Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

8h20: Pilot announcement: « An aircraft is stationed in our parking lot. We have to wait for it to go. »

 

8h45: Pilot announcement: « The aircraft is still stationed and we have no idea when it will leave. »

 

9h10: Pilot announcement: « The stationed aircraft is not going to leave, the parking is full, they are sending us far, very far. »

 

10h00: Pilot announcement: « Last turn. » (lol: we have been driving for 45 minutes like a turtle)

 

10h20: Pilot announcement: « Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our parking spot. We know have to wait for the staircase. »

 

11h00: Pilot announcement: « The staircase they sent us is too small for our aircraft. »

 

11h30: Pilot announcement: « The staircase is fixed. We now have to wait for the ground staff. And, good news, the buses are already waiting for us. »

 

12h00: Pilot announcement: « They were not our buses and we don’t know when ours will be sent... »

 

During this time…

The staff is scraping the ice from the stairs with meal trays… (Truly!)

And I am watching a documentary on polar bears, to stay in tune…

 

12h30: Pilot announcement: « We are inviting passengers from row 1 to 7 to get down. » Good news: since at every announcement we were getting up only to sit down a few minutes later, I have gone from row 9 to row 7. And one passenger from row 8 who tries to get down gets pushed back: you don’t kid with Air France staff…

 

We get on a bus

 

12h45: Driver announcement: « Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain. We are in the staff bus and since the driver is not allowed to drive passengers, I am going with you till the airport. »

 

Then we had to walk and walk from one terminal to the other to get to the luggage place.

Following the wise advice of our captain, we went straight to the luggage service to get the bags sent home directly. At the business counter: 2 hours to wait (for only 5 people queuing!); at the economy counter: there is no more form, send us a fax!

 

A grandma (from the same flight), right after leaving the toilets, spots her bag on a belt. A Christmas miracle… She was the only one, with the staff, to get her bag!

 

Luggage delivery:

Update on the Internet website from December 19^th till date: NIL.

Important: having no luggage during Christmas is certainly the most cruel time: no warm clothes when it is minus 5 and no presents!!  

 

I have never gone home lighter on the train – my dad had left, he did not want to get stuck by the snow at the airport. So I had just my handbag!

 

December 26^th: after calling the luggage service, I am told that one out of 3 pieces of luggage has been found and sent back to India. Whaaaaaaat? And why would you do that? I filled a form asking to be called after the 23rd and my return ticket in on 2^nd!

We ask the guy whether we should go and pick up the bags ourselves and his answer : « If you come, you will understand why you don’t have your luggage. » Noted.

15 days later, they still had 15 000 bags to dispatch!

 

December 27^th: after calling the luggage service, I am told that 3 out of 3 pieces of luggage have been found and sent back to India. From good to better…

 

December 30^th: one bag is delivered in Paris in the evening.

 

December 31^st: a second bag is delivered in Paris in the morning, with broken gifts inside.

 

January 2^nd: when leaving France, the luggage service confirms that my bag is waiting for me at Mumbai airport. I arrive. Yes it is in the system that I have to pick up my bag but the such bag is nowhere to be found. I go home. Get a call the day later, at 12H30 at night. Do I want my bag immediately? Okay, the time is wrong but at least they communicate, unlike the French!

 

Apart from that, I had a blast in France!!