Weighing carry-on baggage at CDG
Oct 16, 2015, 4:12 am
#31
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Paris, France
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In june, for my son's flight CDG-HND, I paid 20000 miles (equivalent €100) for a too heavy carry-on luggage, and obliged to check-in.
1x hand baggage + 1 accessory
1 bag: max 55 x 25 x 35 cm / 21.5 x 10 x 13.5 in (A x B x C)
1 accessory: handbag, briefcase, camera or laptop
Together max. 12 kg / 26 lbs
1x hand baggage + 1 accessory
1 bag: max 55 x 25 x 35 cm / 21.5 x 10 x 13.5 in (A x B x C)
1 accessory: handbag, briefcase, camera or laptop
Together max. 12 kg / 26 lbs
Oct 16, 2015, 5:12 am
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Beijing, Paris, Edinburgh
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In june, for my son's flight CDG-HND, I paid 20000 miles (equivalent €100) for a too heavy carry-on luggage, and obliged to check-in.
1x hand baggage + 1 accessory
1 bag: max 55 x 25 x 35 cm / 21.5 x 10 x 13.5 in (A x B x C)
1 accessory: handbag, briefcase, camera or laptop
Together max. 12 kg / 26 lbs
1x hand baggage + 1 accessory
1 bag: max 55 x 25 x 35 cm / 21.5 x 10 x 13.5 in (A x B x C)
1 accessory: handbag, briefcase, camera or laptop
Together max. 12 kg / 26 lbs
Oct 16, 2015, 5:24 am
#33
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 552
I had a similar issue but not at all at CDG, but at CPT for a flight with EK. Sounds weird, but the guy at the check0in counter really weighed the carry-on.
And he told me that putting the carry-on under the seat-in-front-of-you was not allowed which is completely bulls*** and the overhead bins were the only allowed places.
And he told me that putting the carry-on under the seat-in-front-of-you was not allowed which is completely bulls*** and the overhead bins were the only allowed places.
Oct 16, 2015, 5:36 am
#34
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Location: London, UK and Southern France
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I had a similar issue but not at all at CDG, but at CPT for a flight with EK. Sounds weird, but the guy at the check0in counter really weighed the carry-on.
And he told me that putting the carry-on under the seat-in-front-of-you was not allowed which is completely bulls*** and the overhead bins were the only allowed places.
And he told me that putting the carry-on under the seat-in-front-of-you was not allowed which is completely bulls*** and the overhead bins were the only allowed places.
Oct 16, 2015, 6:03 am
#35
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Oct 16, 2015, 6:13 am
#36
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The one that got me really stunned was flying long-haul business with AirNZ between LAX and LHR a few years ago and being asked at check-in to check my hand baggage (which was within dimensions) because it was more than 7kg. It must have been around 13-14kg. I did not protest or anything but I must say that I was gobsmacked.
I had one only, of the right dimension, and the check in lady insisted that I put it on the scale where it showed at 10.9kg. She insisted that I had to take things out to make it two bags below 8kg each. I showed her that I already had my laptop bag inside but that I had put it within the non-full suitcase on purpose precisely to be more space efficient as I travel and within the aircraft. She said I could either take it out and keep it out or check the whole thing in.
I'm not sure if she had a particular allergy to either C pax or *A Gold, but she was at the gate and made a point of specifically checking that I had not put my laptop bag back inside my suitcase (I hadn't, I tend to be compliant by nature, even when the guideline I am given seems to be coming from someone with the brain of a jellyfish).
As it happened, the flight was full, as were the overhead bins, and some people were made to check their cabin luggage which also resulted in a late departure.
I had an almost similar experience with AZ from CTA and another also with PG from USM, although both were a bit less absurd and involved the "personal item" additional to the carry on allowance instead.
Bizarrely, while LX is usually a good airline, many of my worst ever experiences - the few that get one really angry - have been with them!!
Oct 16, 2015, 11:26 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2010
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The one that got me really stunned was flying long-haul business with AirNZ between LAX and LHR a few years ago and being asked at check-in to check my hand baggage (which was within dimensions) because it was more than 7kg. It must have been around 13-14kg. I did not protest or anything but I must say that I was gobsmacked.
Oct 17, 2015, 1:18 am
#38
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Oct 17, 2015, 1:49 am
#39
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I just think that there is little relationship between the problem that you mention and the "solution" that AF is apparently proposing to implement.
First of all, again, I think that number and size is the problem that I have seen on many short/medium haul flights and not weight. Again, as I mentioned above, the weight issue makes no sense to me except from an airline income point of view. NickB above rightly mentions that there are limits to overhead capacities, but off the top of my mind, the (presumably very conservative) weight limit indicated is 96kg/overhead. Considering that you fit at best three regular carry on cases (if everybody is clever enough to put them length perpendicular to the plane) or two (if, as is often the case, people put them lengthwise), the 12kg thing is simply not an issue here.
Second, as you rightly point out and as I mentioned in my post above, that problem occurs on short/medium haul, not on long haul flights, so what is the sense of enforcing at 2E where only a handful of short/medium haul (Russia, UK, Turkey, etc) are handled?
Third, in my experience, what makes boarding slower is not even mostly related to the main carry on but to people having two many items. Many have two full size carry ons (notably, as you point out when connecting from the US), but to make things worse, many people expect overhead lockers to accommodate their 10 duty free bags, big winter coats and what not. All that is best enforced at gate (ie after people have shopped) with extra bags forcibly gate checked if need be.
So I just don't think that what is described here about weighing carry on's has anything to do with sorting out carry on problems on board, and like carnarvon, I suspect that it is either an inadequate answer to a real problem or more likely a way to try and generate income.
First of all, again, I think that number and size is the problem that I have seen on many short/medium haul flights and not weight. Again, as I mentioned above, the weight issue makes no sense to me except from an airline income point of view. NickB above rightly mentions that there are limits to overhead capacities, but off the top of my mind, the (presumably very conservative) weight limit indicated is 96kg/overhead. Considering that you fit at best three regular carry on cases (if everybody is clever enough to put them length perpendicular to the plane) or two (if, as is often the case, people put them lengthwise), the 12kg thing is simply not an issue here.
Second, as you rightly point out and as I mentioned in my post above, that problem occurs on short/medium haul, not on long haul flights, so what is the sense of enforcing at 2E where only a handful of short/medium haul (Russia, UK, Turkey, etc) are handled?
Third, in my experience, what makes boarding slower is not even mostly related to the main carry on but to people having two many items. Many have two full size carry ons (notably, as you point out when connecting from the US), but to make things worse, many people expect overhead lockers to accommodate their 10 duty free bags, big winter coats and what not. All that is best enforced at gate (ie after people have shopped) with extra bags forcibly gate checked if need be.
So I just don't think that what is described here about weighing carry on's has anything to do with sorting out carry on problems on board, and like carnarvon, I suspect that it is either an inadequate answer to a real problem or more likely a way to try and generate income.
Oct 23, 2015, 5:50 am
#40
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Tuesday, October 20. No signs of carry-on scale in the SkyPriority line, however, someone I know who was traveling in Y was forced to check her carry-on as it had 16KG.
Oct 23, 2015, 5:57 am
#41
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Oct 23, 2015, 12:19 pm
#42
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Situation unclear tonight at 2E. Devices to check size and weight were there but a bit aside. Staff was here but only people with light carry-on were passing through, so I didn't notice any check. Not bothered in SkyP/PARAFES line.
Oct 23, 2015, 1:01 pm
#43
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Bizarre.... I was specifically directed away from the SkyPriority lane so I could be checked, despite having very small sized carry-on.
Oct 24, 2015, 12:47 pm
#44
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1
Regarding the weighing of carry-on baggage at CDG, Air France employees discriminate against passengers and arbitrarily apply Air France luggage policies. Passengers pay the consequences of this unfair behavior.
I am a very frequent flier of the OneWorld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam airlines and have been to destinations all around the world. I have been on enough flights by now to know how to fly, how to go through check in smoothly, and how to pack without incurring unnecessary stress.
I thought I've experienced my fair share of airport horror stories, but the employees of Air France at the CDG airport in Paris gave me quite the nightmare and prevented me from traveling on what should have been an ordinary flight on September 27, 2015.
I flew from Dakar, Senegal to Paris, France on the night of Thursday, September 24, 2015 with a purse and small carry on suitcase. Please note, the dimensions of this carry on suitcase are smaller than Air France standards (34cm x 54cm x 20cm) In addition, please note that I specifically purchased this suitcase in late July because the manufacturer markets the suitcase as being “suitable for a business or weekend trip”. http://www.carpisa.it/en/shop-online...trolley-s.html Basically, my intention for buying this suitcase was to forever avoid problems with luggage/overpacking/overpaying.
On Thursday, September 24, 2015, in Dakar, Senegal, I completed the online check in with Air France and received a digital boarding pass on my phone. With this, I was able to go right to the security gate, without any problems. I was really pleased with the quick process. On Thursday, September 24, 2015 in Dakar, Senegal, I was not asked to weigh my carry-on, nor purse. Furthermore, my carry on suitcase fit comfortably, without issue, in the overhead compartment of the plane. The employees of Air France were friendly and efficient in Dakar. It took me about 15 minutes from entering the airport, to arrive to my gate.
On Sunday, September 27, 2015, my return flight back to Dakar was scheduled to depart at 16:25, with a boarding time of 15:30. Again, I completed the online check in, and received a digital boarding pass with a QR code on my phone. I arrived to the airport at about 15:15 (since I had no luggage to check, and I was already checked in) and made my way to the security line.
What transpired next is truly mind-boggling.
The woman who was working the entrance to the security line (short, dark hair) had me place my carry on in the wire basket, to determine if the dimensions were correct. She also had me place my purse on top of my carry on. What I didn't realize was that she was checking for weight, not dimensions. Unfortunately for me, the total weight was 19kg, and it was supposed to be 12kg. This woman slapped a big Air France sticker on my carry on suitcase and shooed me away, speaking French. I told her that I don't speak French, that I wanted to check my bag at the gate in the hold, but she turned her back to me and ignored my request.
I then got off the line and quickly tried to re-arrange the weight of my two bags. I also held my laptop in my hands (it's an older MacBook model that weighs a lot). When I came back on the line, the same lady shooed me away again, speaking French again.
This time, I ran to the check in counter of Air France, since time was ticking. At this point, it was about 15:30. I quickly explained my intentions, that I wanted to check my bag into the hold at the gate, and the man who helped me initially (blue eyes, I did not get his name), told me it was too late to check my bag and the only solution would be to throw my things away and make the bag lighter. I repeated my request, and tried to clarify that no, I don't want to put the bag in checked baggage, but rather in the hold, "you know, where parents put their strollers as they're getting on a plane?".
He ignored what I was requesting and instead kept insisting I needed to throw my things away. I begged him to reconsider, and tried to explain that I didn't want to throw my things away because one, I had only packed a small amount of clothes, and it wouldn't have made a difference to omit one pair of pants, or a shirt, and two, I live in Africa and there aren't any stores there where I can replace my clothes. I asked to speak to the manager. I was introduced to <agent 1>.
At this point, it was about 15:45. I begged <agent 1> to please reconsider; please help me do something to get on the plane. I asked if I could upgrade to business, to have a bigger luggage allowance and she smirked and said, "absolutely not, it's too late for that". I offered to pay a fee to bring the heavier bag, I asked again about placing my baggage in the hold at the gate--she would not offer me any solution except for me to throw my things away. I also pointed out that I had traveled with the same exact bag on Thursday from Dakar, without any issue, and <agent 1> informed me in a VERY condescending way that it wasn't her fault that the Air France representatives in Dakar didn't follow the rules.
Contrary to <agent 1>s bias of the African city, please note that the Air France employees at CDG arbitrarily and inconsistently enforce the baggage rules, as you can see in this video that I took as I passed through the security line:
Notice the distinction between the ethnicities and traveler profiles--some people are stopped, while others are allowed to pass through.
At this point, I started crying because it was so completely frustrating that the Air France customer service agents and managers were not offering any solution for my problem, apart from telling me to throw my things away, when I could have just put the carry on in the hold; the quick, easy, free solution.
As a side note, this summer, while I was flying from Shanghai to Seoul with Korean Air (like Air France, also part of the Skyteam Alliance), I was transporting an extremely heavy bag (70lbs) that was packed in a very impractical way. When I was frustrated with this bag and the price of overweight baggage and excess baggage fees, I threw up my hands and said "Forget it, I don't even want this bag. There's got to be less fortunate people you can donate these items to", the attending agent was alarmed and said "No, no we don't want your things" and ended up charging me excessive baggage fees, but not overweight fees.
In contrast, the Air France employees repeatedly told me to throw all of my things away. As I was crying, <agent 1>, a younger girl with a short bob haircut, a darker-skinned middle aged woman with red lipstick, and an Indian woman were all watching me, staring at me from head to toe, smirking and laughing at me, telling me that there was no point in crying, specifically saying “crying won't make your bag lighter”. All I kept saying was, "please, help me make my flight", but they offered no apology, no attempt to come up with a different solution.
Not only was it rude, unprofessional and unnerving to further provoke a customer who was in distress, but it was a completely inappropriate response, to laugh at a customer who was crying and in distress.
They carefully observed me, while I chaotically and frantically tried to figure out what weighed the most, tossed many things aside and weighed my bag as quickly as possible.
Another woman with short hair and glasses seemed to take delight with each weighing; gleefully announcing the weight to <agent 1> each time my bag was still not 12kg. Once I finally got it down to 13.1kg, the woman with short hair and glasses asked <agent 1> if she thought the weight was acceptable.
She then noticed that I had my laptop in my hand and told me to put it in my carry on. Once I did, the weight jumped back up to 17kg. She smiled at me and said, "Unacceptable!, throw away more things!" and turned away from me. I frantically threw a few more items aside and then into the trash can located in the hallway behind the Air France check-in counter (labeled "Staff Only") and begged <agent 1> to call the gate to tell them to hold the plane.
Since another ten minutes had gone by, it was already 15:55, and stupid for me to even think it was still possible to make my flight. But <agent 1> lead me to believe otherwise when she picked up the phone and spoke with someone on my behalf and the woman with the short hair and glasses offered to walk me to the gate. As it turns out, she only meant she would walk with me to the entrance to the security line. This pitiful escort was pointless, since she did not accompany me to the tram to get to area "L", nor did she help me get a customs stamp faster.
I sprinted as fast as I could, and got to the gate at 15:20 (just 5 minutes to spare for take off) and <agent 2> informed me that I was too late. I begged him to call <agent 1>, which it appears he did, who confirmed in fact, that it was too late.
I tried to convince <agent 2> for another 4 minutes, but gave up when I knew <agent 2> wasn't going to budge. I asked him for his name, and he initially refused. I told him I would be contacting Air France in regards to this incident. He said he would only give me his name if he filed a claim against me. So I agreed.
I quickly ran back to the departures area, since I wanted to get my things back from the trash can. I figured that it was bad enough to have missed my plane; I didn't want to lose my things either. When I got back to the garbage can, the garbage man was driving with a huge mountain of bags on his golf cart, and the bag with my things was mid air, en route to the pile, when I stopped him, and I took my bag back.
Imagine my shock when I realized that someone ransacked my bag, and stole all of the things of value, and left behind the things of no value!
Here is what I gave up, and what I was left with.
The robber took:
(1) BCBG black mini dress,
(1) Deflated green exercise ball from Decathelon
(1) German chocolate (gift set)
(1) Gray Zara Tank top,
(1) Pair of "7" jeans with ripped knees,
(1) Tori Burch beige flats,
(1) White Converse sneakers.
The robber left behind:
(1) hair brush,
(1) package of gummy bears,
(2) Bras,
(3) Pairs of underwear,
(1) Under Armor running leggings.
I can assure you, the items that were left behind in the trash can do not collectively weigh 7kg.
In the moment of discovering that I had been robbed, I realized that I had been duped by the representatives of Air France. I realized that I had been targeted because I had unintentionally called attention to myself, by wearing an expensive Louis Vuitton purse, an expensive Louis Vuitton passport holder, with an expensive iPhone 6 in my hand. The only solution the representatives wanted to offer me was to throw my things away because they wanted my things. They made that very apparent when multiple representatives closely watched me while I rearranged my suitcase, and watched me throw away items of value.
If they didn't want my things, they would have just told me from the start that there was no way I would have been able to make my flight, and that I should take my overweight carry on and figure out a solution for the next day's flight.
If they didn't want my things, they would have let me transport my suitcase in the hold (the quick, easy, free solution).
Instead, they led me to believe that I could still make the flight, watched me begrudgingly throw away things of value, and then took what I had surrendered out of the trash can not even 20 minutes after it was put in.
Once I realized this, I headed over to the ticketing area, and the situation continued to get worse. I spoke with a woman with dark glasses who told me she could put me on a flight for Monday, Sept 28th, but for a 100Euro fee. I told her that would be a tough pill for me to swallow, since I had just been robbed by her unscrupulous colleagues. She said, "well, that's all I can do".
At this point, I requested to speak with her manager. I met <agent 3>, who was extremely patronizing right from the beginning of our conversation. He asked me if I understood that it was my fault that I missed my flight because my bag was overweight. I said "No, it was your employees who insisted I needed to throw my things away, and blatantly ignored my request to put my bag in the hold, and forced me to unnecessarily miss my flight. And as it turns out, they did this to STEAL MY BELONGINGS!".
<agent 3> ignored my statement and immediately tried to place blame with the janitor who was collecting the garbage bags. As a side note, I find it really hard to believe that a janitor who makes a low wage is going to self-select a black mini dress over the entire bag of things. Plus, this is Europe; the janitor doesn't make any less of a salary just because he's a janitor. <agent 3>'s behavior was irrational and unprofessional.
As I've now come to realize, this problem of theft at the CDG airport is not an isolated incident. The media reports of theft at the CDG have not been about janitors. Instead, the reports have focused on airline employees who have taken things to re-sell them on Ebay for profit. It appears I have fallen victim to this scheme as well.
I wasn't getting very far, trying to set the record straight with <agent 3>. I turned to the woman with the dark glasses and told her, "Fine, book me on the next flight for the 100Euro fee. What more can I do?".
I also asked for her name, so I could reference it in my complaint to Air France. She refused. So, in order to have some way to reference her terrible lack of sympathy and customer service, I took her picture. Her colleague noticed and told her in French that I took her picture. She told me in English that it was prohibited to do so.
I asked her why that was the case, since that policy is not publicly posted anywhere. In the same fashion that they were so quick to point out that Air France's luggage policy is very clearly written in small print buried in the depths of their website, I expect them to have a photo policy displayed at the ticketing counter, if that is in fact the policy.
Air France can't have it both ways; create random policies out of thin air and expect people to follow them, while in the same breath, demand that people follow luggage policies that are arbitrarily enforced.
Like any standard business practice, ALL policies need to be clearly stated and also should allow for appropriate consumer recourse.
She spoke at length in French to <agent 3>, the manager, and presumably told him not so nice things about me. At that point, a blond woman interrupted and told me that I needed to delete the picture or else she would report me to the police.
This woman did not identify herself, and refused to do so when I asked who she was. When she threatened to report me to the police again, I said, "Well that's fine because I'm on my way there now, to file a police report and recover my things that your employees stole from the trash can".
I informed her that it was my intention to review the security tapes, to confirm that it was an Air France employee who raided the trash can behind the Air France counter. She then gave me back the credit card receipt that I just signed and said, "No, now you will not be allowed on tomorrow's flight. I will not process your new ticket. You can figure out a different way to get back to Dakar".
With that, I marched off to the police station of the airport. I met with <police officer>, quickly explained what had transpired, and he escorted me back to the ticketing counter. The woman with the black glasses and <agent 3> appeared to be unsettled when they saw <police officer>, as they quickly scurried away behind a closed door to consult with the blond woman. I later found out her name is <name of agent 4 redacted>.
<agent 4> told the police officer that she would not put me on the flight until I deleted the other woman's picture. I reiterated that I would not do such a thing because I have rights as a consumer as well. I have rights to know who I am communicating with, so that I may file a complaint when faced with unsatisfactory behavior. Furthermore, my intention was not to delete the picture until I saw the security tape of Air France employees stealing my things.
<police officer> wanted me to show him the bin where my things were stolen from. I thought we could easily figure out who stole my things because four security cameras were directed right at the bin. The area where the trash can is located is dark and is not a public space; again, it is labeled "staff only". There appear to be multiple security cameras in the hallway. Unfortunately, back in the office, it was revealed that the "security cameras" in that area are actually just projectors. Attached, please find the police report prepared by <police officer>.
I would like to formally recognize the man with dark hair and dark features who was the ONLY Air France employee at the ticketing counter, who offered an apology throughout this whole ordeal. He recognized that what I had experienced was completely unfair. He did this in the presence of other colleagues, specifically the older woman with short blonde, bob-cut hair, <agent 4> and other customers.
It was completely unfair to have only been given the option to throw my things away against my will and to have been forced to miss my flight. It was completely unfair to have paid the consequences of Air France's arbitrary and inconsistent application of luggage policies.
This situation should be favorably resolved with a reimbursement of the following:
the items stolen (150Euro),
the 100Euro fee I unnecessarily paid in order to change my ticket,
the hotel and food cost incurred while having to stay an extra night in Paris (150Euro),
the loss of a day's wages, since I had to miss work when I was forced to miss my plane (200Euro).
Total: 600Euro.
In addition, I would also like a written apology from the Air France staff involved in this situation:
<agent 1>,
<agent 3>,
<agent 4>
For failing to offer me space for my suitcase in the hold, forcing me to miss my flight and subsequently a day of work (and loss of a day's wages), creating unnecessary stress and embarrassment for me at the ticketing counter, and costing me an extra 100Euro fee to fly the next day.
I would also like to state that the check-in agent who assisted me on the next day's flight, <agent 5>, was sympathetic to my situation, but neither she nor her supervisor wanted to provide me with an actual name nor email address to place a formal complaint to an actual human being, versus complaining to the black hole of the Air France website. I was extremely disappointed in this.
Once I hear from an actual human being representing Air France, I would be happy to forward all photo and video evidence supporting my complaint.
In closing, one's travel experience should not be dependent upon luck, dependent upon the mood of the airline employees, dependent upon the airport, nor dependent upon the country of travel. The consistent factor in one's travel experience should be the airline and the airline alliance it belongs to. Air France has a responsibility to uphold the standards of the Skyteam Alliance of airlines.
Air France is not considered to be a "low-cost airline". I paid for services that included being treated with courtesy, professionalism, equity and equality.
I was unfairly discriminated against and paid the consequences of the arbitrary and inconsistent behavior of Air France employees.
I look forward to the rectification of this discrimination in the form of reimbursement and letters of apology from the appropriate parties as soon as possible.
Thank you in advance.
I am a very frequent flier of the OneWorld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam airlines and have been to destinations all around the world. I have been on enough flights by now to know how to fly, how to go through check in smoothly, and how to pack without incurring unnecessary stress.
I thought I've experienced my fair share of airport horror stories, but the employees of Air France at the CDG airport in Paris gave me quite the nightmare and prevented me from traveling on what should have been an ordinary flight on September 27, 2015.
I flew from Dakar, Senegal to Paris, France on the night of Thursday, September 24, 2015 with a purse and small carry on suitcase. Please note, the dimensions of this carry on suitcase are smaller than Air France standards (34cm x 54cm x 20cm) In addition, please note that I specifically purchased this suitcase in late July because the manufacturer markets the suitcase as being “suitable for a business or weekend trip”. http://www.carpisa.it/en/shop-online...trolley-s.html Basically, my intention for buying this suitcase was to forever avoid problems with luggage/overpacking/overpaying.
On Thursday, September 24, 2015, in Dakar, Senegal, I completed the online check in with Air France and received a digital boarding pass on my phone. With this, I was able to go right to the security gate, without any problems. I was really pleased with the quick process. On Thursday, September 24, 2015 in Dakar, Senegal, I was not asked to weigh my carry-on, nor purse. Furthermore, my carry on suitcase fit comfortably, without issue, in the overhead compartment of the plane. The employees of Air France were friendly and efficient in Dakar. It took me about 15 minutes from entering the airport, to arrive to my gate.
On Sunday, September 27, 2015, my return flight back to Dakar was scheduled to depart at 16:25, with a boarding time of 15:30. Again, I completed the online check in, and received a digital boarding pass with a QR code on my phone. I arrived to the airport at about 15:15 (since I had no luggage to check, and I was already checked in) and made my way to the security line.
What transpired next is truly mind-boggling.
The woman who was working the entrance to the security line (short, dark hair) had me place my carry on in the wire basket, to determine if the dimensions were correct. She also had me place my purse on top of my carry on. What I didn't realize was that she was checking for weight, not dimensions. Unfortunately for me, the total weight was 19kg, and it was supposed to be 12kg. This woman slapped a big Air France sticker on my carry on suitcase and shooed me away, speaking French. I told her that I don't speak French, that I wanted to check my bag at the gate in the hold, but she turned her back to me and ignored my request.
I then got off the line and quickly tried to re-arrange the weight of my two bags. I also held my laptop in my hands (it's an older MacBook model that weighs a lot). When I came back on the line, the same lady shooed me away again, speaking French again.
This time, I ran to the check in counter of Air France, since time was ticking. At this point, it was about 15:30. I quickly explained my intentions, that I wanted to check my bag into the hold at the gate, and the man who helped me initially (blue eyes, I did not get his name), told me it was too late to check my bag and the only solution would be to throw my things away and make the bag lighter. I repeated my request, and tried to clarify that no, I don't want to put the bag in checked baggage, but rather in the hold, "you know, where parents put their strollers as they're getting on a plane?".
He ignored what I was requesting and instead kept insisting I needed to throw my things away. I begged him to reconsider, and tried to explain that I didn't want to throw my things away because one, I had only packed a small amount of clothes, and it wouldn't have made a difference to omit one pair of pants, or a shirt, and two, I live in Africa and there aren't any stores there where I can replace my clothes. I asked to speak to the manager. I was introduced to <agent 1>.
At this point, it was about 15:45. I begged <agent 1> to please reconsider; please help me do something to get on the plane. I asked if I could upgrade to business, to have a bigger luggage allowance and she smirked and said, "absolutely not, it's too late for that". I offered to pay a fee to bring the heavier bag, I asked again about placing my baggage in the hold at the gate--she would not offer me any solution except for me to throw my things away. I also pointed out that I had traveled with the same exact bag on Thursday from Dakar, without any issue, and <agent 1> informed me in a VERY condescending way that it wasn't her fault that the Air France representatives in Dakar didn't follow the rules.
Contrary to <agent 1>s bias of the African city, please note that the Air France employees at CDG arbitrarily and inconsistently enforce the baggage rules, as you can see in this video that I took as I passed through the security line:
At this point, I started crying because it was so completely frustrating that the Air France customer service agents and managers were not offering any solution for my problem, apart from telling me to throw my things away, when I could have just put the carry on in the hold; the quick, easy, free solution.
As a side note, this summer, while I was flying from Shanghai to Seoul with Korean Air (like Air France, also part of the Skyteam Alliance), I was transporting an extremely heavy bag (70lbs) that was packed in a very impractical way. When I was frustrated with this bag and the price of overweight baggage and excess baggage fees, I threw up my hands and said "Forget it, I don't even want this bag. There's got to be less fortunate people you can donate these items to", the attending agent was alarmed and said "No, no we don't want your things" and ended up charging me excessive baggage fees, but not overweight fees.
In contrast, the Air France employees repeatedly told me to throw all of my things away. As I was crying, <agent 1>, a younger girl with a short bob haircut, a darker-skinned middle aged woman with red lipstick, and an Indian woman were all watching me, staring at me from head to toe, smirking and laughing at me, telling me that there was no point in crying, specifically saying “crying won't make your bag lighter”. All I kept saying was, "please, help me make my flight", but they offered no apology, no attempt to come up with a different solution.
Not only was it rude, unprofessional and unnerving to further provoke a customer who was in distress, but it was a completely inappropriate response, to laugh at a customer who was crying and in distress.
They carefully observed me, while I chaotically and frantically tried to figure out what weighed the most, tossed many things aside and weighed my bag as quickly as possible.
Another woman with short hair and glasses seemed to take delight with each weighing; gleefully announcing the weight to <agent 1> each time my bag was still not 12kg. Once I finally got it down to 13.1kg, the woman with short hair and glasses asked <agent 1> if she thought the weight was acceptable.
She then noticed that I had my laptop in my hand and told me to put it in my carry on. Once I did, the weight jumped back up to 17kg. She smiled at me and said, "Unacceptable!, throw away more things!" and turned away from me. I frantically threw a few more items aside and then into the trash can located in the hallway behind the Air France check-in counter (labeled "Staff Only") and begged <agent 1> to call the gate to tell them to hold the plane.
Since another ten minutes had gone by, it was already 15:55, and stupid for me to even think it was still possible to make my flight. But <agent 1> lead me to believe otherwise when she picked up the phone and spoke with someone on my behalf and the woman with the short hair and glasses offered to walk me to the gate. As it turns out, she only meant she would walk with me to the entrance to the security line. This pitiful escort was pointless, since she did not accompany me to the tram to get to area "L", nor did she help me get a customs stamp faster.
I sprinted as fast as I could, and got to the gate at 15:20 (just 5 minutes to spare for take off) and <agent 2> informed me that I was too late. I begged him to call <agent 1>, which it appears he did, who confirmed in fact, that it was too late.
I tried to convince <agent 2> for another 4 minutes, but gave up when I knew <agent 2> wasn't going to budge. I asked him for his name, and he initially refused. I told him I would be contacting Air France in regards to this incident. He said he would only give me his name if he filed a claim against me. So I agreed.
I quickly ran back to the departures area, since I wanted to get my things back from the trash can. I figured that it was bad enough to have missed my plane; I didn't want to lose my things either. When I got back to the garbage can, the garbage man was driving with a huge mountain of bags on his golf cart, and the bag with my things was mid air, en route to the pile, when I stopped him, and I took my bag back.
Imagine my shock when I realized that someone ransacked my bag, and stole all of the things of value, and left behind the things of no value!
Here is what I gave up, and what I was left with.
The robber took:
(1) BCBG black mini dress,
(1) Deflated green exercise ball from Decathelon
(1) German chocolate (gift set)
(1) Gray Zara Tank top,
(1) Pair of "7" jeans with ripped knees,
(1) Tori Burch beige flats,
(1) White Converse sneakers.
The robber left behind:
(1) hair brush,
(1) package of gummy bears,
(2) Bras,
(3) Pairs of underwear,
(1) Under Armor running leggings.
I can assure you, the items that were left behind in the trash can do not collectively weigh 7kg.
In the moment of discovering that I had been robbed, I realized that I had been duped by the representatives of Air France. I realized that I had been targeted because I had unintentionally called attention to myself, by wearing an expensive Louis Vuitton purse, an expensive Louis Vuitton passport holder, with an expensive iPhone 6 in my hand. The only solution the representatives wanted to offer me was to throw my things away because they wanted my things. They made that very apparent when multiple representatives closely watched me while I rearranged my suitcase, and watched me throw away items of value.
If they didn't want my things, they would have just told me from the start that there was no way I would have been able to make my flight, and that I should take my overweight carry on and figure out a solution for the next day's flight.
If they didn't want my things, they would have let me transport my suitcase in the hold (the quick, easy, free solution).
Instead, they led me to believe that I could still make the flight, watched me begrudgingly throw away things of value, and then took what I had surrendered out of the trash can not even 20 minutes after it was put in.
Once I realized this, I headed over to the ticketing area, and the situation continued to get worse. I spoke with a woman with dark glasses who told me she could put me on a flight for Monday, Sept 28th, but for a 100Euro fee. I told her that would be a tough pill for me to swallow, since I had just been robbed by her unscrupulous colleagues. She said, "well, that's all I can do".
At this point, I requested to speak with her manager. I met <agent 3>, who was extremely patronizing right from the beginning of our conversation. He asked me if I understood that it was my fault that I missed my flight because my bag was overweight. I said "No, it was your employees who insisted I needed to throw my things away, and blatantly ignored my request to put my bag in the hold, and forced me to unnecessarily miss my flight. And as it turns out, they did this to STEAL MY BELONGINGS!".
<agent 3> ignored my statement and immediately tried to place blame with the janitor who was collecting the garbage bags. As a side note, I find it really hard to believe that a janitor who makes a low wage is going to self-select a black mini dress over the entire bag of things. Plus, this is Europe; the janitor doesn't make any less of a salary just because he's a janitor. <agent 3>'s behavior was irrational and unprofessional.
As I've now come to realize, this problem of theft at the CDG airport is not an isolated incident. The media reports of theft at the CDG have not been about janitors. Instead, the reports have focused on airline employees who have taken things to re-sell them on Ebay for profit. It appears I have fallen victim to this scheme as well.
I wasn't getting very far, trying to set the record straight with <agent 3>. I turned to the woman with the dark glasses and told her, "Fine, book me on the next flight for the 100Euro fee. What more can I do?".
I also asked for her name, so I could reference it in my complaint to Air France. She refused. So, in order to have some way to reference her terrible lack of sympathy and customer service, I took her picture. Her colleague noticed and told her in French that I took her picture. She told me in English that it was prohibited to do so.
I asked her why that was the case, since that policy is not publicly posted anywhere. In the same fashion that they were so quick to point out that Air France's luggage policy is very clearly written in small print buried in the depths of their website, I expect them to have a photo policy displayed at the ticketing counter, if that is in fact the policy.
Air France can't have it both ways; create random policies out of thin air and expect people to follow them, while in the same breath, demand that people follow luggage policies that are arbitrarily enforced.
Like any standard business practice, ALL policies need to be clearly stated and also should allow for appropriate consumer recourse.
She spoke at length in French to <agent 3>, the manager, and presumably told him not so nice things about me. At that point, a blond woman interrupted and told me that I needed to delete the picture or else she would report me to the police.
This woman did not identify herself, and refused to do so when I asked who she was. When she threatened to report me to the police again, I said, "Well that's fine because I'm on my way there now, to file a police report and recover my things that your employees stole from the trash can".
I informed her that it was my intention to review the security tapes, to confirm that it was an Air France employee who raided the trash can behind the Air France counter. She then gave me back the credit card receipt that I just signed and said, "No, now you will not be allowed on tomorrow's flight. I will not process your new ticket. You can figure out a different way to get back to Dakar".
With that, I marched off to the police station of the airport. I met with <police officer>, quickly explained what had transpired, and he escorted me back to the ticketing counter. The woman with the black glasses and <agent 3> appeared to be unsettled when they saw <police officer>, as they quickly scurried away behind a closed door to consult with the blond woman. I later found out her name is <name of agent 4 redacted>.
<agent 4> told the police officer that she would not put me on the flight until I deleted the other woman's picture. I reiterated that I would not do such a thing because I have rights as a consumer as well. I have rights to know who I am communicating with, so that I may file a complaint when faced with unsatisfactory behavior. Furthermore, my intention was not to delete the picture until I saw the security tape of Air France employees stealing my things.
<police officer> wanted me to show him the bin where my things were stolen from. I thought we could easily figure out who stole my things because four security cameras were directed right at the bin. The area where the trash can is located is dark and is not a public space; again, it is labeled "staff only". There appear to be multiple security cameras in the hallway. Unfortunately, back in the office, it was revealed that the "security cameras" in that area are actually just projectors. Attached, please find the police report prepared by <police officer>.
I would like to formally recognize the man with dark hair and dark features who was the ONLY Air France employee at the ticketing counter, who offered an apology throughout this whole ordeal. He recognized that what I had experienced was completely unfair. He did this in the presence of other colleagues, specifically the older woman with short blonde, bob-cut hair, <agent 4> and other customers.
It was completely unfair to have only been given the option to throw my things away against my will and to have been forced to miss my flight. It was completely unfair to have paid the consequences of Air France's arbitrary and inconsistent application of luggage policies.
This situation should be favorably resolved with a reimbursement of the following:
the items stolen (150Euro),
the 100Euro fee I unnecessarily paid in order to change my ticket,
the hotel and food cost incurred while having to stay an extra night in Paris (150Euro),
the loss of a day's wages, since I had to miss work when I was forced to miss my plane (200Euro).
Total: 600Euro.
In addition, I would also like a written apology from the Air France staff involved in this situation:
<agent 1>,
<agent 3>,
<agent 4>
For failing to offer me space for my suitcase in the hold, forcing me to miss my flight and subsequently a day of work (and loss of a day's wages), creating unnecessary stress and embarrassment for me at the ticketing counter, and costing me an extra 100Euro fee to fly the next day.
I would also like to state that the check-in agent who assisted me on the next day's flight, <agent 5>, was sympathetic to my situation, but neither she nor her supervisor wanted to provide me with an actual name nor email address to place a formal complaint to an actual human being, versus complaining to the black hole of the Air France website. I was extremely disappointed in this.
Once I hear from an actual human being representing Air France, I would be happy to forward all photo and video evidence supporting my complaint.
In closing, one's travel experience should not be dependent upon luck, dependent upon the mood of the airline employees, dependent upon the airport, nor dependent upon the country of travel. The consistent factor in one's travel experience should be the airline and the airline alliance it belongs to. Air France has a responsibility to uphold the standards of the Skyteam Alliance of airlines.
Air France is not considered to be a "low-cost airline". I paid for services that included being treated with courtesy, professionalism, equity and equality.
I was unfairly discriminated against and paid the consequences of the arbitrary and inconsistent behavior of Air France employees.
I look forward to the rectification of this discrimination in the form of reimbursement and letters of apology from the appropriate parties as soon as possible.
Thank you in advance.
Last edited by JOUY31; Oct 25, 2015 at 4:19 pm Reason: names of agents removed as per FlyerTalk rules
Oct 24, 2015, 6:17 pm
#45
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. / Washington, DC
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Posts: 4,630