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Review: EasyJet – Paris (ORY) – Nice (NCE) – COVID-19
After a short stay in Paris, here I am heading to Nice. I chose to travel on EasyJet, due to the flight costs:
| Flight | Ticket | Speedy Boarding, Seat | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris (ORY) – Nice (NCE) | €33.90 | €16.99 | €50.89 |
| Nice (NCE) – Paris (CDG) | €40.05 | €16.99 | €57.04 |
| Total | €73.95 | €33.98 | €107.93 |
I chose to pay for the seat choice option (between rows 2 and 6), to get:
- 2 carry-on bags (instead of one), which is convenient because I’m only travelling with my Away set
- Priority boarding (speedy boarding)
- To be ahead of the plane to disembark faster
And of course, since the transaction is made in Euros, I used my HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®:
- no transaction fees for foreign currency transactions
- 6 points per dollar for the purchase of my flight
- to be able to redeem my points on the cost of the flight or to use my $100 Annual Travel Enhancement Credit
And I’ve decided to use my $100 Travel Enhancement Credit for that ticket!
If you don’t have this card yet, I highly recommend it, especially with this limited offer!
- Annual fee
- $150
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $350
- Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months
- Up to 35,000 points
- Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
on Scotiabank's website
Paris Orly Airport (ORY)
I’m dropped off by a friend at Paris Orly Airport, Terminal 3. A small queue in front of the terminal: all people wear their masks in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the entrance to the terminal, no temperature checkpoint. However, a reminder of the current health rules:
- Wearing a mask is mandatory
- One metre social distancing
- Hand sanitizers
It is possible to check-in through automatic kiosks. Having already done so on my phone, and no luggage to check-in, I go directly to the security check.
Ground markings are present to try to enforce social distancing. But the French don’t really like queues and tend to “stick together”.
Before you reach security, you can empty your bag of prohibited items on large counters and garbage cans.
To reach security, it is necessary to scan your boarding pass.
Signage is present throughout the terminal.
To fill the safety bins, it’s hard to maintain a social distance, the agents inviting us to align ourselves with the arrows on the ground …
However, there is no lack of space in terms of security screening. The airport is clearly not running at full capacity.
Before heading to the gates, you must go through the Duty-Free, naturally open, like most stores.
On the other hand, no lounge is open: I decide to buy myself a sandwich in the dining area. There, too, markings on the ground indicate the direction of traffic but are not necessarily respected.
The tables are arranged in such a way as to enforce social distance and are regularly cleaned. Wi-Fi is free, convenient to catch up with a few emails.
Before reaching my departure gate, a little detour through the toilet. No complaints. Everything is perfectly clean and regularly disinfected from what I can see.
My departure gate is on the other side of the terminal, at gates C. It is like crossing a desert; we appreciate the decoration, though. Je t’aime moi aussi, Paris!
This is my EasyJet aircraft waiting patiently at the gate. A small advertisement for HSBC, as in all airports around the world!
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 |
EasyJet Flight – Paris (ORY) – Nice (NCE)
The gate is quite well-stocked, but a seat is blocked between each person. And most people respect the wearing of the mask.
Having the Speedy Boarding option, I don’t have to stay in this departure lounge for too long.
On the other hand, as is often the case with this option, EasyJet makes you wait in the bridge for long minutes (and it’s really hot there: 34 Celcius degrès that day in Paris).
It allows me to take some pics of the aircraft, and I can see that boarding will also be done from the back of the cabin from a bridge.
The cabin smells clean. This aircraft has been parked at this gate for many hours, which probably allowed for a thorough cleaning.
As always, my Away luggage (Bigger Carry-On model) fits perfectly in the overhead compartment.
The seats are slim-fit. These are not the most comfortable on the market, but they do the trick for 1-2 hours of flight (like most EasyJet flights in Europe).
The legroom is the same throughout the cabin (except, of course, for the front row and the emergency exit rows). It is quite acceptable for a person of 1.80 m like me.
This flight to Nice is almost full. No sanitary products are available, not even a disinfectant wipe.
The Orly tarmac offers views of Corsair, FrenchBee (low-cost long-haul airline) and Transaviaaircraft. We take off, on time, from Runway 07.
The weather is beautiful in the middle of September, which offers beautiful views of the Paris region and the French countryside.
During this short flight, a minimum service of drinks and snacks ($$) is offered. After less than an hour of flight, we begin to see the Mediterranean, on the edge of the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes.
I will never tire of these views of my childhood region.
We fly over Mandelieu, then Cannes and Antibes before arriving on time at Nice.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 |
Conclusion
A classic flight between Paris and Nice aboard Easyjet, except that we are in the middle of a pandemic.
The aircraft seemed clean (a good point), but at least one disinfectant wipe would have been appreciated.
- Annual fee
- $150
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $350
- Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months
- Up to 35,000 points
- Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now
on Scotiabank's website
