Lady’s Experience in Business Class on the A380 to Paris

Today I want to share about my experience flying in business class on the A380 to Paris. This famous airplane is a great one to travel in, whether it’s on a hop to Europe for a weekend getaway or a long-haul flight to a far-away destination.

A380 to Paris

So why am I taking the A380 to Paris? My boyfriend is an aviation nut.

He’s one of those people who can look into the sky, see a speck of a plane, and know exactly what kind it is, what airline it belongs to, and what the best seat in each cabin class is.

When Airbus released its double-decker A380, I thought I was lucky to spot the plane flying over the Golden Gate Bridge as part of Fleet Week in San Francisco.

When I told my boyfriend about it, he said he’d already driven to SFO airport early one morning just to see it.

Despite having caught a glimpse of it when it first took to the skies, the A380 has proven elusive on our travels.

None of the airlines we fly regularly has one in its fleet. The airlines that do have A380s usually reserve them for long-haul routes to destinations we don’t often visit.

But this summer Air France is flying positioning flights between London and Paris on the A380, and my boyfriend couldn’t pass up such a convenient chance to experience it.

Lucky for me, he didn’t want to travel alone. He booked two business class tickets on the A380 to Paris for Monday afternoon, and two tickets back to London on Tuesday morning. Basically, we were traveling to Paris for dinner.

A380 Business Class Experience

On Monday we took the tube to Heathrow to fly to Paris on the A380. After a short stint in the Star Alliance lounge, we boarded the behemoth of a plane.

The A380 is so large they board the upstairs and downstairs from different jet bridges. Even after we boarded we waited almost an hour before everyone was seated.

During that time we amused ourselves by joining many of our fellow passengers in taking photos of the A380 business class cabin. The seats were large and comfortable, and there was a small lounge area in the front by the stairwell.

As I peered down the steps, I saw others peering up in hopes of getting a glimpse of the premium cabins. We were all curious about this big jet plane.

The actual flight on the A380 to Paris was nothing special. There was no pre-flight champagne, and 45 minutes of air time wasn’t enough to test out the lie-flat beds (although my boyfriend did so anyway before we took off).

The meal was a plastic tray full of small bites covered in cling film, and I barely had time to read the in-flight magazine before we landed in France.

The only really memorable part of the flight on the A380 to Paris was take-off, when the plane felt so heavy I worried it wouldn’t make it off the ground.

Once we were airborne, though, the flight was smooth and relaxing. The whole experience made me wish we were flying overseas so I could see what Air France could do on a proper long-haul flight.

Paris

When our A380 flight to Paris touched down, it was pouring rain.

We took an Air France bus from Charles de Gaulle airport to the Gare Montparnasse, which conveniently let us off right across the street from our hotel, the Pullman Paris Montparnasse.

It was the same hotel I’d stayed in with my mother two weeks prior, and I had a sense of deja vu upon checking in.

We didn’t take much time to settle into our room before dinner. I quickly changed into one of the dresses my mom bought me at Antoine et Lili on our mother-daughter trip to Paris, and we headed off to the Right Bank.

With an hour to kill before our dinner reservation, we explored the streets to the south and west of the Arc de Triomphe, one of my favorite Paris landmarks.

Despite having lived near there when I worked in Paris, I’d never spent any time in the area.

It turned out to be a beautiful neighborhood. It was deathly quiet, as expected for Paris in August, but the buildings were classic Parisian and the parks and gardens were as well-manicured as any in the French capital.

Dinner was at one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris to keep its doors open on a Monday in mid-August.

In exchange for my boyfriend flying me to Paris, I’d promised him a nice meal. Having been to its sister restaurant on a prior trip to Paris, we were excited to try its more formal counterpart.

It was a good choice. Plates of crab ravioli were followed by some of the best John Dory I’ve ever had. The mashed potatoes were divine, too.

The meal ended with a deliciously light passion fruit souffle, and we floated out of the restaurant feeling full and happy.

From dinner we headed down to the Place Vendome for a cocktail at Hotel Costes. In contrast to the crowded Saturday night we spent there last winter in Paris, the place was far less busy this time.

It was nice to be able to hear each other talk while enjoying a drink in the atmospheric lounge.

We got back to the hotel late and woke up early to catch our flight home to London. The Air France bus left Montparnasse at 8am, and by noon we were landing at Heathrow.

Flying on the A380 to Paris

The trip home wasn’t nearly as exciting as the one there, but not every flight can be as thrilling as flying on the A380 to Paris. I can’t wait until another plane makes its debut and gives me an excuse fly to France in style again.

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