France (and London, Briefly)

[I love to travel]

EY doesn’t seemed to have changed soft product in some time.

 

[MattA]

Like QR, EY also has on-demand dining. I opt for lunch shortly after takeoff.

Glass of the 2014 St-Émilion to start.



Smoked duck breast. Doesn’t really taste of anything much. Bread’s good though.



Plated up on a plastic tray, rather than directly onto the table. It’s a little thing, but just feels a bit cheap, despite being something that would ostensibly cost nothing to change. I wonder what the thinking is there?

Slow braised beef ribs are better than the starter. Really tasty.



Finished off with the warm peach cobbler. It was ok.



Couple of movies and tried for a bit of rest. This EY J seat is definitely shorter than either QR or SQ. I (6ft4) cannot lie flat in this seat. Had to bend my knees. Not ideal.

Steak sandwich before landing. This was tasty.

 

[MattA]

Oh forgot to post these from CDG earlier. We were parked up next to one of EK’s big birds before departure (on its way to DXB as EK72):



Taxi took us out past a reminder of times past…



Good view of the Alps from the air:

 

[MattA]

We land in AUH around 25 minutes late. Not that it matters to me as I have plenty of time before EY460 onwards to MEL. A long walk on the travelator to transfer security (very quick, no lines), and then another long walk to the EY J lounge.

It’s big enough that even though there are quite a few people here there’s no shortage of places to sit.



Multiple stations with various hot/cold food on offer:



And a central bar (didn’t need anything else to drink at the moment, so didn’t get closer than this):

 

[MattA]

5C for the AUH-MEL leg. Also a 777 but this is the two class config and I’m in the front row.

An aisle seat, rather than a window seat, which might work better for sleeping as the foot area is half open…



Apart from being a mirror image, the seat is otherwise the same as the previous flight.

Same wine list and amenity kit.

Food menu:

 

[Flyfrequently]

Amenity kit (featuring appropriate inspirational message, given the reason for my trip…)

View attachment 330083
Great trip report, lovely sentiment on your amenity kit.

The littleA's and MrsA will be pleased to have you home, especially with the Bluey book. Safe travels home and thanks for great TR.

 

[ellen10]

Safe travels home. I have enjoyed your trip report, thank you.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Enjoyed reading about your time and seeing your pics! Safe return.

 

[Kangarucci]

Thanks for an enjoyable read.

 

[MattA]

Had some food shortly after take off.

Spicy prawn salad. This was tasty.



Seared beef tenderloin. Meat was a bit tough, and I was getting full by this point so I didn’t finish it.



After that sleep under the stars…



Still couldn’t fit fully flat in the bed.

Woke a couple of hours before landing and had a bowl of museli as I just wanted something light by this point (even though I’ve totally got the time of day wrong, as it was mid afternoon in Melbourne).



At gate about 40 mins ahead of schedule. MEL pretty quiet, bag off early and I was through customs and out in probably under 30 mins total from stepping off the plane. Not bad.

 

[MattA]

So: thoughts on EY.

Certainly this 777 product is very dated—it doesn’t compare well to the QR or SQ J cabins I’ve flown recently. It’s not a good choice for the taller traveller either.

Clearly it’s better than Y, and I’m here because this was the only award space I could find that worked for my timing, but I’m not sure why you’d pay revenue fares (at similar prices compared to better options) for this product. (Assuming you are going to Europe, that is, rather than specifically to AUH).

That said, J was full, so clearly many people are happy to pay revenue for EY 777 J…

Anyway, that’s it for this one. thanks for following along and I hope you enjoyed joining me (virtually).

 

[OZDUCK]

Thaks for the TR. Your time in France looked lovely and it must have been nice to surprise your father.

 

[VPS]

Thanks for the TR - always love rural France and great value meals

 

[BCons]

We land in AUH around 25 minutes late. Not that it matters to me as I have plenty of time before EY460 onwards to MEL. A long walk on the travelator to transfer security (very quick, no lines), and then another long walk to the EY J lounge.

It’s big enough that even though there are quite a few people here there’s no shortage of places to sit.

View attachment 330105

Multiple stations with various hot/cold food on offer:

View attachment 330104

And a central bar (didn’t need anything else to drink at the moment, so didn’t get closer than this):

View attachment 330107

Why not the F lounge, or was this lounge visit in the interests of your wider audience?

 

[MattA]

Why not the F lounge, or was this lounge visit in the interests of your wider audience?

Good point. I'd love to say it was for the good of the trip report but sadly it's because I dropped from VA Plat to Gold earlier this year (we were family pooling to Mrs MattA for a bit so she could get to WP). Hadn't updated my AFF profile thingy, but this is now corrected. Of course that means as a J pax with only SG status, I wasn't eligible for the First lounge in AUH. I think this was the only area of this trip where being WP would have made a difference.

I'm on track to return to WP around the end of next month (thanks in large part to the 250 SCs from the recent credit card promo) but not quite in time for this trip. I didn't think I'd miss VA WP (have always viewed SG as the sweet spot) but had to fly in row 7 recently (the horror!) and really missed the extra legroom of row 3, so it will be good to get back there.

 

[BCons]

Good point. I'd love to say it was for the good of the trip report but sadly it's because I dropped from VA Plat to Gold earlier this year (we were family pooling to Mrs MattA for a bit so she could get to WP). Hadn't updated my AFF profile thingy, but this is now corrected. Of course that means as a J pax with only SG status, I wasn't eligible for the First lounge in AUH. I think this was the only area of this trip where being WP would have made a difference.

I'm on track to return to WP around the end of next month (thanks in large part to the 250 SCs from the recent credit card promo) but not quite in time for this trip. I didn't think I'd miss VA WP (have always viewed SG as the sweet spot) but had to fly in row 7 recently (the horror!) and really missed the extra legroom of row 3, so it will be good to get back there.

Yes, there seem to be been a lot of us chucked out of Plat in the last few months.. and tks for the reminder to amend one's profile

 

[Nukie]

Thanks for the great trip report, just love anything to do with France and you certainly had beautiful food!

 

[Magoo]

Great report. I was only moaning this morning of the zoo that is the Eurostar waiting area.

Loved your details of rural France.