There have been so many changes to my return trip home from Luxembourg that I‘ve actually lost count. Currently, the train connection by TGV is unavailable to book, though I’m not sure if that’s to do with the riots in France, the busy summer holidays or a suspension of the route. Eventually, I book KLM again. Only that doesn’t work out as planned because KLM is having reliability issues with the E2 and therefore had to reduce frequencies on some routes – like mine to Basel. Still, KLM is excellent at reprotecting passengers in case of irregularity. I call the Platinum hotline, and within minutes I’ve been rebooked on a flight with Luxair and then Air France via Paris.

Getting to the Airport

My flight departs Luxembourg at 07:30. I’m not sure what time the public transport starts here in Luxembourg. But given that I want to be at the airport at 06:00, I figure it’s easier to grab a taxi from the Novotel Kirchberg. The journey takes about 15 minutes by e-cab and costs EUR32.

Check-in

The airport is very empty. It turns out that Luxair’s early morning departures all leave between 06:00 and 07:00, which means that most passengers are already through security by the time I reach the terminal. Online check-in was a bit of a mess yesterday, and I was unabke to select a seat. To be honest, I’m not even sure I’m checked in. I ask the young lady at the counter if perhaps she could change my aisle seat to a window, and tell her that I don’t mind even if it’s on the last row. But I think she thinks I confuse the back with the front in French because the next thing I know, she hands me a boarding pass for 2A. Also good.

The Luxair Lounge

I don’t think I’ve ever had a lounge completely to myself! Which is nice, because it means I get to breakfast in peace and quiet.

And the views are nice too. There is only the one lounge in Luxembourg, and it tends to get very busy during the day.

Boarding

Boarding is from gate B02, which is also very quiet.

Seeing as I’m on 2A, I figure I might as well wait for the initial scrum to pass. While I wait, I count passengers as they pass the gate. From what can tell, there are 71 people on board. Eventually, I step aboard to find that 2A is already occupied by a really very big guy. I’m not making fun of him or body shaming – he’s just big, and I wonder how he even managed to get into the seat. The flight attendant quickly arrives and tells me, “tell you what, just take 1A, that’ll give you both more space. Business is empty anyway”.

And that is how I end up seated in 1A, with great legroom and privacy, seeing as there are only A and C seats but no D or F on row 1 on the Dash 8.

We have a target time to start our engines no earlier than 08:05 due to the heavy traffic in Paris. Which means that we start our journey thirty minutes behind schedule.

The Crew

There are two cabin crew on this flight. Serving the forward section is a lady in her late fifties, if I had to guess. And she’s great. While we wait for our ATC clearance, she chats with passengers, obviously trying to put those with a tight connection in Paris at ease.

The Snack

Once we’re airborn and settled into the cruise, the service begins. It consists of a small bag with a bottle of still water and a packet of chocolate chip cookies. To drink I have a coffee.

Arrival and Transfer in CDG 2G

Rather conveniently, Luxair operates in and out of Terminal 2G in Paris, which is also from where all the HOP flights depart, including the one to Basel. Which is of course very good in my case, given that we’re running 35 minutes late and I only have a scheduled transfer of 60 minutes.