In a shocking incident last December, an Air France flight, delayed by 24 hours in Guadeloupe, accommodated its business class passengers in hotels, while economy passengers were left to camp at the airport. While flight delays are not uncommon across the globe, rules state that in the case of overnight delay, airlines must provide accommodation to all their passengers. Read on to learn more about this incident.
Air France Flight Faces 24-Hr Delay In Guadeloupe ; Passengers Complain Of Disparity
A report by The Independent threw light on a shocking incident that happened with Air France flight AF499 passengers on December 9, 2024. Due to unfavourable headwinds on the transatlantic crossing, the St Martin-Paris flight made an emergency landing at Pointe-a-Pitre airport on Guadeloupe island. The crew informed passengers that the 22-year-old jet needed refuelling, hence the redirection to Guadeloupe.
A passenger, Laura stated to The Independent that the flight landed at 6 pm. The passengers were initially informed that it would take around one hour to refuel so they’d reach Paris around 90 minutes later than the scheduled time. Later, they were informed that the Air France flight had electronics issues and an engineer was working on it. But things got worse when even after five hours the flight was parked on the tarmac, leaving passengers hungry and tired. At 10 pm they were given food and informed that the problem couldn’t be solved and Air France would accommodate them at hotels on the island.
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Economy Passengers Told To Camp Overnight In Airport
An hour later, all business-class passengers disembarked and proceeded towards their hotels. The economy passengers arrived at the airport only to find camp beds laid out in the terminal with bottles of water placed next to them. Air France crew informed passengers that hotels didn’t have sufficient rooms for stranded passengers. But Laura stated to The Independent that wasn’t the case. Keeping her safety in mind, she booked herself a room. Many other passengers paid from their own pockets for an overnight stay at a nearby hotel.
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The rest were left to camp in the airport overnight. Around 24 hours later the flight took off. But there were passengers in their eighties and children who had no choice but to spend an uncomfortable and unpleasant night at the Guadeloupe airport. Laura hopes Air France will offer all passengers necessary compensation for the inconvenience caused.
Meanwhile, have you ever faced such untoward flight incidents?
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