Most European airlines depart from Bogota back to Europe late in the evening. The Air Europa flight to Madrid leaves at 20h15, the Air France to Paris at 21h35, and the Lufthansa to Frankfurt at 23h30. The two big exceptions are KLM, which departs at 15h15 but makes an intermediary stop in Cartagena on the way, and, of course, Iberia which operates three daily departures from Bogota to Madrid at 12h35, 17h30, and 21h40.

Getting to Bogota El Dorado Airport

At 18h30 I exit the Hilton Bogota. I’ve ordered a car at reception to take me to the airport. It’s the evening rush hour, and so the journey takes about 45 minutes to complete in horrific stop/start traffic. Fortunately, my driver is a friendly young lady with nerves of Krupp steel.

Air France Check-In

Air France serves Terminal 1 at El Dorado, as do most international airlines flying out of Bogota. Air France has its own dedicated check-in counters. There are four counters for Economy Class passengers, and two for SkyPriority.

From check-in I head to immigration and security. The airport is very busy, but at least there are plenty of checkpoints open, so that the crowds disperse and the queues are manageable.

The Avianca Bogota Airport Gold Lounge

Air France uses the Avianca Gold lounge at Bogota airport. Access to the lounge is just as you exit from the duty free area.

The lounge is not particularly nice, and it’s rather crowded. There’s a small buffet with hot and cold dishes which are all rather bland.

Boarding

The inbound from Paris arrives with a delay of 25 minutes, so I’m expecting a bit of a delay departing from Bogota. Even so, at 21h00 I exit the lounge simply because I’m likely to nod off to sleep if I remain seated any longer.

When boarding eventually starts, it takes for ever, partly because of all the families with children, and partly because of all the wheelchairs. Eventually, I step aboard via the L2 door, pass through the galley and make a left turn into the Business Class cabin and my seat on 2L, the same as on the outbound. By the time we finally push back it’s 22h50 and we’re running 75 minutes behind schedule.

Air France Business Class Cabin & Seat

In my advanced state of exhaustion I forget to take photos of my seat. It’s the same cabin configuration as on the outbound to Bogota. The seat cover, blanket, pillow, and slippers are already at my seat. I quickly store my luggage before heading for the lavatory to change into my tracksuit bottoms.

The Air France Service & Crew

I know I’m starting to repeat myself here, but it’s simply always true: this is another spectacular Air France crew. Despite the late hour they’re charming and chirpy. At some point, the Business Class purser comes to greet me, asks me if I’ve settled in, and tells me to let him know if there’s anything I need. A short while later, the cabin manager comes to introduce himself as well, “c’est un plaisir de vous avoir de nouveau à bord…”. He also tells me that I needn’t worry about my connection in Paris. By the time we reach the French capital, we’re expected to have made up most of the delay. Indeed, by the time we land we’re only running 17 minutes late. In short succession I’m handed the menu, the vanity kit, a welcome drink, and a hot towel – most of which I forget to take a photo of…

Just before 23h00, our strobe lights are turned on, I see them reflecting off the shiny hull of the Avianca A 320 parked next to us. And them, ever so slowly, we push back onto the taxiway and run through the startup sequence. AF435 to Paris is on its way – flight time nine hours and fifteen minutes.

Air France Business Class Late Dinner

We were running a bit late with the course today, so I didn’t get a chance to have lunch, just to make sure we finish the course on time and get through all the material. So, despite being tired, I’ve decided to have dinner because I’m also starving right now.

For the aperitif I have a glass of Perrier with lime, served with the signature crispy crèpes and an amuse bouche of goats cheese with berry coulis.

The starter is a smoked salmon tartar, which is good, and a side of edamame and pickled carrots, which is surprisingly nice. I just have one bread roll with that, despite the crew’s encouragement that I take more bread.

For the main course I have the beef brisket. To be honest, I only chose this dish because I have a weakness for a good, creamy dollop of mash. I’m not really thinking of having all the meat. As it turns out, though, the meat actually tastes fabulous, whereas the mash is mixed with parsley, which I detest nearly as much as sultanas. The meat is served with a jar Dijon mustard, which is a lovely combination.

Once I’m done with the main, I ask the crew to remove my dray. I insert the earplugs and don the eyeshades, and then I’m off to Noddy Land.

Air France Business Class Breakfast

I awake three hours out of Paris. Before the cabin starts to stir, I quickly head to the washroom to change back into my street clothes. An hour later, with just under two hours to run to Paris, the cabin lights gradually come on again and the crew start their second service – which is breakfast, despite the fact that we’ll be arriving in Paris in the mid-afternoon.

There are three choices for the breakfast, and I decide to go with the omelette, which is served with potatoes and what turns out to be a lovely tomato jam.

With that I have a croissant and brioche with butter and jam. There’s also a bowl of yoghurt, müsli, and a small fruit salad. It’s a very satisfying meal and quite substantial for a second service.

The cabin manager drops by again to check if I enjoyed the flight. He also confirms that my connection is guaranteed. We’ll arrive in Terminal 2K and then I’ll continue from Terminal 2G. The service concludes with a hot towel and the rest of the crew stopping by to bid me goodbye.

Arrival in Paris CDG 2K

An hour out of Paris we start slowing down to ease us into the arriving traffic at CDG. We make landfall just north of Nantes and continue westward to Paris. Approaches are from the west this afternoon, which brings us in just north of the Château de Versailles, with the city of Paris also on our right. The Grande Arche de La Défense and the Eiffel Tower are clearly visible in the distance.

Eventually, we touch down at 15h18. Our Airbus A 350 makes one last roar as the reversers open to slow us down, and then we make our way to Terminal 2(E)K, bringing to an end my latest trip with Air France to the Americas. By the time I step off the plane, I have just under two hours before my departure from Terminal 2G.

Conclusion

So, I finally got to try the elusive Air France Airbus A 350-900. Regardless of the cabin interior and airline, the Airbus A 350 simply is a beast, a veritable gentle giant. The power it has is amazing, and yet the noise inside the cabin is so quiet. Clearly, the seats installed on this aircraft is nowhere near as nice as the updated cabin with the sliding doors on the Boeing B 777-300 fleet. Nonetheless, especially if you’re seated away from the aisle, the A 350 seat is private and comfortable enough to ensure you get a good rest from the labours of travel.