Okay – picture the scene:
Mr and Mrs Travel Freak. 3 very excited Junior Travel Freaks (JTFs). A cold morning. A 40 minute drive to the airport. 10 bags, 2 car seats and a buggy. A 6:20 flight which was the beginning of a 17-hour journey.
We parked the car on time and as Elite Flying Blue jumped the queue to check in. All good so far with check-in being fast and efficient.
As perhaps one of the most frequent users of Edinburgh Airport (and, subsequently, the Servisair lounge). A quick word and a smile with a certain somebody (you know who you are; thank you once again) had secured lounge access for the whole gang so 14 bottles (they really are, very small) of orange juice and a few packets of chocolate chip shortbread later and the JTFs were whining just a little bit less.
The flight was called 20 minutes earlier than I had expected so no priority boarding. It was however a bus to the aircraft anyway so no worries. Despite my cynicism, all of the passengers did fit into the one bus and after a very short while off we went. As we had secured seats together at the rear of the aircraft we got on the bus and turned right (everyone else turned left) so we got to our seats (and stowed our numerous bags, laptops and children) first.
Now I should explain that I travel the EDI to LCY route very often. I fly with CityJet who are sort of part of Air France. They are however NOT Air France. How do I know this? Passengers get sweeties and chocolates with CityJet and I didn’t get any on this flight – I was disappointed having remembered to bring some “non-slippery” sweets for the JTFs. Standard muffins and coffee were offered shortly after take-off – and yes, these were the same as CityJet. If you want something more substantial then get it before boarding.
Flight left on time and landed early; it was a shame that it took almost 15 minutes in the bus to take us from the aircraft to the terminal but we still would have cleared customs and been on the TGV to Paris well ahead of schedule if we were not transferring.
Staff were friendly and attentive and made a suitable fuss of the JTFs. A good start to the journey.
Aircraft – Avro RJ85
Class – Economy
Price – £460 for Mr and Mrs TravelFreak, £380 for the JTF’s (EDI through to MIA via CDG). Fares to Paris start at £69
Check out the next leg of our trip here
