- Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG)
- Paris (CDG) to Berlin (TGL)
- Berlin (TGL) to Paris (CDG)
- Paris (CDG) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Purchase/Check-In/Selection of Seats
The online purchase of our seats went smoothly but I did notice they did not allow me to select seats at the time of purchase, unless I was willing to pay an additional fee. A fee for the privilege of choosing seats?? Airlines are really thinking of new ways to get revenue nowadays. I decided to chance it and choose seats at check-in.
Air France allows online check-in's 30 hours before the departure time. At that point we were able to pick seats, but the preferred seats (e.g., exit row seats with more legroom) cost and additional $75 per seat. Since it was a long flight, my husband decided to bite the bullet and pay the additional fees.
Flight from LA to Paris
There was nothing out of the ordinary with the boarding process for this leg of the journey. When we got on the plane I did notice that the seats seemed a bit worn, but it was not alarming. It was nice to have the extra legroom in the exit row seats but there's no place to stow your 2nd bag in front of you or under your seat, and for me, that is difficult because I don't like not having my purse near me. It was also awkward having the flight attendant facing you while she was seated.
The movie selection was decent - I watched Mockingjay Part I (better than expected) and Insurgent (also better than expected). I will note that the selection and plane did seem better on the flight back to LA.
The food was pretty bad - sad chicken and limp salad. At least the wine made it go down better.
Some of the bathrooms were out of order so there were always long lines for the bathroom. A bit annoying, but at this point, I hadn't written off the airline yet. The flight landed on time so I had no major complaints.
Flight from Paris to Berlin
This was the flight that started the downward spiral of my opinion of Air France. The check-in process was again pretty standard and efficient. However, due to this plane being smaller, they insisted that we check in our carry-on bags even though they were both 21-inches long and should have complied with international guidelines. Not a huge deal since the flight was only 1 1/2 hours and we weren't in a rush...
But then things headed downhill... At the time of boarding they suddenly (and very quietly) announced that the boarding gate was changed - even though they didn't change anything on the monitors - not the gate number or the boarding time. Then as the news slowly spread amongst the crowd waiting to board, the crowd began to make its way to the new gate which was quite far.
We waited a bit more and then were told that we would have to take a shuttle bus to our plane. So they checked us all in, scanned our boarding passes, and then the crowd got onto 2 or 3 shuttle buses. They drove us around for about 20 minutes then inexplicably stopped. Originally we assumed it was to allow the first bus to disembark and board the plane (which was nowhere in sight), but then after about 20 minutes of standing in the hot bus, they drove us right back to where we started from and asked us to get off the bus. (argh)
Upon returning to the boarding area that we had left 40+ minutes ago, they informed us that they were waiting for a new crew and that boarding would be delayed for another 40 minutes. It wasn't until an hour later when we were finally on the plane that they explained that the first plane we were supposed to be on had "toxic fumes" which made some of the crew members sick, so they had to find another plane and then another crew. It would have been helpful to know this before they drove us around needlessly in the heat.. What was even more alarming to me is that the plane we were on still had ashtrays in the armrests! Just how old was this steel trap we were in???
Fortunately the flight was quick and we got to Berlin in 1 1/2 hours, but then it took 45 minutes to get our luggage. As we watched the old creaky conveyer belt turn, it was apparent there was at least a 2 minute gap between literally every single piece of luggage. I don't know who was unloading the luggage but they were definitely taking their sweet time.
We left Paris in a taxi at about 9:30 am for a 1 1/2 hour flight and didn't make it out of the Berlin airport until 6 pm. Very annoying.
Flight from Berlin to Paris
I was hopeful that the flight back to Paris could not be worse than the arrival flight ... I can say it was not worse, but it was probably not much better. We arrived at the airport, which was surprisingly provincial for an international airport. (It reminds me a bit of Ontario airport in California.) Anyways, check-in and security was very quick. We learned from the security personnel that our flight was delayed about 20 minutes, but oddly enough the delay was not updated on any of the monitors.
When we finally boarded - yet another super old looking plane - they announced that the plane needed a new wheel so they were asking if they could borrow or swap one with another airline. Seriously? It ended up taking 40 minutes to locate and confirm a swap and then another 35 minutes to put on the wheel. Fortunately my husband and I could watch a movie on our iPad to make the wait tolerable, and I also had an abundance of snacks. (Tip - always bring snacks on the plane!)
So once again, we left Berlin at 1pm in a taxi for a 1 1/2 hour flight and arrived in Paris at 8:30pm.
My husband and I both agreed that other than our flight back to LA which was already bought and paid for, we would never ever fly Air France again.
From Paris to Berlin
This flight was OK but the landing was incredibly bumpy that, for a second, I thought we were going to veer off the runway. I have to say our flight attendant was superb - very helpful and thoughtful throughout the entire journey. The movie selection also improved - I watched the Age of Adaline, Kingsmen, Cinderella, Mockingjay Part 1 (since I didn't finish on the flight to Paris)...
However, it was a bit of too little too late. The service was never really the problem - but rather the incredibly old planes, the constant delays and mechanical issues, and the lack of communication regarding issues.
We will likely return to Berlin next year and I think we will be going with Lufthansa.
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