NickB

It does but this is no excuse. This is misleading advertising pure and simple: it advertises a product whereas another one is being sold.

brunos

I fully agree with you.
I can understand a bug on the JNB-CPT leg where AF sells either SA (in J), BA (in Y) or "Comair" (in J). But that is not a bug on its own domestic flights.
I guess that AF will answer that you will get lounge access, priority boarding/seating and possibly advanced seat selection.

Gaza

More than a year on it seems AF are still misleading customers. My Mother-in-law has just called me to say she can't understand why she has ended up on Kulula in Y when she paid for J. Her routing was EDI-CDG-JNB-DUR. All the legs up to JNB-DUR were in J. I've looked at her reservation (made on airfrance.com) and it clearly states BUSINESS on all legs. The JNB-DUR leg is shown as operated by Comair and when she called AF to check who this was (she'd never heard of Comair) she was told it was a BA Franchise. At no time was Kulula mentioned. The JNB-DUR and DUR-JNB flights are on an AF flight number.

On arrival at JNB she searched for Comair and was eventually directed to Kulula. They checked her and her 2 bags in without issue but once on-board she realised she was at the back of the aircraft and had to buy a drink and snack.

What is concerning her most is whether she will be able to through check her bags from DUR on the return. Previously she has flown SA on the internal legs and her bags have been checked all the way through to EDI.

When she called AF today they were completely unhelpful. They said they was nothing they could/would do and she could file a claim when she returned.

I cannot see how they can get away with this. If I make a Business Class booking and my booking confirmation shows 'Business' on the legs I'd expect to get what I paid for. I'd have no issue if one of the legs showed 'Economy' then I'd know what to expect. I fully understand my mother-in-laws anger.

Ditto

There should be no issue checking the bags through, although she will most likely need to pick up the AF boarding pass in JNB (or use the AF app)

On the bright side, she should also get lounge access and she will get miles for J class (175%)

Andy49

I sympathise with your mother in law, I have had similar problems at least once a year when flight times change and suddenly it changes from an AF business into a Flybe economy. In the past we were told that we will get all the benefits of business but that's not true. Once we were give a bottle of water for the family to share instead of the snack and drink each, we were often given seats on the back row and we certainly never had an empty seat next to us.

Last month I had a Flybe and was given a front seat with snack and drink voucher without asking for either but didn't get a fast track for security or an empty seat next to me but its a big improvement. Sadly its all too late for my wife and daughter who wont fly AF again even though they have been given hundreds of £ of vouchers which will go unused.

brunos

Then AF is also cheating its customers for French domestic flights.

When you book HKG-NCE, AF offers many booking options with a change of airports CDG/ORY. The ORY-NCE is listed as BUSINESS. So you will board a Y-only AF flight offering sucre/sale expecting to get business class service.
(sorry I have still not understood how to post screenshots)

irishguy28

I thought most FT readers were now experienced enough to realise that "business" on shorthaul is really only a virtual concept rather than a hard product; if you want to get business miles on these flights then they will most definitely give them to you; that's all business class is, after all.

If you want to travelt hese short sectors in Economy, then you will have to travel the longhaul legs in Economy, too.

Ditto

In Europe yes (and even then exceptions apply), but anywhere else in the world people expect to also get a better hard product when they pay for J

Andy49

So what about the other stuff we are 'promised' like extra luggage, fast track, lounge, next to an empty seat, at the front? should we just accept they don't matter as long as we get the miles? I pay for those things and if they want to take them away and call it economy then they should refund me or put me on a flight that can provide them.

irishguy28

OK, let me try again.

I guess the point I was going to make was that, rather than tell the OP that no business ticket was available, all for the sake of there being no business cabin on a single 2-hour stretch of a mutli-stop intercontinental ticket, they called it business and sold it anyway, giving those parts of the ticket that are business (baggage, miles, etc) even though there is no single or standard definition of the term "business" in the industry anyway, and even though ComAir operated by Kulula means a single-class cabin.

If it's any consolation, the OP probably got the CPT-JNB sector "for free" - at least checking for CDG-JNG-CDG and CDG-CPT-CDG shows that going via JNB saves €130 (though may not give any usuable business miles, given that it seems to be sold under a BA code).

Though I probably should here point out that at least KLM do clarify when a certain sector is in Economy - perhaps AF could learn from KL.

mike turnbull

How much do you want for them ?

Andy49

I am sorry but my wife and daughter are not for sale but if you ask me again on a bad day you can have them for FREE



But seriously mike turnbull they have the same surname but the vouchers are not accepted. I have 4 with an expiry in May 2017 if you can think of a way around it.

brunos

sorry

brunos

here it is (thanks wuzziduzziman). No mention that the ORY-NCE is in economy

BA6501

Try using the KLM website.