Due to scheduling complications with multiple people we have to take our annual trip to Europe during an undesirable time, middle of summer. We are planning to meet our families and some friends and somehow the only good time for everyone was in the three weeks starting end of July. At least this gives us an opportunity to try for the first time the direct flight to Paris on Air France and hopefully also the new Chase lounge in Terminal 4 at the Sky Harbor airport. We whiff on the lounge though, the queue is too long and we get access only one hour before the flight, too late to even try it out.
The flight at least is uneventful and the food is slightly better than usual but only slightly. The movie selection however is much more interesting versus our usual flights and the hours fly by as we make our way to Europe.
As we have to leave really early the next day towards Funchal, the capital of Madeira, we have booked a hotel in the airport close to the expected terminal we have to use. We were also planning an exploration of Paris in the afternoon but exiting the airport takes way too long and we are tired and simply decide to relax and recharge before the early flight next day.
For entertainment we watch the planes coming in and leaving it is quite exciting to watch airlines we never heard off arrive and leave and seeing how the loading and boarding procedures are handled.
For dinner we get room service, we really do not have high hopes but are quite pleasantly surprised.
The food is consistently good from the cheese and meat selection to the truffle entree and to the yummy dessert.
Very early in the morning we leave the hotel, at least there was no paid breakfast that we can lose by leaving early. Even though the hotel is the closest to the gate we still have to take an additional train to the check in area but there is more than enough time to not feel harried.
As our plane is the first to leave the airport is not really open after we pass security. In fact this is the first time we have seen the duty free area being closed off and lots of people are confused about where to go. There is a nearby open door, not marked or anything, but we try it and we can enter the airport via some claustrophobic corridors, quite weird. And then we sit waiting for the plane to come to the gate while watching some people play on the piano, yes there is a piano and yes they are playing it at 4 in the morning.
When we leave it is quite annoying, in a way we really didn’t like how the airline or airport handled this. First they hurry everyone in from the air conditioned waiting room and force them in the walkway to the airplane, which is not air conditioned, and then queue them there, as the airplane is still closed. So you stay in queue for 15 minutes in a hot walkway for no good reason. And then when they open the plane even though you can enter through the jet bridge they force half of the plane to descend via stairs in the rain outside and then climb in the back of the airplane, really no respect for the people or someone that might have difficulty climbing stairs. But at least the plane leaves on time and we are on our way to Madeira for our Portugal adventure.
