Welcome to the last report of this trip to and from Austria. I’ve only ever flown a transoceanic Premium Economy class once, on a daytime journey. While I’d imagine sleeping would still be tough for an overnight itinerary, for a daytime flight like this one, it was a perfectly decent experience. Happy hybrid between Economy and Business, these seats are similar to the domestic First class seats we see in the US.

Connecting at CDG

Two words: avoid it. While Air France presents an overall positive experience, Paris has been under meltdown mode for many years. Even before the pandemic, the airport was struggling to make everything smooth and efficient. My short connection was no different.

We made up some time after our late departure and landed in CDG right on time. But deplaning took about 15-20 minutes as we all had to squeeze onto buses to shuttle us to the main area of Terminal 2. No need for additional security, but since my next destination is outside the EU Schengen, I needed to clear immigration.

There were a total of 5 separate lines at immigration. Those with EU and select chip passports had separate lines from the other passengers and those with priority access. We initially started to walk pretty quickly, but slowed down drastically and for good reason.

Chip passports pass through automated passport control gates. You first scan your passport, then a first set of gates open. Passing through, the second set of doors take your picture before you fully pass through the vestibule.

Unfortunately, four of the six machines were down. Immigration took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Slow, but not the worst I’ve had.

All in all, my 1.5 hour connection quickly dwindled to just barely enough to make it to my gate before boarding. So I didn’t have an opportunity to visit any lounges, shop duty free, or grab a snack,

Boarding commenced about 10 minutes late, with a further delay at the jet bridge until they were ready for us to get onto the plane. Why let people board if you weren’t ready for boarding?

The Seat

My seat today was the last row of PE in the left corner. This left a private little space around me and was noticeably quieter than the aisle seat. Each seat had a bottle of water and an amenity kit waiting. There was also a noise-cancelling headphone that was built-into the seat and can not be removed.

Each seat also had a USB charging port and a regular US or EU plug. Unfortunately, neither of these were functional on my flight.

These seats were also unique in that they reclined downward and the seat cushion pulled forward. That meant the back of the seats themselves do not protrude into the legroom behind. Still, the seat had pretty decent recline.

Boarding ended just a few minutes late and we were off to Dallas without any incident. Luckily, we didn’t have to de-ice or experience much further delay.

Inflight Service

The flight crew distributed hot towels approximately 30 minutes after takeoff. We were each given a menu card and a choice of beverage. For lunch today, I chose the salmon bowl with rice and cream sauce. Each meal was served on just a single tray. Naturally, I ordered both a Perrier and a white wine.

The crew was efficient with their meal distribution and collection. I didn’t plan on sleeping this flight, so there really was no rush. But compared to my Air Canada flight, this crew was even more expeditious. However, the presentation of meals definitely needs some work.

They came around the cabin three times giving out cups of water and also distributed a sandwich snack midway through the flight.

75 minutes before takeoff, the crew distributed each person a snack box (which was more of a breakfast box). It contained a cake, cookie, pastry, applesauce, and a choice of beverage.

It felt like we were getting the same food as Economy. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me since I just valued the more comfortable seat. But if elevated service is important to you, then this isn’t the cabin class for you.