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More from this series
Winter break business class “experience” - Troubles and tribulations (1) Boston to Montreal
Winter break business class “experience” - Troubles and tribulations (2) Montreal to Paris
Hello, Paris Suburb - Aerial View
This photo was taken of a small town near Paris; bathed in the early morning sun, it feels very peaceful.
Connecting Flight Transfer Process in Paris
The next flight was at another terminal, so I had to transfer from T2 A terminal to T1 terminal. After getting off the plane, follow the signs for about 5 minutes to a small information desk. Make sure to talk to the staff there; he will tell you exactly which terminal and which gate the next flight is at. Then keep following the signs and go downstairs for about 1 minute, where there is a large security checkpoint (no need to take off your shoes).
After that, you can either follow the signs to other sections of T2, such as F, D, and G, or follow another sign to take the shuttle bus (a few shuttle route maps are shown below).
Because I needed to go to T1, I had to take the green line shuttle. The green line takes about 9 minutes end to end, and on the way I also saw Air France’s Concorde. Of course it hasn’t flown for a long time; it’s just on display there, but seeing the legendary Concorde in person for the first time was still exciting.
When I got to T1 and got off the shuttle, I had to show my boarding pass to the staff at the entrance.
Then I followed the signs to 30-38. It really was far; you had to pass through the underground walkway twice (there were introductions to various Paris museums along the way. One of them had life-size models of different animals displayed together, which was pretty interesting, but I was too dazed at the time and didn’t take any photos. If anyone knows which museum it was, please share—I’m already thinking about going to Paris again because of this); luckily there were escalators, which made things a little easier.
When I got to the 30-38 area, there was another small security check. This was actually the first time I had ever been stopped after passing through an automatic screening gate. The staff member, with a very serious expression, used a strip from the device to swipe my palm, the back of my hand, and my pocket, then put it into a detector. After waiting 5 seconds, he finally smiled and told me everything was fine... (I still have no idea what they were testing for?)
The 30-38 area felt like a completely isolated island. There were only a few vending machines, one Buy Paris Duty Free store, and an ice cream shop. Looking back, I shouldn’t have arrived so early—I should have gone to the lounge first. But then again, after all that hassle and such a long walk, I just sat on the bench anyway. (Side note: the power outlets in France are kind of strange, and there aren’t any USB charging ports either. Remember to charge on the plane or bring a power bank.)
Paris to Shanghai
- Aircraft operated: Air China Airbus A330
- Flight number: CA 834
- Flight duration: 10 hours 43 minutes
- Distance flown: 9,247 kilometers
Check-in
It was still Zone 1 for check-in and boarding, which was quick and convenient. The French lady at the check-in counter was very friendly—smiles the whole time, five stars!
In-flight amenities
The hardware on this plane was very old. The seats had a real sense of age, and the screen resolution was just average, with a very last-century feel.
Air China’s seat layout is also really odd. Each seat actually has a lot of space, so why use a 2-2-2 layout? It’s not very friendly for solo travelers. That said, like the previous two flights, there were very few people in business class this time too. I had originally been sitting in the aisle seat of the pair by the window, but the older woman next to me wanted to sit with her friend, so I gave it to them. Sitting in the middle meant I could use two empty seats by myself, and both armrests were mine; as a result, when we were flying over Shanghai, I didn’t get a chance to take any photos of the view outside.
In-flight meals
Really just average. I never expected the inflight meal from my own food-loving country to be worse than Air Canada’s catering. As usual, let’s start with the menu.
There was also a recommendation for a new red wine, which the flight attendants kept enthusiastically promoting, so I ordered a glass of that red wine + a glass of orange juice. The red wine really wasn’t bitter and was very smooth, but it turns out I still prefer juice/drinks, haha.
Once the flight had stabilized, the flight attendants served the appetizer - foie gras and pine nut pastry (really rich) + crispy fried cheese (a bit of a funky smell?). One more thing: the toothpick next to the cheese said, "Welcome," which really made it feel like I’d been kicked from business class straight into a greasy little hole-in-the-wall...[/n
Then, as you’re almost done eating, the flight attendants will come ask what bread you want. In the previous post I mentioned that garlic bread is usually pretty good, but I have to say Air China is an exception here! Seriously, it didn’t have any garlic flavor at all, and it was very hard—almost broke my teeth...
Then came breakfast. I chose the scallops, and I have to say that was a mistake. These were the fishiest scallops I’ve ever had... The fruit had the same issue as before: don’t touch that little red berry!!
Service
The flight attendants were all very nice and friendly!
They were very cautious while I was taking photos, and when I was photographing my seat and the meals, they kept emphasizing, "Don’t include me in the picture." I can understand that a little, since there are a lot of people secretly taking photos of flight attendants, but it still feels uncomfortable when you keep being reminded. After I told them I was sharing the experience in a blog, though, they all understood, and even came over to suggest how to take better-looking photos. They were chattering away and were pretty cute, haha.
Personal takeaway
Before I flew Air China, what I worried about most was the service attitude, because there really are so many posts online bad-mouthing Air China’s cabin crew. But it turned out the flight attendants were quite friendly; they were just especially sensitive about photography. What really deserves concern, though, is Air China’s meal quality—it was truly disappointing.
Sometimes, just being served a steaming bowl of lamb noodles is enough to make me happy. Don’t give me all that fancy but bad-tasting stuff!
