From dream to hell: Varig MD11 Paris CDG - Amsterdam
Interesting non-flight report! Although this sounded ghastly, I wonder if the VARIG personnel's attitude might be better at other airports? My experience with Air France ground staff at CDG is bad, and staff at the LH lounge (!) could also have been more friendly, so my overall experience at CDG isn't great (to put it mildly).
Cheers,
Hans.
Cheers,
Hans.
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Sabena_690
- Posts: 3378
- Joined: 20 Sep 2002, 00:00
Thanks for the replies!
@netcalix: Varig could just have done what the other airlines did: delay the flight and wait for fuel. When our flight was cancelled other flights were already leaving. The reason why the CDG-AMS-CDG flight was cancelled was simply to avoid a delay on the CDG-GRU flight that night.
They didn't put us on the first available flight (just: "come back tomorrow afternoon"), so yes, I find that they should have paid for our hotel room.
About my travel companion: he is keeping an eye on this trip report, so if he wants to say which airline he works for, he will probably do so in one of the next few days.
Regards
Frederic
@netcalix: Varig could just have done what the other airlines did: delay the flight and wait for fuel. When our flight was cancelled other flights were already leaving. The reason why the CDG-AMS-CDG flight was cancelled was simply to avoid a delay on the CDG-GRU flight that night.
They didn't put us on the first available flight (just: "come back tomorrow afternoon"), so yes, I find that they should have paid for our hotel room.
About my travel companion: he is keeping an eye on this trip report, so if he wants to say which airline he works for, he will probably do so in one of the next few days.
Regards
Frederic
Brussels Airlines - Flying Your Way
Frederic, interesting report - but be my friend if this happend to me I would explode 
wonder how you could stay calm .....
I flew from CDG and to CDG back in 2003 (two times) and it was ok - not bad, not real good, just in the middle ....
and now I have to hurry up taking a flight DUS-ZRH in 2 hours and monday TAP ZRH-LIS-FAO for 2 weeks sea and sun
wonder how you could stay calm .....I flew from CDG and to CDG back in 2003 (two times) and it was ok - not bad, not real good, just in the middle ....
and now I have to hurry up taking a flight DUS-ZRH in 2 hours and monday TAP ZRH-LIS-FAO for 2 weeks sea and sun
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virginexpress
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Sabena_690
- Posts: 3378
- Joined: 20 Sep 2002, 00:00
An update on the situation: Varig will refund all my expenses, 130 EUR in total!
I had made an overview with all my additional expenses in my letter of complaint (hotel,...), and everything will be refunded.
Good customer service afterall! I'll book a new ticket today or tomorrow to fly CDG-AMS within the next two weeks. Hopefully no fuelling strike this time!
Regards
Frederic
I had made an overview with all my additional expenses in my letter of complaint (hotel,...), and everything will be refunded.
Good customer service afterall! I'll book a new ticket today or tomorrow to fly CDG-AMS within the next two weeks. Hopefully no fuelling strike this time!
Regards
Frederic
Brussels Airlines - Flying Your Way
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Vinnie-Winnie
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Sabena_690
- Posts: 3378
- Joined: 20 Sep 2002, 00:00
André: LOL Attracting bad luck... well, yes and no. Yes because I have been stranded two times in a wildcat strike in only two years, but no because most of my flights have been excellent so far.
Indeed... Varig decided to cancel the CDG-AMS-CDG on both 12 and 13 September
The difference with the previous two times (6 and 7 July) is that I knew already about the cancellation BEFORE I went to Paris (so the first thing I did after arrival in CDG was going to the Globeground desk for my rebooking). I considered on Monday evening to change my ticket to today (Wednesday) or Thursday, but the office of Kales (the Varig GSA in Belgium) was already closed. Because I also had to change my Thalys ticket, and because I wasn't sure if RG would still accept my ticket (I would be a no-show for the flight in theory if I wouldn't have gone to CDG), I decided to go anyway and see where I would end.
By the way: I first didn't believe that my flight was going to be cancelled. Why: the CDG website was already giving wrong information about RG8720 8 hours before the flight had left Rio de Janeiro. When CDG-AMS-CDG was cancelled a few hours later, I couldn't believe it because you were still able to book those flights on both the Varig website and through other channels like a travel agency. I even checked availability yesterday morning at 5:30am (just before I left to Paris), and even at this point (the flight was cancelled on the Paris website 12 hours before!!), you could still book a CDG-AMS ticket. I checked <http://www.expertflyer.com> as well for availability, and the flight was wide open as usual. Can you believe that an airline allows you to book a cancelled flight?
After all, I'm not really disappointed. There are more important things in life than hunting for an MD11 flight. Instead of waisting money with a CDG-AMS ticket, I hope to be able to fly the MD11 with KLM or Finnair within 2-3 years.
Varig is just a bunch of clowns, and I'm not even considering to try them again. I was rebooked on KL1234, and the flight was just excellent (a report will follow later). Well done, KLM!
A Varig summary: I have been booked 3 times in total on a CDG-AMS flight, and my flight has been cancelled 3 times (I admit, 1 of those flights was not Varig's mistake, but they treated their customers so badly that I just don't care). I asked the lady at the Globeground desk: "I guess that you have a lot of work with Varig here in Paris". She had to laugh and said: "Indeed, very much". I've checked a lot of their CDG flights lately, and lot's of them were heavily delayed, with the CDG-AMS-CDG flights being cancelled several times.
Regards
Frederic
Attracting bad luck... well, yes and no. Yes because I have been stranded two times in a wildcat strike in only two years, but no because most of my flights have been excellent so far.Indeed... Varig decided to cancel the CDG-AMS-CDG on both 12 and 13 September
The difference with the previous two times (6 and 7 July) is that I knew already about the cancellation BEFORE I went to Paris (so the first thing I did after arrival in CDG was going to the Globeground desk for my rebooking). I considered on Monday evening to change my ticket to today (Wednesday) or Thursday, but the office of Kales (the Varig GSA in Belgium) was already closed. Because I also had to change my Thalys ticket, and because I wasn't sure if RG would still accept my ticket (I would be a no-show for the flight in theory if I wouldn't have gone to CDG), I decided to go anyway and see where I would end.
By the way: I first didn't believe that my flight was going to be cancelled. Why: the CDG website was already giving wrong information about RG8720 8 hours before the flight had left Rio de Janeiro. When CDG-AMS-CDG was cancelled a few hours later, I couldn't believe it because you were still able to book those flights on both the Varig website and through other channels like a travel agency. I even checked availability yesterday morning at 5:30am (just before I left to Paris), and even at this point (the flight was cancelled on the Paris website 12 hours before!!), you could still book a CDG-AMS ticket. I checked <http://www.expertflyer.com> as well for availability, and the flight was wide open as usual. Can you believe that an airline allows you to book a cancelled flight?
After all, I'm not really disappointed. There are more important things in life than hunting for an MD11 flight. Instead of waisting money with a CDG-AMS ticket, I hope to be able to fly the MD11 with KLM or Finnair within 2-3 years.
Varig is just a bunch of clowns, and I'm not even considering to try them again. I was rebooked on KL1234, and the flight was just excellent (a report will follow later). Well done, KLM!
A Varig summary: I have been booked 3 times in total on a CDG-AMS flight, and my flight has been cancelled 3 times (I admit, 1 of those flights was not Varig's mistake, but they treated their customers so badly that I just don't care). I asked the lady at the Globeground desk: "I guess that you have a lot of work with Varig here in Paris". She had to laugh and said: "Indeed, very much". I've checked a lot of their CDG flights lately, and lot's of them were heavily delayed, with the CDG-AMS-CDG flights being cancelled several times.
Regards
Frederic
Brussels Airlines - Flying Your Way