TRIPREPORT | Air France (BUSINESS) | Paris CDG - Chicago O'Hare | Airbus A330-200

[@simply_aviation]

PLEASE READ: Like everyone else, we are very concered about the current situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We have suspended all travels until at least late-April. However, we have decided to continue to publish videos as usual because luckily, within the past twelve months, we were able to record a lot more videos than we were able to publish. This means we will publish some older Tripreports we weren't yet able to cut and upload. And we have enough of them to continue to publish three Tripreports per week for the foreseeable future! We ask for your apology for having to upload some older videos which are not necessarily up-to-date. As always, you can see when a video was recorded in the description. Thank you for your understanding. We wish everyone, especially those working in the aviation and travel industry, a lot of strenght in this difficult time. Remember to wash your hands and stay safe! Greetings from Vienna, David and Felix

[@jasons4039]

Damn, this guy complains about every flight

[@pankajkushwaha2288]

Who complains ? Simply aviation in the video or the comment ?

[@Elias-xy9kc]

Love you David and Felix from Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦❤️

[@westmax8491]

Would you please do a Nairobi to Paris with Airfrance?

[@westmax8491]

@Matthew Villan Apaza yes

[@brandoncisonno4545]

This would have been a great brutally honest episode

[@travelandbeyonds]

Exactly.. the biggest expectation... Turned to dust...😅😅

[@oscarstar435]

Hahaha , that’s right

[@unchisa_jantharinthufon9097]

Yes Good idea

[@honghyukkim3625]

17:28 While eco-class cabins are equipped with touch screen controlled IFE....lol

[@brianking768]

This flight needed a “Brutally Honest”

[@clarkvincentga-as]

Yeah for sure! Try riding on Philippine Airlines' A330 but there are 2 types: A330 with IFE and A330 without IFE but I prefer the ones with IFE 'cause it's good

[@guuillermopena]

Clark Vincent Ga-as what is the IFE?

[@left4dead365]

@@guuillermopena in flight entertainment

[@girijasankarpal3399]

Every expectation would have not met!

[@kfl16]

Guillermo Peña screens on seats

[@JapriAjmi718]

9:17 nobody gonna talk about the guy that waved at the screen

[@gab_riel5460]

😂

[@JapriAjmi718]

@John Smith it’s possible but the camera looks like it came up right as he started waving, I find it highly unlikely that the guy decided to put his hand up to a reflection he couldn’t see

[@JapriAjmi718]

@Thiago Biart it’s in my original comment, there is a timestamp 9:17

[@TrueCrimeSurvivors]

David, I completely agree with your analysis. I would have been pissed off, in fact I've had it happen countless times for myself and clients. I've had airlines change aircraft after days, weeks, or months of planning for my clients. I'm an aviation geek / travel consultant 29 yrs, and I love researching, providing the services, features, and benefits to my clients, as they consult with me, and then, "BOOM", equipment change. The airline notifies travel agencies before the general public (normally), but it's usually too late. Just an FYI, next time they notify you, advise them that you booked for this particular aircraft. Many people don't know this because they book online, but even a minute different, flight number change, equipment change, or mechanical, require the airline to accommodate you without charging a fee (or must refund). Regarding airlines without ticketing ticketing agreements with other carriers, for instance, your Southwest fiasco. WN (Southwest) will refund your money, book you on a 10 hour flight via 3 cities when you could have rented a car, or will give you a flight voucher, which does not help in the moment. (Travel Insurance, people) . I hope they gave you some sort of compensation. If you were my client I'd go to bat for you. Seriously, I'm not trying to get business, but it takes persistence. I've hounded the airlines and 100% of the time have won with refunds or some sort of compensation for clients. I also have hidden secrets w/ seat assignment assistance. Thank you for your incredible reviews! Stay safe and I hope you made it home to Austria.

[@Ich0x]

Usually Air France is a pretty good airline, but the chains of disappointments accumulated and it turned into a sad flight! Tough luck David! :(

[@tanojatmakuri380]

5ympathetic I agree

[@marcuskeulertz5852]

I prefer KLM service to Latinamerica.,probably why my ancestors came from the Netherlands.

[@bandeko197]

5ympathetic nn Air France c bien wsh

[@Ich0x]

ba ndeko oui oui

[@timmyc9915]

If I was David I would make a scene and ask to talk to the gate agent.

[@TheArthurvs]

I flew on an AF A330-200 last January from CDG to Fortaleza (Brazil) and to my surprise they also changed the aircraft (luckily to a new one) completely last minute. Had a very pleasant experience!

[@feilisfearcaitun]

I was so happy when AF rebooked me onto KLM flights in March! These two airlines are sooo different.

[@Dylan-ul4mg]

Féilis fear Cáitún yes definitely. AirFrance is doing much things not quite right. That’s why the Dutch want to take KLM out of the group and make it a separate Dutch flyer again. Every penny we make goes to France to pay for their problems...

[@amc3]

IFE - Great selection of movies, choose your film, go to the toilet, stand in line behind 3 people, do your business ... wash your hands. Return to your seat ....... still not loaded!

[@rickrolled528]

I don’t know why but when David goes bussınes or first Class it makes me happy Do you agree?

[@QFSAviationMini]

Ilgaz Barutçu no Because simply aviation said business class was old,dirty,and Broken

[@WeMuckAround]

No because I don’t know him

[@sushi777300]

No It's less interesting because usually I don't fly business

[@luisbabicek1169]

If I am not mistaken, the plain yogurt on the second meal is actually "fromage frais". AF loves to serve it both in coach and business. A very French snack.

[@mathuringarcier]

*"fromage blanc" but yes, very french

[@aviationwithjeff]

It's awesome that you are able to upload some more videos. Sorry you weren't able to fly the new product though. Stay safe and take care. Thanks for keeping all of us traveling!

[@lukekime3686]

That seat looks like something from the dark ages

[@maranza9907]

Luke Kime yeah when the business had only the big legroom

[@GeoSae]

We are back to the dark ages!!

[@lukekime3686]

Geo Sae we are now the virus is causing chaos

[@lukekime3686]

Diego Pedrinelli 😂

[@okok-lg3fz]

On 2016I flown on Airfrance a340 from bogota to cdg in economy and was really good except for the ife, there was a personal screen of 2 inches and a very poor selection of movies for a 9 hours flight. But all in all very good flight

[@K4Ediamond]

5:34 wow... that’s disappointing

[@ChristopherZavalaVlogs]

Looks more like Premium Economy than Business Class

[@ziauddinkhan5699]

I haven't invested a penny in that flight and still I'm feeling pissed off..😂

[@misled1982]

I never got the point of stuffing yourself with food and drinks at the lounge when you are about to get a first class menu on board...how hungry can a person be??? I mean one of the perks of flying first is to enjoy its fine cuisine!

[@MustraOrdo]

It's actually business class, but your point still stands. I get full easily so I get it.

[@chrismckellar9350]

I agree with your comment.

[@stormidema6817]

Economy passengers also use the lounge, and they want a good meal before their flight

[@chrismckellar9350]

@@stormidema6817 - How can economy passengers get into an airline's lounge when their boarding passes are scanned at the lounge reception prior to entering the lounge.

[@xiaogu00fa]

@@chrismckellar9350 Because frequent flyer status

[@jen93106]

This is what it took for me to actually believe and see that the hard product really does count for SO MUCH! I have always been adamant in thinking, who cares about anything if the food and soft product are spectacular?! But I now see that I WOULD ABSOLUTELY CARE! And A LOT! If the food is my focus, even if it is the main complaint or questionable, then I am doing JUST FINE! Taking the hard product for granted may not come so easily now that I have seen this and I’m thankful for that! What a let-down that I would be, I mean, even without the expectation of the new plane, but especially with that expectation… Yikes. Thank you for taking one for the team, David! Great job, as usual.

[@nansu3380]

There's something about the sound of a widebody's engine that makes me feel super relaxed

[@MrKingDiamond]

21:43 well, if david said "that" not "lovely flight", I guess there's big problem with the flight then Also, that business class seat looks pretty room consuming and that's an example of ineffective way to optimize the seat (boxy design, with old IFE, no direct aisle access, minimum privacy and probably bad legroom)

[@hugo414]

That’s why AF refurbished its A330

[@MrKingDiamond]

Hugo indeed. Maybe refurbishment hasn't done yet in this trip report

[@GTAJJJ]

Booked a flight from CDG to O'Hare with Air France five years ago. Unforgettable experience, mainly because I had never flew in my entire life before! Food was good, and the entertainment system had a decent movie selection. Funnily enough, I remember how they warned us in French after landing to avoid taking pictures at the immigration control area because the american wouldn't take it nicely. I flew from London to O'Hare with Norwegian two years later... a very different experience.

[@cneh2958]

Thank you David and Felix for your efforts and your continuous flying to bring us the experience of travelling on various airliners and airlines! I ask that you stay safe during this tough period, and be assured that you putting your wellbeing at risk to bring us amazing content is much appreciated, yet do take care!

[@squinugie2091]

I would never fly Air France business class as it is a lottery which type of seat you will get. Great review as always David.

[@casimirodasilvasantoshe-hi5797]

WOW this is the same business class of 11-years ago when I flown from Paris CDG to Mauritius in a 747!

[@Aditya-rr2hu]

9:22 Damn I Miss Concorde 😢😢

[@ndourpetersensophie4447]

This plane is too expensive to have in commercial service ( and also not very safe ) this is an advice from France 🇨🇵

[@memexpert]

In a parallel universe David is filming this video from the concorde and there is an a330 on display at the airport

[@topsecret1837]

Ironically, I would completely enjoy a flight like this, as I was born in the 2000s and never got to experience the nostalgic things prevalent during that time. So a non touchscreen IFE with a remote? I’ll take it. I’ll take that legroom if you take your shoes off, and I wouldn’t complain.

[@evan6898]

agreed. i dont see why everyone is mad

[@ShawnsTravels]

Thank you for this report! I'm starting to believe that flying with Air France is a hit or miss in general. I flew with them 3 times and I had a good experience, then a below average, and they lost my bags...

[@justinsvidz]

I flew from BOS to CDG on an Airfrance Airbus A330 in economy back in 2016 and it was awful. I'm 5'3" and was extremely cramped. On the way back we flew on a Delta Boeing 767 from AMS to BOS in economy, and that flight was amazing. Plenty of room, good food IFE that worked and WiFi which the first flight lacked despite the assurance on the AF website that all their international flights had it. Though the food on AF was good, and the crew were friendly. I think we got the short end of the stick because it was a red eye. We were packed in like cattle.

[@orighomisandediare4990]

I know that feeling. Virgin Atlantic pulled that stunt on my in 2005 after my outward journey was on the present upper class (then new to our route) Needless to say, they havent seen me back on their flight since. Integrity matters.

[@nvire5202]

You gotta agree, even tho it's the old cabin, the food was still great

[@Nagashanthan]

I was seriously waiting for a new video happy for the new trip ,and started watching older videos 😅😅😅😅😅

[@MuscleAL]

Wow! Such ancient IFE! Many airline Economy Seat got bigger screen then that!😝 Fully understand your disappointment! 😁

[@globalcomparisons1973]

Yes I mean i thought this airline was good but no Emirates ife in economy clears this by a mile and a half

[@framadhan5093]

Well the IFE looks so terrible, all Asian and Middle East aircraft would have laughed on this 😅😅

[@YourTypicalSoAndSo]

9:22 pure joy.

[@kaivanloon]

The lounge actually surprises me because the lat time I used CDG in eco terminal 2F I was surprised by the normalbterminal with good wifi, a lot of natural light and power outlets and usb ports at every seat, so seeing such a modern terminal and then seeing the lounge and the lounges wifi actually surprised me.

[@ahmadshaheer6241]

The amenity kit is far more practical and useful than other airlines

[@gowtriks9222]

J'ai une question ? Ya des français dans la communauté de Simply Aviation ✈️🇨🇵

[@alanvandemert5251]

Gowtriks yes

[@henrywalker7559]

Oui

[@yathoshiii3202]

Oui

[@Gerkos]

Oui

[@salmanmoha1979]

Oui

[@SocksThePup]

Honestly watching this after the bus for the contest I went to for school band got switched from a brand new bus to a old 2017 makes me feel better 😂

[@spark_6710]

Oh..foie Gras....I used to love it .Though I always wondered how that could be humane ,not cruel to ducks at all !! I don't miss it at all !! The little cheese platter looked good !! I would eat lightly on airplane, though ! Lol. They're not only high sodium, high cal,high fat ,but high in phosphorus as well ! I love polvoron cheese 🧀😋 !! And cream cheese ! It looked like a very nice flight you had over all ,my good friend had disatidfying flight with Air France 🇫🇷, she is Indian ,took the flight on her way home from England last year & told me she was very disappointed !! I wonder why .So, I'm gonna watch your video of air France let down the next !! Lol. 😆💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💕💞

[@MustraOrdo]

Thanks for sharing. I rate this flight an overall 5.1 out of 10 Favorite things: * the view when landing at Chicago * the interesting assortment and abundance of food

[@felixletellier777]

On the plus side, the amenity kit looked nice :)

[@ericaomu]

The opposite happened to me. I flew CCS-CDG on January 18th. According to Air France website it would be the old cabin but it turned out to be the new one. No one was sitting next to me what a wonderful journey.

[@mamydou4623]

The same thing happened to me I was flying from Washington Dulles to CDG and really wanted to experience the new cabin but it was the old one.Sad!

[@dylanwagemans7718]

Is the self-service area actually also for economy passengers?

[@simply_aviation]

No, there's a separate one for Economy Class. The one I showed in the video was just for Business Class...

[@olivernilsen2381]

I bet that cabin is from when the aircraft was buildt (2002)

[@matze3925]

Don't think so , they must have retrofitted the aircraft somewhere near 2006

[@olivernilsen2381]

Its just that the IFE is so small...

[@daantjuhh998]

@@matze3925 Than the cabin would be at least 14 years old.

[@tomstravels520]

To be fair I’ve been on a flight which was switched from an A320 to an A321 with 30 mins due until boarding. Advantage was plenty of seats to choose so moved to an exit row when they announced boarding was complete

[@meera7771]

Thomas Mortimore good for you while I had a nightmare when they switched 787 to 320 :(

[@tomstravels520]

Maddy ouch

[@rezaalan3991]

@@meera7771 from where to where?

[@meera7771]

@@rezaalan3991 Chennai to Singapore

[@rezaalan3991]

@@meera7771 i see what airlines is it.

[@grantseto6247]

Always remember that this is when 1 of the videos that Ragriz Flight and Spotting starts.

[@themightymo6936]

David: yay excited! Air France: LoL

[@Elias-xy9kc]

I felt sorry for you Mr.David. It’s absolutely infuriating 😤 good luck 👍 Greetings from Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

[@ndourpetersensophie4447]

In France, we usually say "sacrebleu" not even "sacré bleu" 😉😉😉

[@Serge0587]

Hi, David! From part of Air France was dissapointing. I hope that with your review on this video AF start to work with this areas to improve the service. Please, take care you and Felix. Greettings froms Guadalajara.

[@topo291]

Had the same experience not too long ago with AF, not really what I expected. You can also have a mix of service level depending on the FA in your area. Quite accurate report David!

[@TheBielll]

I think AF is a great Airline and the service on your video was amazing! AF is making greats changes in fleet and we must waite for new features

[@GenkisTravels]

That's unfortunate about the seat. Food looked pretty good at least? :)

[@axolotlplaysyt]

J'aime bien le sacre bleu au début. Tout comme tes vidéos, continue comme ca!

[@lucad.c7598]

So sad that you flew on the old cabin ... I encourage you to try the new cabin with the 330’ ! There is perfect 👌🏻

[@themomentchannel3498]

9:35 dont think that the bridge is ''special'' because Schipol (Amsterdam airport) has it too and its a popular plane spotting place

[@PedroPatsf]

I've been on Air France and as a 36 year airline pilot, I would rather fly on them than any US airline. Their service is way above any US carrier.

[@rm6700]

I would have been absolutely livid. It’s not as if it’s like getting switched to another great but old SQ business class seat. This AF seat is from the Middle Ages. AF is not even cheap. 🤦‍♂️ Also, I agree with you on the tray situation. Almost all business cabins of note serve dishes individually, except when it’s a short flight like SIN-HKG. But this is an expensive transatlantic flight - there’s no excuse for both the seat switch and the tray. Honestly I want to try AF but because of these issues, I would stick with SQ. Granted, the food in AF looks better - I’d just treat myself to a 3 Star Michelin lunch upon arrival.

[@RailfanTurner]

For my Spring break during my 8th grade year of middle school I took Air France for a spring break trip to Italy. The first flight was from Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Paris. Also someone's alarm went off when I was trying to get some sleep on the first flight. On the second flight I had my seat changed due to someone already sitting in it, which was from Paris to Rome Italy. I think I also had a disappointing trip like you. I wish they had better food options for dinner and breakfast. Currently US citizens are not allowed into Europe until the pandemic is under control in the US.

[@TheZombaslaya]

This is funny, I took that exact same flight in December 2019, I thought it was pretty nice, better than American carriers.

[@goodtimes474]

omg the hangers are amazing i would love to get those.

[@JoshuaEditOfficial]

2019 : What a tremendous disappointment! 2017 : Why Air France is sooo much better then everyone say

[@simply_aviation]

2019: Business Class 2017: Economy Class

[@JoshuaEditOfficial]

@@simply_aviation Oh sorry

[@whiskerboii2466]

Air France are full of surprises... ... and I'm not talking about pleasant ones Edit: I think the seat on the same sort of level as Norwegian Premium and that is terrible

[@karlelias]

As you showed the cabin from behind, i thought that this was Economy or premium economy... 😂

[@markusschult6513]

I am so sorry on this flight you catched such an old AF A330 cabin-design. Very good during boarding I can imagine your disappointing feelings. But the inflight-catering looks indeed very good and the little but well filled amnety-kit is sharped, like a airplane-seat.

[@teukuzalditeupinsiron]

Wow,Amazing of Air France and I'm so amazed

[@domhussainhuntman]

A question, David. Is there a specific reason flight dates are not shown? I notice that with most reviews. I would prefer to know, as it tells me about seasonality of particular flights, destinations.

[@simply_aviation]

You can see when a video was shot in the description of the video.

[@domhussainhuntman]

@@simply_aviation thanks, yes I see. Unfortunately other reviews do not do.

[@TripReportaviation]

Nice trip report. The meals were very good. Unlucky of you to get the aircraft change.

[@happyjoanna8]

your travelling when the coronavirus is everywhere. madlad.

[@gregbach5]

hey ! I flown Air France Business Class mid-december on the A330 and it was a newer cabin than that one, the seats weren't in the same configuration, allowing more privacy and the infotainment was amazing compared to what you got. I flown DXB-CDG (roughly 8 hours) because Air France doesn't fly anymore above Iraq and the flight was really good, not on the level of Emirates but it was way less expensive

[@m-foh]

Caption at the end of the video: I hope you join me again soon! Me whose been binging trip reports for the last 3 days...

[@AJL_90]

Seems like aircraft switches happen to me all the time, especially on international trips.

[@jayit6851]

Probably because of the planes being delayed and that causes them to be out of schedule.

[@rosendorendonjr]

Great video! Kept it simple and informative!

[@CTravelsAviation]

Thank you for visiting my home city of Chicago!!!!

[@LEGOBRICKBUILD]

I haven’t watch your videos in a long time. Now I am back😃😃. Also subscribed 4:36 how is it possible that there is a blank plane in the background

[@grantseto6247]

Actually if you push one of the buttons that have arrows on it you can have a closer view of the whole thing.

[@ukmaxi]

You were very unlucky. Most of the AF fleet now (at least ~90%) has the new business class installed and thst lounge was mega crowded. I have been lucky it's never been that busy when I've been there. However, I will say the Hall L lounge is vastly superior.

[@craigwillis3372]

It would appear David things did not start well in the lounge and it was down hill from there !!! More negatives than positives but still not a bad flight given the food etc but understand your feeling a great let down with the seat etc. Great review as always mate and I look forward to your next adventure !!!

[@jcaam8094]

David I can't blame you for being disappointed especially considering how much they charge for business class seats.

[@samuelselvarajselladurai2960]

Old is gold.

[@teenaviator5961]

Great to know that ur in my home town 😄

[@Miftahjaya96]

long haul flight is so amazing, we get more flight experience

[@thicclasagna]

the thumbnail is me hearing about how COVID-19 affects your channel

[@olivernilsen2381]

AustriaSnake95 this review was made in december 2019. Its says so in the describsion. But i understand the confusion!

[@StephaneCalabrese]

I was about to make the comment too but then I watched the full video description and saw the flight date.

[@Chrischi4598]

Hey mate, where ever you are stay safe! Difficult times for all travelers...

[@maranza9907]

He flights in safe zones

CDG 2E boarding hall is wonderful!

[@colinrenfrew8344]

Great video. Whilst I agree on the points made about the seat, and screen tech, I’d also say that the food goes some way to compensate. I’d take this over some other carriers on this route.

[@clazeetyyy1.08]

I speak french and i watch yours vidéo from gabon 🇬🇦

[@theroadtosunrise]

I am always reminded of Flight 447 when I see an Air France A330-200

[@MNaviation]

Whenever i fly a sky team airline out of CDG for example delta and Air France the seat maps are always wrong i was flying delta one and the screen showed the old cabin on the 777 and i ended up getting the new one i also flew and Air France 777-300 that was supposed to be refurbished with the new a350-900 cabin and it didn’t have it so those screens are kind of misleading

[@maranza9907]

This was the first video of simply aviation that was uploaded during lockdown in my country

[@mallyjoyplaneflighttv]

I have never flown with Air France , to have a dirty seat is bad enough but in the current climate that is wrong ! but a broken seat surely this should have been picked up by maintenance before being made serviceable ? Great in flight footage too . Keep up the Great work Sir, I have been inspired by quite a lot of aviation channels so being an aviation lover myself , I started a you tube channel to show take offs and landing as they happen with no edit , basically raw footage to make you feel like you are there at the side of the runway . it would be nice to get support for my footage as I think my content has great presence. All the best to you Sir , and to all Stay Safe !

[@misterff1629]

You got unlucky this was probably the last A330 without the refurbished cabins! But now aside from the A380 and the flights from Orly, the large majority of the long haul fleet has the new cabin, it would be nice to have one of your great report.

[@teenaviator5961]

Yes I’ve always wanted a trip report to Chicago 😱

[@darryann1424]

You make my day watching ur vids I wanna go on planes badly now

[@vicorlebrun53436]

Yeah I feel you. I like Air France, usually the service is really good, but the problem is paying business fees to have a 15 years old cabin... It's not right. But because of all the privileges of the employees and because of much higher taxes (much higher than for emirates...), the replacement of these old cabins is really slow

[@tyrosenberg1]

I’m from Chicago and it is a great city

[@shazilerfan4012]

I hope COVID 19 ends quickly so you guys can make some more amazing videos

[@speedbird4542]

So unlucky & disappointing to get this shocking cabin ! Pretty bad. Makes the old BA Club World look like First ! Give me that any day !! Thanks for the report.