Flight report onboard the giant Airbus A380-800 with Air France in Economy Class. We will be flying from Los Angeles, USA (LAX) to Paris, FR (CDG)
This is my first time flying with Air France and a great chance to try something new, fly and review their Economy class product.
After the renovations at LAX, relocation of Lot C to Lot E for parking and the change in an attempt to limit vehicle flow through the terminals I had no idea what to expect when arriving to LAX. I parked my car at Lot E and waiting for my shuttle that arriving fairly quickly. I was not expecting a 30 minute shuttle ride from the parking lot to the terminals! Before, Lot C was right next to the airport and with traffic at most it took 15 minutes. You could easily be late for a flight if you don’t plan ahead and don’t account shuttle time.
Check-In through the Priority Lane (Gold Medallion Perk) was very quick, security check also was a breeze and I was through in less than 10 minutes. This is a great time-slot to fly as it appears that not many passengers are clustered at once.
With time to kill I did some plane spotting. It’s always nice to see KLM 747 in all its beauty. (Check out my flight report on KLM 747 here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlLbheGWjUM)
Boarding zones were a bit mixed up, it seemed like people didn’t know where to stand and go. Once that was resolved boarding was smooth and departure was on time. Cloudy and rainy take off from Los Angeles are always are a rarity.
The A380 cabin is extremely quiet, something I did not expect considering its massive engines. Take off was so smooth you could sleep through it. It’s an incredible aircraft but the interior shows signs of aging. The seat back entertainment screens seem outdated for just a 6 year old product.
The food was great, and Air France is the only airline as far as I know that offers free complimentary real champagne. The crew kind of disappeared after dinner and there was no drinks service or mid-flight snack handed out between dinner and breakfast. Breakfast was also on point, the food quality was great but the service it self was a bit lacking.
I wasn’t able to sleep much, but it was not the seat or the aircraft’s fault. In fact I was in and out of sleep as 3 wailing kids kept crying in unison, waking me and everyone around up. 2 kids crying and a toddler running through the cabin, it sounded like they were having a competition on who could be the loudest!
The A380 features an incredibly spacious cabin, quiet and comfortable. Air France cleanliness is also great. Air France delivers a solid economy product by even including an extra inch of legroom. 32″ when the standard is usually 31″.
Descent into Paris Charles De Gaulle provided some great and amazing shots out of the massive wing of the A380. Cloudy and rainy landing that was incredibly smooth and great take off shots from adjacent aircraft. The taxi route was a bit long.
Overall Air France delivers a great product, with the only downside that I felt was the lack of crew interaction with the passengers. Maybe an additional drink/mid flight snack service is all that is needed. I will definitely fly them again in the future.