For the next segment of my exotic journey to Bangkok via Paris, I flew Aircalin’s Airbus A330-900neo business class (often branded as Business Hibiscus) on the 11hr5min flight from Paris (CDG) to Bangkok (BKK).
Continue reading: Review: Aircalin Business Class Airbus A330neo (CDG-BKK)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
When you arrive with a business class BP in hand, you can use a somewhat hidden priority lane at BKK. Follow the signs for Thai citizens' passport control and before the booths, there will be someone quickly checking passports and boarding passes. They will let you through without a fuss.
Yup. At BKK, I recall the entrance for the Fast Pass/Priority lane is separate, on the far right-side (west) if facing the terminal after check-in.
It is unusual for you to include yourself in a picture like you did here: Aircalin A330neo landing Bangkok Airport. Great report, as always. It is really nice to see so many new travel reports. I understand the limitation while your mother was ill and I am sure you would happily forgo the travel to have her around longer. But thank you for resuming your "purely reporting travels".
3 hours after takeoff is too long for meal service to wrap up on a redeye.
Neat Flying Blue redemption though and great trip report, thanks!
Interestingly, and unlike many (most?) other airports, I don't think this works for status holders travelling in Y. I'm pretty certain I had found that queue when flying VN back in Dec 2024, but they told me that I wasn't eligible to use it.
"the market between Paris and Bangkok is quite competitive" - This is about the worst flight you could have chosen ---- looks horrible
Sadly, Air France has never had a consistent service from Paris to Nouméa (unlike Papeete, where I have fond memories of flying their old first class ex-LAX). UTA did fly that route, with stops in Bahrain, Singapore/Jakarta, and Sydney/Darwin. Still, New Caledonia is a fabulous destination -- both the Kanak tribal areas north of Nouméa on Grande Terre and the glorious beaches and lagoons of Ile des Pins and especially Ouvea. It's worth the discomfort of Aircalin to get there. (Qantas flights from Sydney and QantasLink flights from Brisbane are no great shakes.). Go, and review the domestic airline, Air Calédonie, and the domestic Magenta airport. If you need to cover points hotels, there are Le Méridien hotels in Nouméa and on Ile des Pins.
This is not a new trip report... it is the same Aircalin report you published last year with the exact same pictures. If you don't have time to write more reports, no problem, but don't post them as if they are new.
Air Calin in economy from Australia is the best way of getting to New Caledonia from Australia, especially on their wide body flights.
But it's not an island in the South Pacific; it's an archipelago, and hence its tragedy: the South Province, which includes the capital Noumea, has an ethnic French majority that wishes New Caledonia to stay part of France, while the North Province and Loyalty Islands have a large Kanak (native) majority that desires independence. Despite efforts to reduce inequalities and invest in Kanak society, referendums in 2018 and 2021 showed that this divide remained. Riots in 2024 by independence supporters in the South Province (provoked by proposed French constitutional legislation that would have expanded the franchise to more recent non-indigenous residents) caused massive economic devastation in New Caledonia (a GDP drop in 2024 of 13.5%). The legislation was withdrawn. An agreement (the Bougival Accord) was reached to grant the territory even more autonomy, but a few days ago it was rejected by the French National Assembly. So the problem persists.
@Kenny .. I’m confused as I thought this was a new report based on the “exotic” statement but then the flight shows it being November 19 … hmmmmmm
Oh, really? Good to know! I've always ended up heading to the right. Suvarnabhumi is such a large airport, probably best that they have more options.
What are you on about? Ben hasn't traveled or posted anything about Aircalin before...
Both Le Méridien Hotels are closed unfortunately since some months/years due to financial problems.
My goodness, the lack of reading is so apparent here.
Ben explicitly said in his other post that "Anyway, in this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then I’ll have a full review upon returning home."
The two posts also differ entirely in structure and content. In fact, this site does this with pretty much all flights – there's a first impressions shorter post, and a longer one that comes after a couple of months.
If you don't have time to actually read the blog post instead of skimming through the pictures, no problem, but a comment that essentially accuses the writer of double-posting content (which he didn't) is uncalled for.
FWIW… In French, calin is a very common term for a cuddle or a hug. While the airline's name is just a clever mashup of "Calédonie" and "International," the coincidence with the French word for "cuddly" is hard to miss.