Jenn wrote:
    >
    >
    > Air France is the worst airline I have flow on internationally in the
    > last 10 years -- service horrible [you have to walk to the back of the
    > plane to get a drink of water except at mealtimes -- great on long
    > flights with hundreds of passengers] and the food is inedible. Even the
    > wine wasn't any good. I was hoping the mechanical aspects weren't as
    > sloppy as the service.

Yeah, I loved the way all the flight attendants disappeared from
steerage, as soon as they'd served lunch. (Two hours later than
scheduled, as was our takeoff - astonishing that a little gentle rain
can delay an intercontinental flight that long.) They ignored the call
buttons in coach completely. When I practically tripped a flight
attendant, to point out that my call light had been on for two hours,
his reply was certainly a non sequiter - "Well, there's a boy playing
with the bells, so we've just been ignoring them" (!!!) And after
lunch, we waited nearly eight hours for the next meal - which had to be
rushed, because we were due to land in an hour! (I didn't find the food
inedible - it's still better than you get on flights with American
companies - but it wasn't exactly haute cuisine, either!)

Peter L wrote:
    >
    >
    > The airlines intend to use war as an excuse, cut their flights, cry "poor
    > us", and get billions in federal subsidies.

Really? That wasn't too successful after 9/11, when they had a
legitimate reason to expect a little government aid!

le Thu, 13 Mar 2003 11:14:06 -0000, dans l'article , Deep Floyd Mars a dit ...

    >> You can probably fly to Iraq if you needed to.

    > Sorry, but you cannot get any commercial flights to Iraq! These have been
    > cut off for a long time now due to the UN imposed no-fly zones.

The no-fly zones were _not_ imposed by the United Nations.

--
Desmond Coughlan
desmond @ zeouane.org
http: // www . zeouane . org

Desmond Coughlan wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > le Thu, 13 Mar 2003 11:14:06 -0000, dans l'article
, Deep Floyd Mars
a dit ...
    > >> You can probably fly to Iraq if you needed to.
    > > Sorry, but you cannot get any commercial flights to Iraq! These have
been
    > > cut off for a long time now due to the UN imposed no-fly zones.
    > The no-fly zones were _not_ imposed by the United Nations.

There are no commercial flights to Iraq due to UN restrictions.
---
DFM

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:
    >
    >
    > I've only flown AF once (well, twice if you count to Paris and return),
    > but I also was not too happy with them. That was last February (2002),
    > before all this Iraq business hit the fan. You're probably right about
    > the zero competition - it was a Delta code share on AF, but they offer
    > the only direct, non-stop flights between LAX and CDG - everyone else,
    > you have to change planes somewhere. Slumos in service often happen, I
    > think, where only one airline provides direct service between two
    > cities.
    >
    > Northwest Airline certainly provided much more pleasurable flights
    > between LAX and Minneapolis (Minnesota) when it had competition from
    > Western and another airline (can't remember which, now). Now it's the
    > only one that goes direct, flights are usually miserable. (And they are
    > the only airline that ever managed to lose my luggage on a direct flight
    > from one place to another!)


I've had opposite experience. We fly Air France frequently from Boston
to Paris and are usually very happy with them, although our most
recent trip was less pleasant. I think it was on a plane almost ready
to be retired - the seats had very little padding whatsoever left - you
could feel the metal braces through the seat cushion. Not a good way to
spend several hours! The absolutely worst trip we ever had was on
Northwest, though. Uncomfortable seats, almost surly staff, horrible,
inedible food. We've flown Lufthansa a couple of times and have to say
that they are definitely the best. For example, every airline has little
pillows for you but on Lufthansa they are _feather_ pillows! And the
service, even in cattle class, almost makes you feel as if you're in
business class. We'd fly Lufthansa all the time if it didn't take so
much longer. The extra hours it takes to fly to Munich or Frankfurt
and then back to Paris, or Toulouse, which is typically our destination
just makes the trip too long.

In article ,
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:

    > Jenn wrote:
    > >
    > >
    > > Air France is the worst airline I have flow on internationally in the
    > > last 10 years -- service horrible [you have to walk to the back of the
    > > plane to get a drink of water except at mealtimes -- great on long
    > > flights with hundreds of passengers] and the food is inedible. Even the
    > > wine wasn't any good. I was hoping the mechanical aspects weren't as
    > > sloppy as the service.
    >
    > Yeah, I loved the way all the flight attendants disappeared from
    > steerage, as soon as they'd served lunch. (Two hours later than
    > scheduled, as was our takeoff - astonishing that a little gentle rain
    > can delay an intercontinental flight that long.) They ignored the call
    > buttons in coach completely. When I practically tripped a flight
    > attendant, to point out that my call light had been on for two hours,
    > his reply was certainly a non sequiter - "Well, there's a boy playing
    > with the bells, so we've just been ignoring them" (!!!) And after
    > lunch, we waited nearly eight hours for the next meal - which had to be
    > rushed, because we were due to land in an hour! (I didn't find the food
    > inedible - it's still better than you get on flights with American
    > companies - but it wasn't exactly haute cuisine, either!)

I think a frozen solid poached egg on a pile of greens qualifies as
inedible

my biggest disappointment with both Alitalia and Air France3 was the
food -- since these are both countries with excellent cuisines

Don't forget...on both Alitalia and AirFrance going TO Europe, the food
is cooked in American mass food factories except for a few packaged
things. Returning from Europe the food is usually better as it is
cooked in French and Italian mass food factories. Either way, no great
shakes but a slight difference. Now if AF would just upholster the damn
seats.....froglett
In article , Jenn
wrote:

    > In article ,
    > "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:
    >
    > > Jenn wrote:
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > Air France is the worst airline I have flow on internationally in the
    > > > last 10 years -- service horrible [you have to walk to the back of the
    > > > plane to get a drink of water except at mealtimes -- great on long
    > > > flights with hundreds of passengers] and the food is inedible. Even the
    > > > wine wasn't any good.
    >
    > I think a frozen solid poached egg on a pile of greens qualifies as
    > inedible
    >
    > my biggest disappointment with both Alitalia and Air France3 was the
    > food -- since these are both countries with excellent cuisines

I heard the airlines were worried that people would stop flying if the war starts. I saw an interview with an airline spokes person who related they could not take another "911" like hit to the industry. However, he did not say they were suspending international flights.

Jenn wrote:
    >
    > In article ,
    > "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:
    >

    > > rushed, because we were due to land in an hour! (I didn't find the food
    > > inedible - it's still better than you get on flights with American
    > > companies - but it wasn't exactly haute cuisine, either!)
    >
    > I think a frozen solid poached egg on a pile of greens qualifies as
    > inedible

Oh, I agree! Was their microwave not working? Or did they just forget
to "process" the meal before serving it?

    >
    > my biggest disappointment with both Alitalia and Air France3 was the
    > food -- since these are both countries with excellent cuisines

Well, American "cuisine" isn't nearly as bad as what you experience on
our airliners, either!

"Jenn" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > In article ,
    > Air France is the worst airline I have flow on internationally in the
    > last 10 years -- service horrible [you have to walk to the back of the
    > plane to get a drink of water except at mealtimes -- great on long
    > flights with hundreds of passengers] and the food is inedible. Even the
    > wine wasn't any good. I was hoping the mechanical aspects weren't as
    > sloppy as the service.

My experience with Alitalia was just about the same.