ENGLISH
I went on an Avgeek Weekend Trip this weekend which was very interesting as it involved an Air France’s brand new (not even a month old) Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. And here is the story of this fun weekend trip I just had.
The routing this weekend. Created with: gcmap.com
So as you know the routing this time was Amsterdam – Paris-CDG – London-Heathrow and back. And so I have decided to skip the Amsterdam – Paris-CDG vv part because I have flown this route so many times, haha. I would just go as far as saying that I flew an Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXL and a KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGW on these two flights.
An Air France’s Airbus A320-200 F-GKXL
A KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGW.
Paris – CDG, Terminal 2E Hall K
After arriving in Paris, I checked the transfer monitor and learned that my connecting flight to London would depart from Hall K of Terminal 2E. So I followed the signage to this hall, which was at the other side of Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport’s Terminal 2. I cleared immigration as well during this transfer, which was really a breeze because there was noone else, haha 😛 .
At Hall K, I immediately went to the Air France’s lounge there. I just realized that this was actually my first time at a non-Schengen Air France Lounge at Paris-CDG Airport! Haha 😛 . The lounge was really spacious, much more spacious than the two lounges at Terminal 2F, though the offering was pretty much the same.
Salon Air France at Terminal 2E Hall K
About an hour before departure, I left the lounge to look for the gate. Though I was travelling via Paris-CDG a lot, this was actually just my second time using its Hall K (the first time was when I was catching my Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo-Narita 2.5 years ago), so I wasn’t that familiar with this hall. The interior design of Paris – CDG Terminal 2E’s Hall K was really beautiful, btw. However, it was clearly not designed for avgeeks because it was very difficult to take pictures of the planes parked at this hall! Haha 😛
The beautiful Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport Terminal 2E Hall K
AF 1180 (CDG – LHR)
Flight: Air France AF1180
Equipment: Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXJ with a Paris 2024 sticker
ATD: 19:24 CET (Runway 08L of CDG)
ATA: 19:14 BST (Runway 27R of LHR)
Anyway, my flight to London today would be operated with an Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXJ, which was plastered with a Paris 2024 sticker. F-GKXJ was actually parked at the gate next to the Air France Lounge and so I knew that this plane had been sitting there for quite some time. I guess due to the importance of its London-Heathrow route (London-Heathrow is considered as one of the most “premium” airports, in terms of the type of passengers it attracts, in the industry), Air France wouldn’t want to take the risk of any of its London-Heathrow flights being delayed; and so the long on-the-ground time.
An Air France’s Airbus A320-200 F-GKXJ with Paris 2024 sticker
Long story short, I boarded the plane and sat at my 6A seat in the first row of economy today. Not too long after, the push back began and the flight departed. We took off from runway 08L of Paris-CDG and headed northwest towards London. It was a short flight so the complimentary snack service was provided right away.
A flight to London-Heathrow wouldn’t be complete without the plane having to make a few turns above London before being allowed to land, haha. Unfortunately there was some cloud hanging above the city today so I couldn’t really see anything. Anyway, at 19:14 local time we landed at runway 27R of London-Heathrow Airport.
Landing at runway 27R of London-Heathrow
We had to taxi for quite a distance and time (due to the airport’s crowdedness), where I spotted a Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 777-300ER being prepared for its non-stop flight back to Jakarta later tonight. And finally, we parked at a gate in Terminal 4 at the south part of the airport.
London-Heathrow
The last and only other time I was entering the UK via Heathrow was more than four years ago, haha. And I, sort of, forgot the possible inconvenience of entering London via this popular airport: a really long line at immigration!! The line was so long that I remembered the last time I encountered a line at least this “bad” was when I arrived in New York from Mexico City almost two years ago! While I wasn’t spending 90 minutes just for queuing this time (it was closer to 45 I think), it made me think that the next time I would travel to London, it would be better to arrive at London City Airport! Haha 😛
Rump steak for dinner
Anyway, I spent a night at a hotel nearby the airport today, where I also had my rump steak dinner.
The next morning, I checked out just before 7 AM to catch my 9:45 AM flight back to Paris. I already had my mobile boarding pass so I headed straight to security. The officer noticed the “Sky Priority” tag in my boarding pass and informed me that this allowed me to use the VIP security lane. Yeay! I didn’t have to queue with this lane and I cleared security in less than two minutes, haha.
The entrance to the SkyTeam Lounge at Heathrow
Once in the departure area, I looked for the SkyTeam Lounge at the airport. You see, London-Heathrow is not a SkyTeam airport but its importance means that a lot of SkyTeam airlines are using it. So to cater this, SkyTeam invests in a lounge at the airport’s Terminal 4, where most SkyTeam airlines fly to (Strangely, Garuda Indonesia operates from Terminal 3 despite it being a SkyTeam member).
The entrance to the lounge was quite small but the lounge itself was actually quite spacious, as it had two floors! I went to the upstairs area because the attendant told me breakfast was served there. The breakfast was actually quite decent with a selection of English or continental all you can eat breakfast. The design of the lounge itself was also really cool and looked so much better than the overall “outdated” feel of Terminal 4 of Heathrow, haha.
SkyTeam Lounge at Heathrow
AF 1681 (LHR-CDG)
Flight: Air France AF1681
Equipment: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBC
ATD: 10:22 BST (Runway 27R of LHR)
ATA: 12:07 BST (Runway 26L of CDG)
I was very excited when I saw in my Flightradar24 app that my flight today would be operated with F-HRBC, Air France’s newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that wasn’t even one month old! Unfortunately, the flight used Gate 2 today which was a horrible gate at the terminal because it was impossible to take a good picture of the plane! Haha 😛
Long story short, I boarded F-HRBC and sat at seat 18K. This time, I sat in the regular economy cabin unlike my last trip with an Air France’s Dreamliner where I sat in the premium economy cabin. I deliberately chose not to “upgrade” myself for the small fee because I would like to compare the two cabins, haha.
The regular economy cabin of Air France’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBC
The regular economy cabin was actually quite comfortable with good seat pitch and Air France’s newest IFE (Air France Touch). After all passengers boarded, the flight departed and the very chic safety demo was played on the IFE.
Don’t forget to put on your safety belt as, aside from ensuring our safety, it also elegantly hightlights your waistline…
Anyway, a departure from London-Heathrow wouldn’t also be complete without experiencing its traffic jam for take-off, haha. The departure runway this morning was runway 27R so we had to taxi for quite some distance there, and we encountered quite a traffic jam as we were nearing the runway. This doesn’t happen that often at Schiphol or Paris-CDG, and reminded me of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta! Haha 😛 .
Traffic jam at Heathrow
Long story short, we finally took off and began our short hop to Paris-CDG. As in flight AF1180, the service began immediately after take-off. A Boeing 787-9 was a much bigger plane than an Airbus A320 so I could imagine the flight attendants must be feeling some kind of time pressure for the service, and they did a really great job! Overall it was a very pleasant and smooth flight with Air France’s F-HRBC. At 12:07 local time, we landed at runway 26R of Paris-CDG Airport.
Air France’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBC at Paris-CDG
The plane parked at Terminal 2E Hall L. Then I cleared security and immigration to transfer to Terminal 2F to catch my last flight of this trip back to Amsterdam with KLM.
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The departure gate at Terminal 2E Hall K of Paris-CDG
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The Paris 2024 candidate city sticker
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The complimentary snack service on board flight AF1180
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Dusk
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A F-GKXJ’s window
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Terminal 4 of London-Heathrow
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SkyTeam Lounge
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Some breakfast selection at SkyTeam Lounge
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SkyTeam Lounge
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My 18K seat on board F-HRBC
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Good seat pitch
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Air France Touch
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Flying a Dreamliner on a Sunday
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Taking off from runway 27R of Heathrow
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The complimentary snack service on board flight AF1681
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The very short hop from London to Paris
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The awesome dimmed window feature
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The lavatory in the regular economy cabin
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The regular economy cabin on board Air France’s Boeing 787-9 F-HRBC
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The wingtip of F-HRBC
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Thanks for the smooth ride, F-HRBC!
BAHASA INDONESIA
Aku pergi dalam sebuah Avgeek Weekend Trip akhir pekan kemarin yang mana seru banget karena melibatkan sebuah Boeing 787-9 Dreamlinernya Air France yang baru banget (bahkan umurnya belum ada satu bulan). Dan berikut ini cerita dari akhir pekan seruku ini.
Rute akhir pekan ini. Dibuat dengan: gcmap.com
Rute kali ini adalah Amsterdam – Paris-CDG – London-Heathrow pp. Dan sudah kuputuskan aku tidak akan membahas penerbangan pp Amsterdam – Paris-CDGku karena aku sudah sering banget terbang di rute ini, haha. Cuma akan kusebutkan bahwa aku terbang dengan pesawat Airbus A320-200 rego F-GKXLnya Air France dan Boeing 737-700 rego PH-BGWnya KLM di dua penerbangan ini.
Sebuah Airbus A320-200 F-GKXLnya Air France
Sebuah Boeing 737-700 PH-BGWnya KLM.
Paris – CDG, Terminal 2E Hall K
Setelah tiba di Paris, aku mengecek monitor penerbangan transit dan aku diberi-tahu bahwa penerbangan lanjutanku ke London akan berangkat dari Hall K di Terminal 2E. Aku mengikuti petunjuk jalan ke arah sana, yang mana berada di sisi lain dari Terminal 2nya Bandara Charles De Gaulle. Aku melewati imigrasi ketika transit ini, yang mana berlangsung mulus banget karena nggak ada penumpang lain selain aku sehingga nggak perlu antri, haha 😛 .
Di Hall K, aku langsung pergi ke lounge-nya Air France di sana. Aku baru sadar bahwa ini adalah kali pertama aku mampir di sebuah lounge non-Schengennya Air France di Bandara Paris-CDG loh! Haha 😛 . Lounge-nya sendiri amat luas, lebih luas dari dua lounge-nya di Terminal 2F, walaupun layanannya sih kurang lebih sama lah.
Salon Air France di Terminal 2E Hall K
Sekitar satu jam sebelum waktu keberangkatan, aku meninggalkan lounge-nya menuju ke gate. Walaupun aku sering terbang melewati Bandara Paris-CDG, ini baru lah kali kedua aku menggunakan Hall K-nya (kali pertama adalah ketika aku menaiki penerbangan Japan Airlines ke Tokyo-Narita 2,5 tahun lalu), jadi aku kurang begitu familier dengan hall ini. Disain interior hall ini indah dan kece banget sebenarnya, btw. Namun, jelas disainnya tidak ramah untuk avgeek karena sulit sekali untuk bisa mendapatkan foto pesawat yang diparkir di hall ini dengan oke! Haha 😛
Terminal 2E Hall K Bandara Charles De Gaulle Paris yang indah dan kece banget.
AF 1180 (CDG – LHR)
Penerbangan: Air France AF1180
Pesawat: Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXJ dengan stiker Paris 2024
ATD: 19:24 CET (Runway 08L of CDG)
ATA: 19:14 BST (Runway 27R of LHR)
Anyway, penerbanganku ke London hari ini dioperasikan dengan Airbus A320-200nya Air France dengan rego F-GKXJ, yang ditempeli stiker Paris 2024. F-GKXJ sebenarnya diparkir di gate di sebelah lounge-nya Air France jadi aku tahu bahwa pesawat ini sudah diparkir di sana lumayan lama. Aku kira karena pentingnya rute London-Heathrow (London-Heathrow banyak dipandang sebagai satu dari bandara yang “premium”, dari segi tipe penumpang yang bepergian ke sana, di industri penerbangan), Air France tidak mau ambil risiko yang bisa menyebabkan penerbangan-penerbangan ke London-Heathrow terlambat; makanya pesawatnya diparkir lama di darat.
Sebuah Airbus A320-200 F-GKXJnya Air France dengan stiker Paris 2024
Singkat cerita, aku menaiki pesawatnya dan duduk di kursi 6A di barisan pertama ekonomi hari ini. Tak lama setelahnya, pesawat didorong mundur dan berangkat. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 08L Bandara Paris-CDG dan kemudian berbelok ke arah barat laut menuju London. Karena durasi penerbangannya yang singkat, layanan snack langsung disajikan.
Yang namanya penerbangan ke London-Heathrow tak akan lengkap tanpa yang namanya berputar-putar dulu di atas London sebelum diberikan izin mendarat, haha. Sayangnya, langit London berawan malam ini sehingga aku tidak bisa melihat apa-apa. Anyway, jam 19:14 waktu setempat kami mendarat di landasan pacu 27R Bandara Heathrow.
Mendarat di landasan pacu 27R Bandara London-Heathrow
Kami harus taxiing cukup jauh dengan waktu lumayan lama (soalnya bandaranya ramai banget), dimana aku bisa melihat sebuah Boeing 777-300ERnya Garuda Indonesia sedang disiapkan untuk penerbangan non-stopnya ke Jakarta malam itu. Dan akhirnya, pesawat diparkir di Terminal 4 di sisi selatan bandaranya.
London-Heathrow
Pertama dan terakhir kalinya aku masuk ke UK melalui Heathrow sebelum hari ini adalah lebih dari empat tahun yang lalu, haha. Jadilah aku lupa mengenai kemungkinan ketidak-nyamanannya masuk ke London melalui bandara ini: antrian imigrasi yang gila panjangnya!! Antriannya panjang banget sampai aku langsung teringat terakhir kali aku menghadapi antrian imigrasi yang “separah” ini adalah ketika aku tiba di New York dari Mexico City hampir dua tahun yang lalu! Walaupun memang sih aku tidak menghabiskan 90 menit untuk mengantri kali ini (sekitar 45an lah), ini membuatku berpikir bahwa untuk perjalananku ke London yang selanjutnya, mendingan aku terbang ke Bandara London City aja deh! haha 😛
Rump steak untuk makan malam
Anyway, aku menginap semalam di hotel di dekat bandara hari ini, dimana aku juga makan rump steak untuk makan malam.
Keesokan paginya, aku check-out sebelum jam 7 pagi untuk mengejar penerbangan jam 9:45ku ke Paris. Aku sudah memiliki mobile boarding pass sehingga aku langsung menuju ke area sekuriti. Petugasnya melihat label “Sky Priority” di boarding pass-ku dan memberi-tahuku bahwa dengannya aku bisa masuk melalui jalur pemeriksaan VIP. Hore! Di jalur ini aku nggak perlu ngantri dan melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti total dalam waktu kurang dari dua menit saja, haha.
Pintu masuk SkyTeam Lounge di Heathrow
Begitu di area keberangkatan, aku langsung mencari SkyTeam Lounge di terminal ini. London-Heathrow bukanlah bandara SkyTeam tetapi pentingnya bandara ini membuat maskapai-maskapai SkyTeam memiliki banyak penerbangan melalui bandara ini. Jadilah SkyTeam memutuskan untuk berinvestasi dengan membuka sebuah lounge di Terminal 4 bandara ini, dimana kebanyakan penerbangan SkyTeam diberangkatkan (Anehnya, Garuda Indonesia beroperasi di Terminal 3 padahal Garuda kan anggota SkyTeam juga).
Pintu masuk lounge ini cukup kecil tetapi lounge-nya sendiri luas loh, dua lantai pula! Aku naik ke lantai atas karena petugasnya memberi-tahuku bahwa sarapan disajikan di sana. Pilihan sarapannya sendiri cukup oke dimana ada sarapan ala Inggris atau kontinental dengan model all you can eat. Disain lounge-nya sendiri juga keren banget dan nampak jauh lebih modern daripada Terminal 4nya Heathrow yang terasa “usang”, haha.
SkyTeam Lounge di Heathrow
AF 1681 (LHR-CDG)
Penerbangan: Air France AF1681
Pesawat: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBC
ATD: 10:22 BST (Runway 27R of LHR)
ATA: 12:07 BST (Runway 26L of CDG)
Aku merasa bersemangat banget ketika aku lihat di app Flightradar24-ku bahwa penerbanganku akan dioperasikan dengan F-HRBC, Boeing 787-9 Dreamlinernya Air France yang paling baru yang umurnya bahkan belum ada satu bulan! Sayangnya, penerbangan hari ini menggunakan Gate 2 yang mana merupakan gate di terminal ini yang menyebalkan sekali karena tidak mungkin bagiku untuk bisa memfoto pesawatnya dengan sudut yang baik! haha 😛
Singkat cerita, aku menaiki F-HRBC dan duduk di kursi 18K. Kali ini, aku duduk di kabin ekonomi reguler, tidak seperti penerbanganku sebelumnya dengan Dreamlinernya Air France dimana aku duduk di kabin premium economy. Sengaja aku memilih untuk tidak meng-“upgrade” kursiku dengan biaya yang sebenarnya tidak terlalu mahal karena aku ingin membandingkan dua kabinnya, haha.
Kabin ekonomi reguler Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBCnya Air France
Kabin ekonomi regulernya ternyata cukup nyaman dengan seat pitch kursi yang oke dan IFE terbarunya Air France (Air France Touch). Setelah semua penumpang naik pesawat, kami berangkat dan video peragaan keselamatan yang chic banget itu dimainkan di layar IFEnya.
Jangan lupa memasang sabuk pengaman karena, selain untuk memastikan keselamatan Anda, sabuknya juga meng-highlight lingkar pinggang Anda dengan elegan…
Anyway, yang namanya keberangkatan dari London-Heathrow tak akan komplit tanpa mengalami yang namanya kemacetan sebelum lepas landas, haha. Landasan pacu keberangkatan pagi ini adalah landasan 27R sehingga kami harus taxiing lumayan jauh ke sana, dan di dekat landasannya ada kemacetan untuk menunggu giliran lepas landas. Ini hampir tidak pernah terjadi di Schiphol atau Paris-CDG, dan mengingatkan akan Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta di Jakarta! Haha 😛 .
Kemacetan di Heathrow
Singkat cerita, kami akhirnya lepas landas dan memulai penerbangan singkat ke Paris-CDG. Seperti di penerbangan AF1180, layanan snack-nya langsung disajikan setelah lepas landas. Boeing 787-9 berukuran lebih besar daripada Airbus A320 sehingga aku paham tentu pramugari/a-nya diburu-buru waktu ya untuk layanan ini, dan mereka meng-handle-nya dengan baik! Secara umum penerbangan ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dan mulus dengan F-HRBCnya Air France. Jam 12:07 waktu setempat, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 26R Bandara Paris-CDG.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBCnya Air France di Paris-CDG
Pesawat diparkir di Hall L Terminal 2E. Lalu, aku melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti dan imigrasi ketika transit ke Terminal 2F untuk mengehjar penerbanganku kembali ke Amsterdam dengan KLM.
Well, talking about my “luck” this evening😅.
