Some recent SkyTeam experiences

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Stij
Posts: 2273
Joined: 07 Mar 2005, 00:00
Location: Belgium

Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by Stij »

Recently I made 2 trips on Skyteam:

- BRU-AMS-CPT-AMS-BRU
- BRU-AMS-LAX-CDG-ZYR

BRU-AMS-CPT-AMS-BRU over Christmas and New Years

All flight were on KLM in Y. 2 children (4 and 6) travelled with me. I must say KLM was very good:

- Not to long check-in lines
- Extremely friendly helpful crew, especially for my children.
- Nice meals
- Excellent IFE.
- Comfortable seats: yes, even the 10 abreast seat was good, maybe because of the good legroom.

Contrary to some other recent reports here: no lines at passport control in AMS.

BRU-AMS-LAX-CDG-ZYR last weekend

4 flights 4 companies: KLM, Delta, Air France and SNCF. I was travelling alone. 4 companies: 4 experiences.

KLM

- No check-in line in BRU
- Friendly crew
- Nice seat on the Embraer
- Punctual

Delta

- Friendly crew, but no more.
- 3 main meal choices! The chicken Caesar salad was nice and light.
- 2 second meal choices! The pizza was ok.
- What an IFE!!! The choice in movies is amazing. What’s very nice is the category “Best of the 80’s and 90’s.” I saw Top Gun: great to watch a planes crash and explode while in a plane!!!
- There’s free Wifi on board for Whatsapp and IMessage. During the first part of the flight I bugged my European friends and during the second my American friends.
- The seat was nice.
- Early departure and very early arrival

Air France

- Flight was 2 hours delayed (technical issue in CDG), but I was informed in time and also informed that my connecting TGV reservation was automatically changed. In the end we landed in the snow an hour late.
- No check-in line in LAX. A friend flew C on BA and waited 20min to get checked-in.
- Very friendly crew
- 2 main meal choices, but as I was the first row of Y, I was offered the meal of Y+, so a better starter and a better desert.
- The seat was good, but the separation wall bothered my feet. I slept well though.
- Don’t know about the IFE as I chatted with my neighbor until after the meal and then slept until CDG.
- After touch-down we taxied in the snow at such a slow pace it took us 30min to get to the parking stand.
- Bags were delayed… maybe because of the snow… I don’t know.

SNCF

- What a joke.
- So you’re supposed to wait in the “railway station” in freezing temperatures.
- You can only hand over your luggage 1 hour before departure. So if you have to wait 2,5 hours… have fun.
- The train was delayed half an hour due to the snow in the North, but came from Marseille which is still in the South.

More on changing in CDG with bags… In Brussels-South railway station you can check-in your bags now and they’re transferred automatically to your final destination. Fine. But if you travel with sports equipment, that doesn’t work and you have to carry it on board yourself. But there’s no space foreseen for such luggage. And in Paris you can carry it yourself to the correct terminal.

Conclusion:

I’m a very happy customer but for changing to the TGV in CDG: never again. Unfortunately that means no Air France either.

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lumumba
Posts: 2046
Joined: 04 Sep 2003, 00:00
Location: brussels Europe

Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by lumumba »

For the same reason I don't take Air France in winter time...
Hasta la victoria siempre.

convair
Posts: 1944
Joined: 18 Nov 2011, 00:02

Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by convair »

Indeed, that CDG train station is a real icehouse in winter, and the winds created by the passage of trains make it even worse!

Charlie Roy
Posts: 523
Joined: 29 Aug 2006, 22:20
Location: Europa

Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by Charlie Roy »

I fly Skyteam all the time:

KLM: Comfortable short haul, but terrible long haul for comfort, especially the 747's. Food and beverages not great. I avoid KLM long haul.
Air France: Great comfort. Great food and beverages.
Delta: Great comfort. Great food and beverages. Awesome IFE. Free messaging is a bonus. Awesome frequent-flyer program.
Aerolineas Argentinas: Comfort ok. IFE via app or laptop domestically. Free messaging is a bonus.
Austral: Excellent comfort and IFE. Taking off during the safety briefing makes safety questionable.
Soon I will fly Korean...

Partners:
GOL: Great comfort.
Virgin Australia: Excellent comfort. Free messaging is a bonus.
Westjet: Comfortable...
Last edited by Charlie Roy on 28 Jan 2019, 10:33, edited 1 time in total.

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sn26567
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Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
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Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by sn26567 »

Did someone say "nice seat on the KLM Embraer" and someone else "KLM comfortable seat short-haul"? I find the KLM Embraer terrible: no legroom at all. I think KLM has not yet realised that its main passengers, the Dutch, are the tallest people on earth.
André
ex Sabena #26567

Stij
Posts: 2273
Joined: 07 Mar 2005, 00:00
Location: Belgium

Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by Stij »

Well yes... row 20 had enough legroom for my 185cm

b720
Posts: 891
Joined: 04 May 2006, 00:00

Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by b720 »

convair wrote: 24 Jan 2019, 16:58 Indeed, that CDG train station is a real icehouse in winter, and the winds created by the passage of trains make it even worse!
Precisely why I stopped flying AF. The wait at the train station after a long flight is horrible. Did it twice, never again.

MHG
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Joined: 21 May 2005, 00:00
Location: near Mannheim, Germany (MHG/EDFM)
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Re: Some recent SkyTeam experiences

Post by MHG »

Having to wait in a freezing railway station is a big no-no for me, too.

But - who asked you to wait at the railway station all the time rather than spending at least the major part of the waiting time in the terminal ?
Despite there are very few seating possibilities @ CDG in any terminal it´s still way better to stay there in comfortable temperatures rather than in the railway station ...

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