Viva la France

So, the proximate cause of these two weeks of non-stop fun in Ohio was my weeklong business trip to Europe. As my entry in and out of Europe was Paris, I flew over on AirChance err... Air France. My ticket afforded me the "privelege" of hanging out in the AirFrance lounge at Logan Airport. If anyone has any delusions that these exclusive clubhouses are somehow the lap of luxury, they are quite mistaken.

The best analogy I can describe for the AirFrance lounge at Logan is that it really reminds one of highschool detention. The first clue that this was not going to be a luxurious experience came when I went to the elevator. While I don't frequent these lounges often, in my experience, you typically travel "up" on the elevator to get to the lounge. At Logan, you travel down. Not a good sign.

(the room for our partner meeting - not the AirFrance lounge)

You then are treated to a long, featureless hallway with doors leading to the different airline lounges. Upon entering the AirFrance lounge, you are greeted by a woman sitting at a metal desk, just like the kind the teachers had in my elementary school. The AF lounge is a particularly dismal setting - with absolutely no windows. It's a series of three small rooms, but artfully arranged so that each one gives the minimum feeling of open space.

Now, I understand that maybe they weren't given a great location to work with. But, the "Pièce de résistance" is the service. The AF woman working there couldn't be more apathetic. It seemed like every single passenger who came through there ended up in some kind of confrontation with her. Our flight was delayed, so at one point I cheerfully asked her "Do you have any information on when we might be boarding?" She barked at me "I'll call your flight when it's time to board!" Such service!

(more meeting photos)

Now, my experience at the AirFrance lounge had me all prepared to go on a lengthy rant about the rudeness of the French, but I must say that every other person I encountered in France was extremely polite. Well, except for the guy manning the ticket counter in the subway, but does that really even count?