TESTIMONY. “If I had taken the plane from Miami I would have done it faster…” Pierrette, 87 years old, joined Toulouse from Paris after 17 hours of waiting

“I have the impression that if I had taken the plane to Miami from Toulouse, it would have taken less time to reach Toulouse from Paris. » It was only after 17 hours of waiting that Pierrette Fabre, 87, finally managed to reach Toulouse from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Everything started well: at 4 p.m., this Sunday, December 29, the Brussels resident climbed into the plane access bridge with the other passengers. “While we were waiting standing, we were asked to go to the waiting room and told that the flight was canceled for technical reasons,” explains Pierrette. After collecting her things, she will wait 1 hour 30 minutes before being offered a nearby hotel and a good meal for 15 euros.

“Strange exchanges”

This Monday morning, another disappointment: “At check-in, I wanted to check my baggage in the hold, but I was told that I had to pay. However, I had already taken the option, so it was prepaid. I ultimately preferred to keep it with me. » Franck, her son, a wine merchant in Toulouse, who recounted his mother's misadventure on the social network X, was contacted by the airline this Monday. “Customer service called me, but the person didn't speak French, only English! I asked for a call back in French. I also received strange responses to my messages, like: “Yeah, our agents are too busy. » It feels like you're traveling with a low-cost airline and not a national airline! »

Franck and Pierrette will request compensation from the company, as well as reimbursement for the “hold baggage” option. Pierrette would, however, like to praise the ease with which she was able to take the train from Brussels, her hometown, to the Paris airport. “When it works, you have to say it too!” »

A lump sum compensation

When contacted, Air France confirmed that “flight AF7406 of December 29 was canceled for technical reasons (damage to the plane). Customers were therefore transferred to the first available flight, unfortunately only the next day.” The automatic postponement of the reservation does not allow the transfer of paid options but the customer should not have had to pay for this option a second time. Air France therefore “invites him to contact its customer service who will also be able to study the payment of the fixed compensation due under the European regulation. »

As for the responses provided by customer service, Air France indicates that these are fraudulent accounts. “ Some fraudulent accounts comment on customer posts in order to contact them and try to recover bank details. We regularly report these accounts and work with the platforms to have them closed as soon as we identify them. We have launched several communication campaigns to raise awareness among our customers. »