We were leaving hot and humid Malta for Paris. Our flight is at 3:10pm. We decided to leave early so that I could return the rental car and possibly allowing enough time for us to get lost along the way. There is also the issue of the chaotic traffic in Malta. Not sure why we hired a car in the first place.

We arrived at the airport in good time. I dropped Dianne at departures and I went around to drop the car. The rental car area is at the far end of the car park which is a good distance from the terminal. In the hot sun, it is hard work walking back to the terminal.

We checked in with no issues. Both our bags came in around 21.6 to 21.7 kgs; within the 23 kgs limit. We went through the usual security screening and parked ourselves on some comfy seat about 2 hours ahead of departure time. Unbeknown to us, our flight was delayed. It was now taking off at 5:45 pm! That is some 2 hours and 35 minutes later. There was no announcements. It was just indicated on the board.

We were not expecting Malta Airport to be Changi International Airport but still it was a real challenge during the wait period. Air-conditioning at the airport was not good and so we sat down on seats directly under the air-conditioning vents. There was a piano in the passenger area of the airport. Waiting passengers took turns playing on the piano. It was good entertainment and there was some great piano playing.

At 5 past 5, the indicator board flashed that Gate 2 as the departure gate. We quickly rushed to queue. After a wait of about 20 minutes or so, we were allowed to board. Flight took off as normal. There is absolutely no complimentary inflight service. Air Malta is a budget airlines; you pay for everything. We ordered some food and drinks which seemed like an involved process. There was someone onboard with a severe nut allergy. An announcement was made asking us to refrain from consuming any nuts. I ordered a tapas tray and beer. Dianne ordered bread roll with eggplant and pesto filling. She was informed that this was off the menu at it contained nut products in it. She ordered another bread roll. The food arrived shortly. My beer was warm. Dianne requested 2 cups of ice so that we could chill our drinks. Dianne’s bread roll was stale. My tapas was not too bad. We should not complain too much. It is highly unlikely we will be catching Air Malta again.

We were glad to touchdown at Orly. Weather was a coolish 21C. We breezed through the exit (no immigration or customs as we came from an EU country) and queued up for a taxi. After a short wait, we were on our way to the hotel. All taxis from the airport charge a flat fare to Paris.