I hate Air France and other stories

I hate Air France!!

I hate them a lot.

Every time that I agree to take an Air France flight I think that it might be better than last time. I mean how many times in a row can they screw up my travel?

In the past three years I have taken eight Air France flights and somehow each and every one has been a test of my patience. To be fair I have no complaints about the flight attendants or food options (gotta love the free wine), just the rest of their customer service sector. I flew to Italy through Paris and they gave me too short a connection. I flew to Geneva through Paris and they gave me too long a connection. I flew Paris to Zurich and they charged me hundreds of Euros because my luggage was over weight (there is a 12 Euro per kilo over the weight limit charge. That’s terrible when you’re close to 20 kilos over the limit.) My final experience with Air France was my return to the United States. This was their last chance to prove that they are a somewhat decent airline. Did they succeed?

No! They lost my luggage. Not only did Air France lose my luggage it took them four days to return it and I never got a single I’m sorry or Je suis desolé. So in revenge I have decided to start off this blog entry with a tirade against Air France. In addition I will be sending the link to this entry to Air France Customer Service. I know that it will do nothing to change their corporate culture of sloth and rudeness but it at least makes me feel a little bit better.

Since the last time I wrote I have actually done more than brood about the miserable state of Air France customer service. I went skiing in Switzerland for Christmas and to Belgrade for New Years. It was so much fun! Belgrade was amazing because I stayed with my friend Sofija from Hopkins. She graduated last year but we stayed in touch and she invited me to visit her family in Belgrade (she’s Serbian). Aside from being extraordinarily cold, Belgrade was a historic city with some of the most attractive people I have seen in all of Europe. Sofija had told me something about how Serbs are one of the tallest ethnic groups and from a random sampling on my part I would agree that they are mostly tall, dark, and handsome. (pictures are of Sofija and I in a park in Belgrade and of the main street)

After getting back from Europe, I spent all of 36 hours at home before I left for Baltimore. I moved into my new apartment (complete with adorable cat) and started my Intersession class. The class is Media and Public Relations in the Big Apple. We met with media and PR people in Baltimore and then we went to New York City for three days to meet more people there. We toured the CBS and NBC studios and talked with people at big PR firms. It was a great experience because I have now managed to check off several careers as things that I absolutely do not want to do. Also I just turned 21 so being in New York City was a blast. Though paying $14 for a cocktail was less fun (though still cheaper than many of the cocktails I bought in Europe).

Anyway the real semester starts in a week and I have to apply to countless internships before that begins so that I can be assured of something for next summer. I know all of you high school seniors thought you were done with applications but in truth you only get a few months off before the competitiveness of the real world intrudes. I don’t mean to scare you but I just spent a week and a half learning about how to leverage my connections. My undying optimism has soured just a little bit.

I’m trying to think of an upbeat way to end this entry after beginning with my hatred of Air France and the previous paragraph being largely concerned with the impending reality of the real world. I know! I’ll leave you with a picture of the ponies I saw walking down the main street in Belgrade. Who doesn’t love ponies?

Comments

[Admissions_Daniel]

Any blog that is a tirade against something France related, gets an A+ in my book. Woo hoo!

[Jackie]

I know how you feel about the internships! I have to do so much and study for 2 finals that I have to make-up.

Oh yeah and my friend did Globalization in the Big Apple, and she too ruled out a lot of jobs after her experience.

[Stefanie]

I feel like Sofija is a celebrity around Hopkins. A very cool person. :) & tall, dark, and handsome sounds mighty nice.

P.S. Did you really pay that ridiculous charge for going over the weight limit???

[Anita]

OMG I SO AGREE
AIR FRANCE LOST MY LUGGAGE ON FRIDAY AND I STILL AVENT GOT IT BACK.
THEY HAVENT DONE ANYTHING TO FIX IT.
THEY SAY THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST BUT THAT OVIOUSLY MEANS THEY ARENT DOING ANYTHING.
AND GUESS WAT? IM STUCK WITH NO CLOTHES OR TOILETRIES AND THEY HAVENT GIVEN ME THE CASH TO BUY WHICH THEY SHOULD AND WILL.

[David]

I totally agree with you on Air France. They are THE WORST airline I have ever flown.

I have never been charged for excess baggage in the past and am always allowed one item of sporting luggage by all other airlines. I was charged £330 by Air France. They also didn't think to deal with this nicely. Just rude and arrogant.

After being charged this they then proceeded to lose my luggage, I was going on a fishing holiday on a yacht and because of Air France it was a complete non event. A once in a lifetime holiday ruined.

And an apology? No, just a standard letter telling me I am wrong.

If anyone has any suggestions as to how to get them to cough up please let me know. Failing that bringing Air France to its knees would also be good!

So Angry!! hahhahaa

[AC]

This is the best blog ive come across,if all this is not enough, they were outrighly racist when they selectively hoarded passengers from India in one orrm of the airpport & gave hotel rooms to the others, i mean in today's world who does that...shame on Air France & all of France infact, I hate french people...

[Nayyar Ahmad]

i have same feeling about Air France, i really wish that we should stop using Air France anymore.