Update: Response By Air France Representative

i booked air france flight for me and my family for our summer holiday in Nigeria and i regret doing it,i sometimes fly with them and i was satisfied with their service and because they arrived Nigeria early,but this time it is an horror trip.

All their flight from Vienna to Lagos was late,we almost missed our flight in Paris,me,my kids and my wife were all running to catch the flight to lagos and we are all stressed up,the plane from paris to lagos was dirty and the sit very uncomfortable,the flight attendant not really friendly,but i told my family to ignore them,we left paris late and arrived lagos around 5pm,because we all feel uncomfortable on the flight because of the sit,i told my kids and my wife,we are going to upgrade to business class for the return journey,unfortunately all the business class was fully booked(no wonder)i went to their office at the airport but no way.

We left Lagos for our return journey on the 13th August,and the flight was not pleasant at all,after checking in we were advised to be at the gate at 20.30pm for boarding,we arrived early at the gate,but no air france personal,we waited and waited and waited,around 10pm some staff came around and we asked them what is going on,they said the plane has not arrived from portharcourt and they dont know when the plane will be arriving,everybody was stressed up,it was hot even thoug the airconditioned was working,many kids were crying and many people feeling uncomfortable because of the heat,at 11.30pm the plane arrived and we left lagos at 1am in the morning,it was a horror trip,the sit this time more than uncomfortable and the plane was also this time very dirty,the food we ordered for was no more available,they have not enough food and drink,i was schocked,the kids refuse to eat,they offered us yam and fish,it was a terrible taste,we rejected it,thank God we arrived safetly in Paris,because of the late departure in Lagos,we missed our flight back to vienna,the lady attending to us was very rude,she gave us a voucher for breakfast,we told her we dont need a voucher,we want to go home,she said at the moment no available flight,i told her she is joking,after much shouting and cursing,alas she found a flight for us for 12.30pm,again we have to wait,and wait and we finally depart at 14.30pm after another delay,because the ground personal are striking,many of their ground staff are very rude and i will not fly them again.

As somebody who travelled very often,i am used to lateness of airlines but this one was terrible and their customer service very bad,at the end they are going to be the loser,i know they dont care,because the way they behave and their attitude on their flight going to Nigeria is very bad.

Update: Response By Air France Representative

I must say that my experience of Air France has been completely different. When flying to Nigeria with our, then 1.5 year old, daughter they could not have been more helpful. Check in was seamless and the staff were really friendly. They provided us with a seat for our daughter, although she was supposed to travel on our laps. Can't praise them enough. Would definitely use them again. Far more pleasant experience than flying direct with BA.

asiwaju:

i booked air france flight for me and my family for our summer holiday in Nigeria and i regret doing it,i sometimes fly with them and i was satisfied with their service and because they arrived Nigeria early,but this time it is an horror trip.

All their flight from Vienna to Lagos was late,we almost missed our flight in Paris,me,my kids and my wife were all running to catch the flight to lagos and we are all stressed up,the plane from paris to lagos was dirty and the sit very uncomfortable,the flight attendant not really friendly,but i told my family to ignore them,we left paris late and arrived lagos around 5pm,because we all feel uncomfortable on the flight because of the sit,i told my kids and my wife,we are going to upgrade to business class for the return journey,unfortunately all the business class was fully booked(no wonder)i went to their office at the airport but no way.

We left Lagos for our return journey on the 13th August,and the flight was not pleasant at all,after checking in we were advised to be at the gate at 20.30pm for boarding,we arrived early at the gate,but no air france personal,we waited and waited and waited,around 10pm some staff came around and we asked them what is going on,they said the plane has not arrived from portharcourt and they dont know when the plane will be arriving,everybody was stressed up,it was hot even thoug the airconditioned was working,many kids were crying and many people feeling uncomfortable because of the heat,at 11.30pm the plane arrived and we left lagos at 1am in the morning,it was a horror trip,the sit this time more than uncomfortable and the plane was also this time very dirty,the food we ordered for was no more available,they have not enough food and drink,i was schocked,the kids refuse to eat,they offered us yam and fish,it was a terrible taste,we rejected it,thank God we arrived safetly in Paris,because of the late departure in Lagos,we missed our flight back to vienna,the lady attending to us was very rude,she gave us a voucher for breakfast,we told her we dont need a voucher,we want to go home,she said at the moment no available flight,i told her she is joking,after much shouting and cursing,alas she found a flight for us for 12.30pm,again we have to wait,and wait and we finally depart at 14.30pm after another delay,because the ground personal are striking,many of their ground staff are very rude and i will not fly them again.

As somebody who travelled very often,i am used to lateness of airlines but this one was terrible and their customer service very bad,at the end they are going to be the loser,i know they dont care,because the way they behave and their attitude on their flight going to Nigeria is very bad.

   Sorry for your sad experience. But honestly, as a regular flyer with the same Airfrance, i must admit that i really don't want to take side with you regarding every claim; i've seen how difficult some Nigerians are when dealing with airline employees, they usually are to blame for stirring up troubles, and then, you hear them cursing and swearing "racist" at any white person who wouldn't let them have their way. Once before, i witnessed a Nigerian man who looked confused in a duty-free shop at Dublin airport, and i thought he needed help. And interestingly, a female employee observed the same thing, she went to the guy and kindly asked "are you OK?" But to my amazement, this Nigerian guy reacted bitterly "What sort of question is that, how much are you being paid in this kiosk that gave you the audacity to ask me that foolish question?"
   The girl was surprised with wide-open eyes as the Nigerian poured out his anger with words that she wouldn't fancy. "There are many other people here, why did you come to ask me alone if i'm OK, or is it because i'm black?" He barked. At this point, i intervened to ask him what the matter was, and the man started by pointing at the girl: "Look at this f**king racist, she's asking me if i'm OK". The Nigerian man explained tapping his finger on the side of his head as if to show the insane sign, he obviously had misinterpreted the white girl's expression assuming that "OK" means normal in the brain. The sales girl was obviously disturbed and her eyes were soaked in tears as other people (including myself) began to calm her down.
   Now, that same guy was involved in a skirmish with a white passenger on our flight to Lagos, and when the flight attendants came to resolve the issue and eventually blamed the Nigerian guy for his provocative behaviour, i wasn't surprised when he began to yell "racists, racists. . . i know my rights. . , i can pay your salaries. . !"
   Actually, i must say that these people in aviation industries are doing great jobs and need to be appreciated. And yes, i'm aware that things can be annoying while dealing with them, but in most cases, it's not their fault as circumstances sometimes go beyond their control, and yet, they do their best to resolve things according to protocols; remember, no one is perfect. So, those with open minds would agree with me that it takes great patience and tolerance to deal with Nigerians. This thing that happened with Airfrance can happen with any other airline. That is my judgement.

Thanks for the heads up, i was considering flying with them. . . . great to avoid them when theres a looming strike in France though

@Mrs.Oyibo,

if you read my post well,i say i sometimes travelled with them without any problem,but this time i am surprised and schocked at their service,no excuses for shortage of foods on board,abi

@Vicjustice,

my brother,i am gentle as dodo,my kids are mixed(white/blacks)please believe me the customer service was very bad,i normally dont complain,i travelled home very often,if i paid for a service,i expect at least some respect,it is not too much.

Asiwaju.

I agreee with asiwaju concerning the seats being uncomfortable, but attendents were quite helpful and cheery. @ Vicjustice, your observation is so, so true, some Nigerians believe because they are able to travel they are larger than life! One on one with a fellow Nigerian is an excruciating experience not talking of conversing with other nationalities. When you observe the standoffish manner Nigerians are being treated by flight attendents, its not their fault, I guess they are using 'To be fore warned is to be fore armed' . If you are been rudely attended to and remain polite, its the other party that has a problem and not you.

@poster,
You should get on your knees and thank the good Lord for making sure you guys landed without incident. you should stop complaining and move on with your life bro. In case you might have forgotten about the brazil to paris flight that crashed not too long ago. Those people will do anything if they could to trade places with you.

@poster

sorry to hear that i fly airfrance 3times a year. manchester to lagos and back. its always been good apart from a time when the flight was delayed once was due to technical fault, ash cloud and lastly no reason, and one of these occassions, food finish for inside plane on way 3 lagos BUT they complemented by bombarding me wth beer b4 we reach lagos. staffs nice and friendly, only once someone was rude to me and thats the staffs they employ at the boarding gate at lagos. and i gave her a piece of my mind. as a GOLD member. i would have just logged a formal complaint against her and she can kiss her job goodbye. BUT her collegues apologised on her behalf.

I have flown KLM and BA from Manchester to Nigeria this year.
For my last trip i flew Air France return cos i couldn't book the same flight on KLM.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Their staff was more accommodating than KLM, the chairs were more spacious (maybe cos it was a smaller plane).
They served alcohol on board, as much as u want.
Anything u asked for and they could do it, they did.

I went home and told my father in law and he was shocked. The last time he and his wife flew Air France, they left them stranded in Paris.
So he hates the airline with a passion.
I think it is lucky draw.
U might get something better sometimes and other times ,

When i flew BA both times they were so rude. If u even ask politely for something they start threatening to disembark u.
Mean people. That is one airline, i wont fly again.

As i said earlier it all depends sometimes the journey via AF is smotth and leaves promptly and smetimes there is delay but the service on board is ok, enough attention is paid to passengers. every january i fly Virgin to 9ja and believe you me, you wnt want to fly them, very rude and useless people. bunch of idiots who feel they are doing you a favour. no matter how AF misbehave i still prefer to fly them. it leaves Manchester at 6:40 and no matter how late by 5pm we are in lagos. as long as the weather is ok. and very flexible also. you can mix your flights also. eg. you can fly AF to 9j and KLM back

air france, has been goodd to me too, i mean they are so supportive but to be honest alot of improvement to be done,

God of mercy when will I also start flying like this pple. God pls do wonder in my life.help me

FOR THOSE THAT AV BEEN FYING U SHALL CONTINUE TO FLY AND NOT FALL.
@asiwaju.
may be that they just be one of there BAD DAY.no body/organisation is perfect
as for me i dont even mind AIR-SOMALIA or AIR-IRAQ all am after is just to be in europe, lollllllllllllllllllllllllll
so pls dont complaina abt airfrance lol

Air France Worst Customer Service.

As always. They have the tendency of serving nasty shoit and loosing luggages and contents in the bag [or maybe that Nigeria's airport]. By the time you get your luggage, you wouldnt even be able to recognize it.

@poster
do you usually judge airlines after ONE bad trip? did all the other fantastic trips that you previously took with Air France count for nothing?!
count your blessings that you were not one of the passengers who couldnt board due to OVERBOOKING or worse.

i also had some nightmare stories with AF, BA, China Southern, Virgin and Aeroflot but i would still fly with any of these airline company if they had A) the best prices and B) the shortest connecting time.

put it like this, for the price that you paid and the time of connection at CDG, you got a great deal!

Ileke-IdI:

As always. They have the tendency of serving nasty shoit and loosing luggages and contents in the bag [or maybe that Nigeria's airport]. By the time you get your luggage, you wouldnt even be able to recognize it.

you're so right! that happened to us on our flight to PH.
sigh. . . didn't get it back until 3 weeks later (it was lost in Paris)

@@@@ALL

You should consider flying with SOSOLISO or BELLVIEW next time! Safe and Sound!!! 

[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=ffffff/txt=ffffff/border=ffffff/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

Oba234:

TO ANYONE LEAVING FROM THE US PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM UNITED AIRLINES. PLEASE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

United Airlines and Air France are brothers. Am sure they're owned by same person lol

But I just dey vex. . . .why cant they serve jollof rice on the plane since 80% of the passangers leaving Nigeria are usually Nigerians.

THE AMAKA:

you're so right! that happened to us on our flight to PH.
sigh. . . didn't get it back until 3 weeks later (it was lost in Paris)

My aunt told me that she got hers bck when she came back to Florida. can you imagine. Had to harass them.

@Poster, sorry about your experience flying Air-France but l do not agree with you that they have worst customer service. Am a regular blue miles flyer so have flew Air- France not just to Nigeria but other places so l know how good there customer service are. Try other airline then you will know how good Air France customer service works

me and my family experienced the same racist. AVOID AIR FRANCE

When I was a frequent flyer to Indonesia, I always used Air France. I used them for 4 years, and never had any issues. Their service couldn't have been better. I also used them again in 2005 / 2007, to Vienna and St Petersburg, Russia, and got the same great service I'd come to expect.

You must have been unlucky.

when

this seem outta the blues
airfrance is good bargain
and i never experienced stuff of this sort since i started hiking with 'em.
is this some bad publicity from BA or any other competitors?

US Airlines sucks! They are okay for domestic travel but never for international. Once flew with them to the UK and never again! Those folks treated us like we were in some down south fest. KLM/Northwest is the way to go abi now it is Delta.

OP
Sorry to hear about your ordeal with them. Write a letter to them and see how it goes. I am planning on writing a stong worded letter to Tmobile because their service has gotten so terrible and I've had it up to HERE with them

Vicjustice:

   Sorry for your sad experience. But honestly, as a regular flyer with the same Airfrance, i must admit that i really don't want to take side with you regarding every claim; i've seen how difficult some Nigerians are when dealing with airline employees, they usually are to blame for stirring up troubles, and then, you hear them cursing and swearing "racist" at any white person who wouldn't let them have their way. Once before, i witnessed a Nigerian man who looked confused in a duty-free shop at Dublin airport, and i thought he needed help. And interestingly, a female employee observed the same thing, she went to the guy and kindly asked "are you OK?" But to my amazement, this Nigerian guy reacted bitterly "What sort of question is that, how much are you being paid in this kiosk that gave you the audacity to ask me that foolish question?"
   The girl was surprised with wide-open eyes as the Nigerian poured out his anger with words that she wouldn't fancy. "There are many other people here, why did you come to ask me alone if i'm OK, or is it because i'm black?" He barked. At this point, i intervened to ask him what the matter was, and the man started by pointing at the girl: "Look at this f**king racist, she's asking me if i'm OK". The Nigerian man explained tapping his finger on the side of his head as if to show the insane sign, he obviously had misinterpreted the white girl's expression assuming that "OK" means normal in the brain. The sales girl was obviously disturbed and her eyes were soaked in tears as other people (including myself) began to calm her down.
   Now, that same guy was involved in a skirmish with a white passenger on our flight to Lagos, and when the flight attendants came to resolve the issue and eventually blamed the Nigerian guy for his provocative behaviour, i wasn't surprised when he began to yell "racists, racists. . . i know my rights. . , i can pay your salaries. . !"
   Actually, i must say that these people in aviation industries are doing great jobs and need to be appreciated. And yes, i'm aware that things can be annoying while dealing with them, but in most cases, it's not their fault as circumstances sometimes go beyond their control, and yet, they do their best to resolve things according to protocols; remember, no one is perfect. So, those with open minds would agree with me that it takes great patience and tolerance to deal with Nigerians. This thing that happened with Airfrance can happen with any other airline. That is my judgement.

Thanks for sharing. Like the guy in your post, I feel some Nigerians are too quick to pull the race card when things don't go their way in these instances, especially with airlines. I also loathe their hautiness: "I can pay your salary; who are you; who gave you the audacity; yadi yada". I swear, I don't think I'd have been able to control myself had I been in your shoes when that !d!ot at the duty-free started yarning rubbish.