of the best seats on board AF's A319 and A320 fleet with medium haul configuration. 2D has plenty of legroom, much more than the other bulkhead seats of the front cabin (1A, 1C and 2F since there is no row 1 on the right side of the aisle). 2F was empty so I could move to the window after breakfast and enjoy dramatic views over the villages East of CDG (Moussy-le-Vieux, Dammartin-en-Goële...) during landing. :cool: |
I arrived at CDG 2E into the new S3 building, on the SouthWest side of S3 which is apparently used mostly for medium haul flights to and from non Schengen destinations. I have to say that CDG has dramatically changed over the last 12 months, first with the opening of 2E-S3 and now with the reopening of 2E's main building. For passengers connecting in 2E (arriving into 2E and departing again from 2E) CDG is a totally different experience and the days of terrible 2B-2C connections are now over. Yet S3 and 2E's main building are large terminals and may require a lot of walking, even with the LISA quick train transfer. Anyway the 100% airside connection is now much more seamless than the former, chaotic 2A/B/C/D to 2E/2F transfers with the everlasting dilemma: airside vs. landside transfer strategy, also known as the "bus vs. walking" transfer debate that has kept feeding for years one of the most popular threads among the AF community, under the indefatigable supervision of our moderator, PhD in CDG transfers.
Transferring to 2E's main building requires to clear security again and I took the initiative to use the fast lane dedicated to l'Espace Première passengers. Bad idea, since the lady manning the adjacent security checkpoint ordered me to "stop" as I was proceeding towards the X-Ray machine. She barely apologized after checking my boarding pass on the grounds I was not escorted by an AF agent and that she couldn't know I was travelling in first class. I had plenty of time and decided to tour the new terminal before heading to the lounge. There are still works going on and many major luxury brands (or is it ADP?) are clearly overdue. Surprising, especially after hearing a salesman telling his colleague that the monthly revenue of their shop was EUR 100,000. As far as I can tell Hermes is open while Cartier, Dior and Ralph Lauren addicts still have to wait. Rest assured, the booze shop is open and has plenty of champagnes and vintage whiskies to offer. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/...637fe76389.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/...fd964623d4.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/...05d04e1a47.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/...7d7c5b9e19.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/...7dce4bbae1.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ |
The west end of the building features a nice rest area with great views over terminal 2A and 2C (mostly AF aircrafts, with AA, TN, EY and AC metal in the background):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/...24614be43c.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ Decent seating areas, and even some trendy armchairs with plugs, the type of armchair one would rather expect in a lounge, not in a public boarding area: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/...35b3bb62e6.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/...465e71361a.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ |
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/...8f0e57e5aa.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2314/...039b5970b1.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ There are also some boarding areas downstairs (i.e. at the tarmac level), as shown on this picture: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2232/...393f84f3ec.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ They seem to be used for regional flights only, with bus transfer to the aircraft. Unfortunately less architecturally inspired downstairs than upstairs. I didn't find any real restaurant. There is a small food court in the mezzanine upstairs in the left wing, close to the AF lounge. It barely deserves the name of food "court" as it seemed to host only 2 self service cafeterias, one on each side of the seating area: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2149/...868f9efc92.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ |
At 11:30 am, it was time to check out the l'Espace Première lounge. Unlike the business class lounge, there was absolutely no signage showing the way to the lounge. Not a big deal since most passengers are escorted all the way from their check in up to the lounge. And it is now almost official that the small Première lounge will soon be replaced by a larger and more convenient facility with upgraded amenities. Anyway the lounge is still hidden in what used to be the corridor leading to the 2E ground floor bus-boarding area in operation before the opening of S3.
The Welcome touch was warm and professional as usual, confirming my past impressions that the lounge staff is not only in charge of merely greeting passengers but is actually taking care of them during their whole stay: liaising with the police in order to perform immigration checks (escorted passengers benefit from the privilege of going through security first while passport controls are carried out later when the passenger is in the lounge), giving live feedback to each of them about the slightest delays, checking my ETA and issuing my boarding pass for my HKG-MEL flight, issuing a new BP for my CDG-HKG flight and explaining me why (1A's IFE was apparently out of order) and also keeping in touch by talkie-walkie with the fleet of limousine drivers who escort passengers to the aircrafts. A few minutes later, the catering staff quickly removed the breakfast snacks from the buffet and replaced them with freshly prepared lunchtime snacks. Tomato and mozzarella with pesto Thin cut vegetables crudités Greek style pasta salad Beef carpaccio with rucola and parmesan Tortilla and chorizo melba Classic ham and butter sandwiches Salt cod brandade with balsamic vinaigrette and dried fennel, tomato confit Smoked salmon wrap, herbal cream, alfalfa and cucumber Raspberry tartlets Tiramisu Chocolate mousse Little choc Not guilty Apple crumble. http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/...a76a8719a5.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/...8d63d84a41.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2028/...f12b0c95c2.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2061/...aedf22a4a5.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2104/...45fbfd69aa.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/...c930107de1.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2067/...5fcebfb593.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ AF has often been criticized for not serving hot meals in their Première lounge. One has to admit that the cold snacks are very attractive and I found them delicious. A great improvement over the era when Park Hyatt was not in charge of their catering. The Première lounge with its present configuration doesn't allow the implementation of hot catering since there is not enough room for dressing dining tables. I don't know what AF have up their sleeve with their future Première lounge but I still believe warm food would be appreciated, space allowing, especially before the 11:15 pm departure wave. Not everybody is willing to wait until midnight to get a real hot meal on board. On the other hand, out of 6 lounge guests I was the only one interested in the buffet and wine selection. All the other passengers simply ordered coffee or water. :rolleyes: :p My personal choice of carpaccio, salt cod brandade and tomato and mozzarella snacks, along with a flute of Gosset Celebris 1998 Champagne: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/...18b2f9a09d.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ A glass of Pichon Longueville Pauillac 2002, tiramisu and raspberry tartlet: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/...ef8352d277.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...7604965504707/ A kind AF agent named Garance informed me that we would not be using the limousine to reach the gate (E38) since it was only 5 minutes away from the lounge. From my recent CDG-BOM experience I knew they use limousines to escort passengers to S3 gates and of course to 2C but I admit that using it for E38 would be ridiculous and would take more time than just walking. So off we went at 13:15, bypassing the line of the few Affaires passengers still waiting for boarding. (to be continued... :cool:) |
Wow I didn't think it was possible to make the inside of those CDG tubes look even half decent. Not sure about all the red though.
I am looking forward to your flight details being posted. Just how many desserts did you have? ;) |
it conforts me on why I resigned with AF..
tks for your report |
Excellent report, I can't wait to see the rest.
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This actually makes me WANT to go to CDG! Keep it coming!
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I realize I forgot to post the lounge wines:
Champagne Gosset Celebris 1998 Bourgogne Savigny Les Beaune, Antonin Rodet Bourgogne Gevrey Chambertin, Bouchard Père et Fils Pauillac Château Pichon Longueville 2002 plus the usual suspects in the ice bucket: Riesling Blanck Grand Cru, etc. AF must be one of the few airlines operating long haul aircrafts (772) with a (very) small FC cabin seating only 4. The cabin atmosphere is quite different from the 77W with its 2 rows of 4 Première seats. I like the 77W better, the cabin is roomier, it doesn't just look like a "section" of the fuselage between 2 curtains. As Flying Blue experts know, op-upgraded passengers (from Affaires to Première) don't have access to the First Class lounge at CDG. The immediate consequence of this rule is that all passengers seated in Première who were not in the P lounge are op-up suspects. :cool: And with 1A and 1B already in their seats when I boarded, I guess the revenue of the Première cabin on that flight must have been quite low. Without rummaging into the Passenger Information List, it is quite easy to figure out the revenue level of the Première product by:
During my stay in the lounge AF moved me from 1A (preassigned) to 1L (new BP) on the grounds seat 1A was "not working". So I was quite surprised to see somebody sitting in "my" formerly assigned seat. The small size of the cabin doesn't make it possible to discreetly take pictures of the whole cabin so I've taken the liberty to post again a picture I took last year on a similar route (CDG-NRT) with the same aircraft (772). Taken from 1L's ottoman, showing 1E and 1F with a passenger sleeping in 1A in the background. The white strip on the right of the picture is due to the rounded shape of the bulkhead behind the ottoman: http://shutter04.pictures.aol.com/da...DxJ2Lt0300.jpg |
Champagne (Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1997) followed before pushback, pajamas and menus were handed over:
L'Espace Première: Menu by Guy Martin. Déjeuner à la carte Lunch à la carte ~~~~~~~~~ Mise en bouche Appetizer Blanc de poulet fermier à la truffe, patate douce et caviar d'aubergine Eggplant caviar, sweet potato and breast of free-range chicken with truffles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Choix de hors d'œuvre Choice of hors d'oeuvre Foie gras de canard en terrine aux lentilles vertes, éffilochée de cuisse de canard confite à la moutarde et au persil plat Duck foie gras terrine with green lentils, duck thigh confit with mustard and Italian parsley Homard jus à l'ananas et au curry, gâteau d'estragon Lobster served with light curry pineapple sauce and tarragon flan Patate douce et gingembre au vinaigre dans une feuille de nori, légumes crus au zeste de combava Sweet potato and pickled ginger rolled in nori, crisp vegetables with wild Madagascar lime zest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Salade fraîcheur Fresh seasonal salad ~~~~~~~~~ Choix de plats chauds Choice of main courses Un jus parfumé au raifort pour ce filet de boeuf accompagné de radis caramélisé à la coriandre A jus flavored with horseradish for this filet of beef accompanied by caramelized radish with coriander Le filet de daurade délicatement grillé à l'huile d'olive est proposé avec des légumes du soleil A fillet of sea bream delicately grilled with olive oil presented with sun kissed vegetables Une belle palette de goût pour ces petits farcis au jus de poivron jaune A delightful array of flavors for this stuffed vegetables with yellow bell pepper jus Filet de poulet fermier jus au basilic, flan au curry et artichauts à la bergamote (plat du jour) Filet of free-range chicken with basil jus, curry flan and artichokes with bergamot (today's special dish) ~~~~~~~~~ La sélection du maître fromager (présentée et découpée sur le chariot) Our special selection of cheese Camembert, Roquefort, Pérail, Langres, Beaufort ~~~~~~~~~ La corbeille du boulanger Fresh bakery selection ~~~~~~~~~ Le chariot des desserts Dessert cart Petits fours frais Miniature pastries Tarte à l'orange parfumée aux graines de fenouil Orange tart flavored with fennel seeds Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert et ananas caramélisé au miel Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie with honey caramelized pineapple Dacquoise à la noisette et mousseline à la poire, au café et à la cardamome Hazelnut-almond cake with pear and coffee cardamom mousseline Sorbet et petits fours secs, assortiment de fruits frais Sherbet served with cookies, assortment of fresh fruit ~~~~~~~~~ Carte des vins par Olivier Poussier Wine list by Olivier Poussier Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1997 Bordeaux blanc liquoreux White Bordeaux Liqueur Sauternes Château Suduiraut 1996 1er cru classé Vallée du Rhône blanc White Rhône Valley Crozes Hemitage Domaine de Roure 2005 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Bourgogne rouge Red Burgundy Nuits-Saint-Georges 2005 Jean-Claude Boisset Bordeaux rouge Red Bordeaux Pessac-Léognan Domaine de Chevalier 2002 Cru Classé ~~~~~~~~~ Petit Déjeuner Breakfast Salade de pastèque et d'orange Orange and watermelon salad Yaourt aux céréales Cereal yogurt Beurre, confitures et miel Butter, preserves and honey Pain aux raisins et croissants Raisin bread and croissants ~~~~~~~~~ Choix de plats chauds Choice of main courses Omelette à la fondue de tomate, roquette et parmesan Omelette with tomato, aragula and parmesan cheese Crêpe aux myrtilles et au safran Crêpe with blueberries and saffron |
you should get a 'Palme d'Or' for your trip report :) ^
merci beaucoup |
Appetizer: Eggplant caviar, sweet potato and breast of free-range chicken with truffles.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/...0b835a6bcb.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2477422053/ Appetizer (close-up): http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2366/...c16618280f.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2478234454/ Hors d'Oeuvre: Lobster served with light curry pineapple sauce and tarragon flan (1/3) Wine: White Rhône Valley "Crozes Hemitage Domaine de Roure 2005 Paul Jaboulet Aîné" http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/...f25622a75f.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2478234630/ Hors d'Oeuvre: Lobster served with light curry pineapple sauce and tarragon flan (2/3) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/...f2ce4004ff.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2477422165/ Hors d'Oeuvre: Lobster served with light curry pineapple sauce and tarragon flan (3/3) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/...b945aba2ab.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/falco-p...us/2478234558/ |
Originally Posted by Falco Peregrinus
(Post 9734454)
And with 1A and 1B already in their seats when I boarded
I guess you mean 1E (or 1F) Nevertheless a marvelous TR! |
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