AF 5187 - London City to Nice
by JFC AdminCityJet for Air France flight AF 5187 from London City to Nice. Arrived at the airport just before 1pm which was plenty of time before the 14:30 departure. Although I was checked in online I still needed to drop off the luggage (thanks to the rules about liquids meaning I have to check my dangerous contact lens solution in the hold). Dropping the bags off only took a few minutes as there was only one person in the queue. Security was quick, and I was sitting down to lunch less than 15 minutes after arriving at the airport.
It’s always nice to be able to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare, I had a relaxing 2 course lunch and a few bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale. The flight was on time and the aircraft was one of the few painted in the old CityJet livery, most are pained in Air France colours or the new CityJet for Air France livery.
On board I was seated in the row behind the business class curtain, business class was actually empty on this flight (although they still closed the devider curtain after takeoff). Like on many short-haul aircraft the seating is the same in business as in economy and I’ve yet to see the CityJet business class catering to decide whether flying business class would offer any advantages whatsoever.
The seats on the BAe 146 aircraft are a bit narrow compared to those on larger aircraft but they’re adequate for journeys under 2.5 hours, the slight drop in comfort of these seats is more than made up for by the convenience of flying direct from London City Airport which avoids the nightmare which is travelling from Heathrow.
Food in economy was nothing special, just a sandwich. As for drinks I had a tea and a can of Kronenbourg 1664 which is the standard beer offered on Air France flights.
Apart from that, there’s nothing much to say except that the flight arrived more or less on time and the luggage arrived in under 10 minutes. Ultimately I believe the flight represented excellent value for money. The convenience of flying from London City plus reasonable service on board all for around £100 for a return trip. However, I do advise that you have a meal before travelling, I always enjoy the Trattoria restaurant in London City Airport.