So there are countries with more anal attitudes about these things than France. Granted. (I am not, anyway, one of those who subscribe to the view that the way the U.S. does anything and everything ipso facto sets the standard for the rest of us). By the same token, there are many other countries with much less anal attitudes. So what? The topic of this thread deals with the situation at CDG specifically, and that was what I was focusing on.

And yes, I agree with your point that there are plenty of alternatives for Indian citizens wishing to travel between North America and India. That's precisely the point. They do not need and should not have to put up with these abusive situations.

Indian citizens transiting through CDG in principle need a transit visa (which does not allow them access to French territory) to merely change planes at CDG. But there is an exception clause in the regulations for those who have US/Canda permanent residency or valid US/Canda visas. Apparently, AF values their transit traffic sufficiently (and has enough "pull" with the French authorities -- which it does) to not want to make it an uncompetitive hassle for them to use AF given the alternatives available. As well it might, since there has to be, at conservative estimate, at least 100 such passengers a day travelling between all the points AF serves in North America and the ones it serves in India. (I base these figures on the fact that just one flight to one destination in India in the previous incident had 50-60 such passengers on board; and one flight alone from IAD in the latest incident had about a dozen -- reports vary -- or so.) At a discounted fare of, say, $1,000 apiece, that's a business of three million a month that AF could lose. If Indian citizens were to vote with their feet, with some official support and encouragement from their government in the form of a travel advisory, there is every chance that the French authorities (with a little push from AF) would soon find their way to a more amenable, less gratuitously abusive, attitude.