hfly,

Yes, I have a nice collection of AF amenities kits from their baggage department, and I love their baggage home-delivery service (I've plagiarized that comment from a fellow passenger). I didn't say the people at AF were competent, only that they were pleasant and polite and that they have always treated me well. Yes, for some stupid reason the CDG-Saigon flight was delayed one day (the plane went to Hanoi instead!), but we were all very quickly accommodated in a fine hotel and provided with meal coupons and telephone cards (which turned out to have expired!), and all this with a very pleasant smile and astonishing efficiency (I guess it happens often). My bag went astray between Paris and Berlin, but an AF agent was waiting at the belt and took the 3 of us with missing bags to the baggage claim office and helped us with the forms (again, I guess it happens often) and got us each another of those nice first-class amenities kits (with a fresh undershirt). The lounge, ground and air crew on the Concorde were the most accommodating I've ever encountered on any airline (yes, I understand they are specially picked and trained). The Customer Care people on the telephone in Florida have been very pleasant the two times I spoke to them and quickly found the details of my complaint in their computer, but they twice sent me a letter of apology, indicating a travel voucher was enclosed, only to have neglected to include the voucher! The airline is indeed one of the worst run, but I have the impression their staff try to put on a good face in front of the passengers; for some reason (out-of sight, out-of-mind mentality? lack of support from headquarters? Gallic insouciance?) it just doesn't get converted into a smooth-running operation. I can't say that an AF staff member has ever been rude to me, or even tried to ignore me. They've met every request I've ever made to them, or given me a good reason why they couldn't. They do outrageous things with a smile, which is better than being barked at by some overworked, harrassed GA at the Delta terminal in JFK. At least AF has never left me stranded (unlike Kenya and Indian Airlines) and has always gotten my bags to me within one day; it's still the kind of airline which is exasperating to deal with but has the staff I always enjoy flying with.