Our routing on Air France was from Vancouver to Johannesburg
and return from Cape Town, between September and November 2015. We chose premium
economy because, at Can$1,700, it was only Can$500 more than the
already very low economy fare of Can$1,200. The fare allowed us a free
stop-over in Paris (which we used to complete a five-week journey through
Greece and Germany), double the luggage allowance and about 4 times more miles (a
total of 21,000,) compared to the lowest economy fare.
Check in at Vancouver Airport was a breeze - there was no
line-up at the Sky Priority counter and boarding the Airbus 330 was as quick as
we used the Sky Priority line. The premium economy cabin was cozy due to its
small size, and quite luxurious, reminiscent of business class in the 1980s. Seating
was 2-3-2, spread across a few rows, with more than ample legroom and
considerably wider seats than economy class.
The bucket seats offered 40% more space than economy and they
reclined within a fixed area to ensure that personal space could not be
encroached upon from the front or back seats. The
backseat TV screens were 12 inches and there were plenty of relatively recent
movies to while away the time if you can’t sleep. Food was standard
economy fare although Air France claims the starter is ‘inspired by the Business
Class menu’. Wine was from good French stock and plentiful, if one so desired.
One problem was that premium economy passengers did not
quite know which toilets to use, as
curtains were used to cordon off the
business toilet on the left, but not the right, and vice versa. Another set of
curtains strangely cordoned off the access to the economy cabin. This happened intermittently
on all four legs of this journey, including the Airbus 380 to Johannesburg and
the flight back to Vancouver.
Landing in Paris, we all had to face unbearably long lines
with a few thousand other passengers, but once again, there was a Sky Priority option
which reduced the wait to about an hour, as opposed to probably 90 minutes.
After checking in at Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E, we
were allowed, as premier economy passengers, to purchase access to the business
class lounge for Euro30. It was worthwhile as we had a six hour wait and it is one of the best business class
lounges in Europe – outstanding showers, good food and a wide selection of wines
and spirits.
The flight on the Airbus 380 to Johannesburg was smooth and it
remains my favourite aircraft due to its size, spaciousness and because it is
so quiet. The premium economy cabin is located on the upstairs deck. The layout
was 2-3-2 and we had the two seats on the side, with lots of storage and head space
above the window. Food and service were good, in line with expectations.
On our return from Cape Town, the first leg to Johannesburg was
on South African Airlines on an Air France ticket in economy class, but we
managed to check our luggage all the way to Vancouver. As we had another 5
hours to wait in Johannesburg, we decided to use the business lounge, paying
with miles, which was within the rules governing lounge access to premium
economy passengers (at least on Air France’s website).
This brazen attempt to incur a
little luxury clearly caught the Air France front-desk staff at by surprise and
they made it very clear that we could not enter the lounge as premium economy
passengers using our miles. I promptly opened my computer and showed them that
this was permitted, but to no avail. In fact, one or two of the personnel decided
it was a great time to mock our entry-level Flying Blue status and
proclaimed loudly that we had some nerve trying to enter the lounge as mere mortals.
Eventually, we were allowed to enter after paying Euro25, only to discover
what must be rank among the worst business class lounges in the world –
unmotivated staff, unappetizing and mostly empty food trays, and dirty plates
and utensils left unchecked all over the lounge. After about two hours of
eating crackers and cheese remnants, I firmly made a request to a disinterested lounge staff member to arrange for the food to be replenished.
The Airbus 380 flight back to Paris was fine, but by now we had
seen most of the new releases and I watched Trainwreck for the fifth time
(it gets less funny after the second time) - the movie selection on Air France
flights between September and November were not updated much. However, the food and service were good and
the flight uneventful. Arriving in
Paris, we had to again face the inevitable chaos that seems to be part of Charles
de Gaulle Airport, with poor signposting, overcrowding and a layout devoid any logic.
However, this was not Air France’s fault, but the aggravation caused by
petulant and confused front-desk personnel at the business class lounge,
certainly was. It took four staff members at the front-desk to trying to figure
out whether we can use our miles to access the lounge. I pointed out that Air France’s website
clearly states that we could. After studying their computers intensely, they
suggested that it was neither possible, nor impossible (something similar to
the famous French shoulder shrug) . Eventually we were allowed to enter "as an
exception". We paid our 6,000 miles dutifully, enjoyed very
long hot showers and several breakfasts and boarded the long 10 hour uneventful
leg back to Vancouver on a Boeing 777.
I wrote a letter of complaint about our shoddy treatment in
Johannesburg and the difficulty that we experienced in Paris as well, using miles in exchange for
business lounge access. I posted my complaint it on Air
France’s Facebook page. Within three days I received a n apology and 5,000 miles credited back to my account. However, there
were still no guidance with respect to ivory members using miles to enter the
lounge in the future when flying premier economy.
All in all, apart from the irritations concerning lounge
access, Air France still delivered a prime product on this route and in this
class. The planes were in great condition, service on board was above average
and the value for money unbeatable. The flight between Vancouver and Paris was
only introduced in the Spring of 2015 and provides Vancouver with a welcome
link to France.
