People, Places: Raison d’être

Cruising at 39,000 Feet

I recently flew Air France from JKF to CGD Paris. The experience was quite pleasant as far as flying goes these days.  The bi-lingual  flight attendants were cheerful, and the coach accommodations were reasonable (decent leg room, clean, spacious overhead bins).  I was thrilled to be on my way to Paris, so, I admit, few things could have altered that euphoria. I did note  features that enhanced the experience:

1) Personal TV screens. All planes should have this feature. It’s one of the reasons I prefer Jet Blue for domestic flights.  Watching whatever  you choose during a 6+ hour flight is great distraction from the monotony.

2) Printed diner menus. This used to be standard on international flights, but it seems to be 50/50 these days. I like that Air France provided menus. I almost forgot I was in coach. Almost. 🙂

3) Champaign. French Champaign. Then wine with dinner if I so chose. Classy.

4) Reading Materials. They had a nice selection of magazine and newspapers.  Another good distraction if you don’t want to watch movies/TV for the entire flight.

My return flight was from London Heathrow to JFK on Delta.  I  expectated  the same level of service. Afterall, both legs were purchased through Delta.com.

Nope. Completing different experience.

No personal TV screens. I had to strain my eyes to watch the pre-selected movies on a screen about 5 rows away from me.

No menus or Champaign. Wine was offered with dinner, but otherwise for purchase in coach.

No magazines (other than the duty free etc.).  Although, thankfully they did offer a selection of newspapers. I suspect that’s because Europeans read newspapers frequently and expect news to be available.

The difference between the two international flights was striking. I had wrongly assumed that international flights were  “old school” and still provided ammenities that enhanced the travel experience.  Small details, yes.  However,  details make a difference as far as brand and customer service go.  Air France did it right.

Ah, vacation was indeed over.  I was jet lagged and exhausted. After a two hour lay over in a dingy JFK terminal, I  boarded a small commuter plane and quickly realized the flight from London was a luxury in comparison.  I didn’t care. I took a nap and was home before I knew it.

April 12, 2009 - Posted by aburnis | Travel | International Flights