Transfer at Paris CDG

I disembark from the flight from Amsterdam, walk to the end of the pier at Terminal 2F and then turn left – and just keep on walking straight ahead.

The way to Terminal 2E and Hall L is clearly signposted. It’s a short walk of about five minutes.

Emigration takes place just before the bridge that connects 2F to 2E and there are separate lanes for EU passport holders and passengers in Business Class.

Terminal 2E is home to some interesting airlines…

… and a lot of very exclusive shops.

The layout of the terminal is very generous. Given that I haven’t really got that much time, I skip the lounge and go straight to the gate.

Boarding

I arrive at the gate at 11:50, ten minutes before boarding should start. I go up to the counter and explain my predicament to the gate agent, namely that I don’t have a boarding pass yet and nobody seems to be able to issue me one either. Without batting an eye she prints one for me with any problems, so I’m still not sure what that was all about.

And it looks like the upgrade fairy has struck again. I’m on 5D now, in the last row of the Business Class cabin.

There’s a delay of thirty minutes for boarding to begin. Apparently, there were no less than six passengers coming off my aircraft’s previous flight that required a wheelchair. Aéroports de Paris, which provides the service, appears to be seriously short staffed because they leave the disembarking passengers waiting for 45 minutes before somebody comes to pick them up.

The Cabin

Once boarding starts, I first move from 5D to 5C because of a couple that would like to sit together. Once boarding is completed, I move again, this time one row forward to 4A, where the window seat has remained empty.

This aircraft has the same cabin as the A 321 on my previous flight. There’s also wifi with a pretty decent speed. I also forgot to mention in the previous post that the headrest is adjustable and has foldable flaps on the sides, which I fully hope to take advantage of later on.

Eventually, we take off heading westwards with a delay of 38 minutes. The city of Paris and the Eiffel Tower are clearly visible on our left. We make an elegant wide-sweeping left turn around the city as we turn to point the aircraft in a southerly direction.

Service

As on the previous flight, the service starts on the ground with the distribution of towels and still water.

The crew on this flight are great and go out of their way to provide an efficient but pleasant service.

The Meal

Despite the scheduled block time of just over three hours, Air France does not serve a hotmeal on this lunchtime service. Nonethless, it’s a tasty meal.

The polenta is rich and creamy, and the mushrooms it is served with are flavourful.

Of course, being Air France, a cheese course has to be part of the meal too…

I take one spoon of the chocolate cake and leave it at that. It’s exceptionally good, but so, so rich I don’t think I could swallow more than one spoonful.

To conclude the meal, I have an excellent mint tea, which is served with even more chocolate.

And then I put that adjustable headrest to good use for forty winks.

Around 40 minutes out of Casablanca, the crew pass through the cabin offering drinks and biscuits, so I ask for another mint tea. The sablés are lovely, with a rich buttery flavour.

Arrival

Our approach into Casablanca takes us right past the city and the beautiful Mosque of King Hassan II. We then fly past the airport on the downwind, where the Emirates A 380 is just taking off.

We land at 16:15, with a delay of 45 minutes. The weather here is just lovely, with a ground temperature of 27 degrees.

And as my luck would have it, we park on a remote stand!

Getting through the airport after arrival is surprisingly cumbersome. Immigration is easy and quite smooth. But then after that you have to join an endlessly long queue with a whole bunch of unruly Morroccans jumping the queue. At the end of the queue there is another immigration officer checking to make sure your passport has been stamped. And then after that you have to queue again to have your suitcases x-rayed. Then, really only then have you entered the country.

And just a piece of advice, if you‘re renting a car, make sure you have cash with you because the road tolls will not accept foreign credit cards.