Bonsoir, pour relayer la discussion sur les surclassement AF, un trip report sur flyertalk...a mediter, il y avait peut-etre des Platinum en eco ayant paye full fare et n'ayant pas eu de surclassement...
www.flyertalk.com/...c7e9baa&t=866958
Check-in:
Travelling on stanby can always be a harrowing experience, but when trying to catch a flight at the height of summer-season madness, who how knows what can happen?
Being the 'child' (mid-20's!) of a parent who works for an AF subsiduary, the idea idea of being a fully recognised and trusted member of the AF fraternity was always a long-shot. Upon checking in at the dedicated staff counter (Terminal 2C), I could hardly have been reassured by the possy of nervous 'seat-vultures', all looking to grab whatever seat they could to whatever destination in the region they felt akin.
By the time I got called for the flight (minus half my fingers) I was convincingly reassured by the staff, it would be Just as I was walking away, she said to me 'I notice you are the only person on stand-by, would you be prepared to take the jump-seat if given'? My thoughts were screaming 'Hell ya, I'd take the bloody toilet seat if you gave it to me!)
This somewhat naive check-in girl then proceeded to ring a supervisor to enquire about this. She asked me where I work for AF, to which I replied 'I dont, my father does'........she relayed this to her superior who in turn asked what does he do? Again I gave the ambigious reply of 'Operations, based in Paris' (even though he's not) After a couple of seconds of grumbling French, I heard the boarding pass machine churn out 'something'.
To my amazment the seat number had: J/S (whoopie!) I was however told that this would be a crew seat and not a seat in the cockpit (Dam...I always wanted to ride shotgun in an A340, but a seat's a seats I told myself)
Boarding/Flight
As used to be consistant with AF flights to America (before the full opening of the new Terminal 2E) we did not have an air-bridge, but were all rather bused out to a remote gate where we climbed the front stairs to the A340.
I was the last passanger on and fully expected to be shown to a pull-down seat, no doubt beside the galley. Being greated by the chief pursur she looked at by boaring pass quite confusedly, but then ushered me in her direction. As we took a left at the door I was wondering, what's going on here? business class maybe!....but no, we kept on all the way to the cockpit when I was was rather lavishly intoroduced to the captain and FO as a member of AF staff! Trying to act the consumate professional, I had to hold back the glee of excitment that was coarsing through me. Just after we started to taxi-out (with me straped in the right jump seat, just behind the FO) the pursur came in and told me she had found me a seat Oh no I was thinking, from take-off in the cockpit to slumming it 'down the back'....this was not what I wanted. While not wanting to make a fuss, I begrudgingly followed her out into the cabin. Not far though - she pointed at the one free seat in buiness class
The flight therein was a joyful experience. Being the only staff member on board I was more than looked after with non-stop champagne top-ups and dedicated service. I almost felt guilty being paid so much attention, while mere paying passingers were being treated as 'normal'.
Looking at the service from a critical point of view, the AF business class product is somewhat behind BA/Lufthansa/Swiss in terms of quality of service (obviously a long way behind SQ/CX etc). However, while the seat is very comfortable and the new-generation seats on the 777-330's are flat, the quality/portions of food are quite poor. Further signs of cost-cutting are the poor quality (thin paper) menu's now handed out in bulk. A long way from the extravagant menus that you see pictures of in FT trips reports. Also, from my many experiences with AF, the inflight extertainment system can also be quite indifferent...sometimes it likes to work, sometimes it dosen't.
On this flight however, I had no compaints apart from the fact I was the first person off the plane and the last person to recieve my bag....I guess you just cant cant expect everything to be perfect!
