Air France: the strike-prone Lidl of long-haul flying or a smooth operator?
Apr 6, 2017, 4:09 am
#1
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Air France: the strike-prone Lidl of long-haul flying or a smooth operator?
Simon Calder is the senior travel editor with the Independent, and a regular face on British TV when travel issues make the news. Here is his recent take on an AF trip
Originally Posted by The Independent
“The Lidl of long-haul flying” — that was how I summed up my most recent experience of flying Air France, on a trip from Paris to Havana and back.
Apr 6, 2017, 11:32 am
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Apr 14, 2017, 11:58 am
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I think that AF have suffered a great deal from the seemingly continual ATC strikes.
Simon Calder is a talking head. . Always on Breakfast TV - Thinks he knows the lot and that he has a bon mot for every circumstance (like that unspeakable offensive William Leymergie ). I am surprised that he is not on Flyertalk. Maybe he is.
Take no notice.
Simon Calder is a talking head. . Always on Breakfast TV - Thinks he knows the lot and that he has a bon mot for every circumstance (like that unspeakable offensive William Leymergie ). I am surprised that he is not on Flyertalk. Maybe he is.
Take no notice.
Apr 14, 2017, 12:07 pm
#8
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As an American, I had to look up the reference.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
Apr 14, 2017, 12:12 pm
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,179
As an American, I had to look up the reference.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
Apr 14, 2017, 4:31 pm
#10
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Boston
Posts: 89
As an American, I had to look up the reference.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
He compared Air France to a German supermarket conglomerate?
Sorry, don't get it.
Is that good or bad? Okay, that's rhetorical...it's a Brit on TV talking about a French company and comparing it to a German one...pretty sure it's snark.
But I still don't get it.
Apr 14, 2017, 8:58 pm
#11
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I think that AF have suffered a great deal from the seemingly continual ATC strikes.
Simon Calder is a talking head. . Always on Breakfast TV - Thinks he knows the lot and that he has a bon mot for every circumstance (like that unspeakable offensive William Leymergie ). I am surprised that he is not on Flyertalk. Maybe he is.
Take no notice.
Simon Calder is a talking head. . Always on Breakfast TV - Thinks he knows the lot and that he has a bon mot for every circumstance (like that unspeakable offensive William Leymergie ). I am surprised that he is not on Flyertalk. Maybe he is.
Take no notice.
But there is no doubt that AF has the image of being strike-prone among foreigners. And they cannot be blamed. This is caused by the number of actual strikes as well as the numerous ones that are announced and finally cancelled.
This is also caused by the numerous French ATC strikes. Remember that a significant number of pax simply transfer in CDG to other European destinations. Some of my Asian friend would rather avoid transferring thru (or even going to) Paris to reduce the impact of AF and the French ATC risk.
That AZ ( a minor airline) or LH (a major) are also strike-prone is beyond the point. They are also avoided, but there are many other options available.
Apr 15, 2017, 12:03 pm
#12
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Thanks. I now understand the analogy was totally inept. A discount grocer to a strike-prone airline. Wth, Calder?
But I actually fly AF, despite that, because they're so practiced at dealing with strikes, I've had less significant interruptions (from any sort of IRROPS) to my travel on AF as they - at least in my cases - seem to recover quite nimbly. And I have nothing but praise for the service from their front-facing staff. (But I get along with the French in general).
But I actually fly AF, despite that, because they're so practiced at dealing with strikes, I've had less significant interruptions (from any sort of IRROPS) to my travel on AF as they - at least in my cases - seem to recover quite nimbly. And I have nothing but praise for the service from their front-facing staff. (But I get along with the French in general).
Apr 15, 2017, 12:41 pm
#13
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I don't see the comparison AF v. Lidl holding up. The good man should've flown the 'socialist route' properly and book with Cubana.
Apr 15, 2017, 9:06 pm
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https://www.etui.org/Topics/Trade-un...on-3-July-2016
I have been in Hong Kong for over ten years, so I am a "foreigner", but some of the posts here are reminiscent of what my Italian friends used to say about Italy twenty years ago: " Sure there are strike, but we can smartly manage around them".
But visitors cannot.
Last edited by brunos; Apr 16, 2017 at 9:30 pm