Flying from Paris to Casablanca with Air France

Air France cabin crew.

The Plane: An Airbus A319.

Class: Economy.

Seat: 4C, a well-padded aisle seat right behind the Business Class section.

Price: A very keenly priced $164 one way.

Flight tme: Three hours.

On time: One hour late leaving Paris because the very thick fog that was blanketing much of Western Europe that day was playing havoc with flight schedules. Having a delay of just one hour was actually getting off lightly. It was also helpful to gain an hour on landing in Morocco due to the change of time zone.

How full: The very basic-looking Business Class area had only three passengers, but the rest of the plane was jam-packed. I was allocated the middle seat but, in a massive stroke of good fortune, the only empty seat in economy class was the one next to mine. Perhaps winning Lotto feels a bit the same ...

Entertainment: Not a great deal, just the inflight magazine and newspapers.

Food and drink: Given it was a very full flight and that there was only one meal on offer — forget choosing chicken or beef — I did not have high hopes for what would be my evening meal, but it turns out that Air France knows how to feed its passengers. The chicken risotto was actually really good and is one of the better airline meals I have had.

The flavours were good, the chicken was tender and the risotto was not at all gluggy. I chose a glass of white wine (just the one white and one red to choose from) to go with it and it, too, was good. I doubt that it would have been a particularly fancy vintage, but it was a very drinkable and had a pleasant dryness that worked well with the risotto. The usual small serves of bread, salad and cheese (camembert, actually) accompanied the main but what was really remarkable was the amount of chocolate on offer. In addition to chocolate pralines and a delicious chocolate slice, dessert was a generously-sized chocolate muffin with a delicious gooey chocolate centre.

Service: The crew members were pleasant, despite the delay, and went about their duties efficiently. The flight was very full but everyone seemed to be in good humour.

Luggage: One item weighing up to 23kg.

Toilets: I didn't use them, but there was one at the front for business class and one at the back for economy class.

Airport experience: Charles de Gaulle airport was operational but the delayed flights meant everything was crowded to capacity. Landing at Casablanca, however, was an absolute breeze. Even though the terminal is on the basic side, it is reportedly the most efficient airport in Morocco. Although things did seem quiet, getting from the plane to the kerbside through immigration, customs and baggage collection took just 15 minutes, so I'm inclined to agree with the claim of speediness.

Would I fly this again? Oui.