Even the flight attendants couldn't believe it.
On Wednesday, a couple from Ain was surprised to board a flight alone from Agadir, heading to Paris, after their week's vacation in Morocco, reports the newspaper Le Progrès. The Airbus A319 from Air France could accommodate 140 passengers.
They were only two.
An exceptional situation confirmed by the company in Paris.
“You are one of the few in the world to whom this has happened”, would have slipped the captain, himself surprised.
“We were treated like VIPs”
The couple thus took advantage of exclusive services: a champagne meal, and announcements made orally rather than on the microphone, concerning the flight plan, the weather during the trip, or the time of arrival at Roissy.
“We really had the feeling of being privileged, we were treated like VIPs,” rejoices the passenger to the local newspaper.
Beyond the "unpublished" aspect of the experience, the carbon footprint of this flight is above all disastrous: according to Air France's carbon calculator, a one-way Agadir-Paris (Orly) trip, i.e. 2442 km, rejects 319 kg of CO² and consumes 2.62 liters of kerosene per passenger per 100 km.
The journey of this couple therefore required 8,960 liters of kerosene.
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Without going into details, the regional newspaper explains that the two travelers found themselves by accident in this deserted plane, after the cancellation of their Transavia flight.
"Transavia had warned travelers of this change by email, but had forgotten about ten of them, including this couple, who found themselves wandering around the terminal without assistance and without any contact with the airline", relates Le Progrès .
“Our priority was to save their holidays”
Contacted by Le Parisien, Air France confirms “exceptional and rapid” support, due to the strike which particularly affects Transavia, the low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group.
“Originally, a flight was set up to pick up Transavia customers whose flight between Paris and Agadir was cancelled.
We wanted to respond as a priority to this outward flight to save their holidays, justifies the Air France group.
If the flight was full on the outward journey, he assures us, the passengers again blocked for the return flight were "fewer".
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"There was no other solution than to set up special flights since the Transavia flights are canceled, and Air France does not have a regular connection between Paris and Agadir, continues the airline, which recognizes the "problematic" aspect of this almost empty trip, while "Air France is completely committed to the shift in ecological transition".
Was the transfer of the couple to another Moroccan airport where Air France operates possible?
"I don't know if this has been considered," admits both companies.
Transavia claims to have operated 75% of the flights scheduled for Thursday, 85% the day before.
Nor does the company seem to have made the choice to pay a hotel night to injured customers, while waiting to find them places with another company.
“We try to stick as well as possible to the initial program to adapt to the constraints of the passengers, explains the Transavia group.
It's important to do everything we can.
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