Review: Air France Hop Embraer 190 Economy Class

Our Air France HOP! Embraer 190 economy class flight from Mulhouse to Paris was a quick and easy jaunt to position us for our connection to Los Angeles. I appreciate this comfortable aircraft and that Air France still offers a drink and snack on a flight this short.

Air France Hop Embraer 190 Economy Class Review (MLH-CDG)

I’m calling this a flight from Mulhouse (MLH) rather than from Basel (BSL) since we were flying Air France, technically the airport is in France, and most importantly, because Air France treated it like a domestic flight in terms of service onboard. EuroAiort has three official IATA airport codes: BSL, EAP, and MLH. Take your pick!

The tickets home (Mulhouse – Paris – Los Angeles) were 15,000 Flying Blue points each plus $162.90 in taxes/fees…a superb deal for my family of four.

We checked into Basel with three more checked bags than we traveled to Germany with…my wife Heidi had done some shopping! Thankfully, with my SkyTeam Elite Plus number in the reservation (thank you ITA Airways for a status match gift that keeps on giving…), I could check and extra bag and a heavier bag.

After checking in, we used the EuroAirport Skyview Lounge (Heidi and I both have Priority Pass) and had some dinner before the flight.

You can read my full review of the lounge here.

The flight showed an early departure of 18:20 on the departure board…what?! That caused my German wife to panic, even though I assured her that the inbound aircraft had not even landed from Paris…

So odd…

We ended up departing about 20 minutes late…go figure.

Air France 1393
Mulhouse (MLH) – Paris (BSL)
Friday, August 16
Depart: 6:45 PM
Arrive: 8:10 PM
Duration: 1hr, 00min
Aircraft: E190 (operated by Hop)
Distance: 250 miles
Seats:  (Economy Class)

Onboard, we quickly found our seats and prepared for takeoff.

Seats

I like the E190 because the 2-2 seating configuration is ideal for a family of four. There are 25 rows, 100 seats in total, and business class is “variable” in that the curtain can be adjusted forward or backward depending on how many business class passengers there are.

I did not bring my measuring tape, but it felt like legroom was 30 inches and there was no A/C power outlets or USB ports.

Overhead passenger service units included lights and personal air vents.

My daughter Claire Marie wanted to sit with me while my son Augustine sat with Heidi.

Claire Marie was very adamant about making sure her rabbit was also strapped in. One day she can have a real rabbit onboard and claim it’s for physical support…

Food + Drink

Despite the short duration of the flight, cabin crew sprang up after takeoff and performed a full beverage service, also offering a sweet or savory snack.

Claire Marie had orange juice and a cookie…

I had sparkling water with cheese biscuits (which I saved for later).

IFE

With no screens or w-fi (Starlink is coming, though), we spent much of the flight looking out the window…it was a beautiful evening and a reminder of how cities are built along rivers…

Lavatories

The E190 has one lavatory in the front of the aircraft for business class and one in the back of the plane for economy class. Claire Marie had to use it so we got up and had a strech. She’s almost to the age where I’ll let her use it herself.

CONCLUSION

Despite the late departure, we landed only two minutes late and were soon on our way to the hotel (we checked our bags all the way though to Los Angeles).

Not much to report on a 250-mile flight, but I appreciate that Air France offered a beverage and snack and I find Basel-Mulhouse a very easy airport to travel through.