Perpignan: turbulence on board the Paris-Perpignan flights of the new Transavia company
Since March 27 and the resumption of the Perpignan-Paris link by Transavia, a low-cost subsidiary of Air France KLM, the number of passengers dissatisfied with the services has soared. At the height, this Monday, April 11, the evening flight from Orly was diverted to Montpellier. In question, a local landing made impossible “by a sea wind at 30 km / h”, denounce furious customers, who waited two hours before being repatriated by bus to the Pyrénées-Orientales.
A low-cost company with a reputation for quality, Transavia has barely taken off from Perpignan, exactly since March 27, when its flights have taken a nose dive in the hearts of users. The pinnacle, this Monday evening April 11. The Paris-Orly bound for Perpignan, which took off at 7:30 p.m. from the capital, never landed on the tarmac at La Llabanère. At 9:05 p.m., the scheduled time of its arrival on Catalan soil, the plane turned away landing on Montpellier 181 destitute travelers, families with children, business leaders, political figures.
After two landing attempts foiled by “a sea wind that barely blew at 30 km/h” tell the senators François Calvet and Jean Sol aboard this 189-seat Boing 737-800, who wrote to Prime Minister Jean Castex, the plane is gaining altitude. To make a U-turn to Montpellier Méditerranée airport. “We had a monumental fear. Kids were crying, we were finally told that we had been diverted because of the bad weather conditions”, adds Nadir, a witness. Contacted, the company Transavia confirms. “That evening, the wind was out of bounds over Perpignan-Rivesaltes, passenger safety took precedence, the control tower diverted the plane”, says his spokesperson.
Senators François Calvet and Jean Sol had already seized Prime Minister Jean Castex
Nadir, he is not at the end of his troubles. At the step of other travellers, “We were dropped at the Hérault airport, without the slightest bottle of water or a meal tray and no one to inform us, he berates. Far from being the only one to get impatient. “After more than an hour, seeing nothing coming, we got together at seven to take a taxi-van to Perpignan”, choose the parliamentarians who get away with 70 euros per person. Other less organized passengers each order a driver and pay “400 euros”. The majority of travelers, the last to pace at night in front of the terminal, are finally picked up at 11:40 p.m. by buses chartered by the air carrier. Their flight T0 7030 landed in Montpellier at 9:33 p.m.
“It’s a disaster. Since this company replaced Air France, we have to get up at 4 a.m. to take the plane and, like this Monday evening, go home at 1:30 a.m.”, condemned François Calvet. Not to mention other sorrows. “People jostling to retrieve their suitcases put at the other end of the aisle for lack of space, seats made for mini-sizes, priorities not respected… it’s a rat race atmosphere “, sums up the chosen one without mentioning the prices. He paid 194 euros for a one-way ticket, the same for the return.
Dominique Tabarié, the president of the association of users of the Perpignan-Paris line still contributes to put lead in the wing of Transavia. “With a ticket at 380 euros, and arriving 20 minutes before the end of boarding, I have cabin baggage that went into the hold against my will. People come in force to be the first to pick up one of the 70 places taken care of in the compartments for the bags of 189 passengers”points the confident Catalan official also relieve grievances.
Transavia justifies: Our flights reach 84% occupancy, the product is adapted to the clientele, it is a commercial success
The company refutes all along the line. “We are the last low-cost not to charge for cabin baggage. But if everyone arrives with their little trolley, the suitcases do not all fit in the compartments located above the seats. It’s normal, and everywhere similar”, justify the representative of the subsidiary challenged by the nature of the complaints. Since the launch of the Transavia link, “which experienced no incident apart from Monday’s event beyond our control, the flight load factor reached 84%. It is a commercial success which means that the product is adapted to the customers“, replies the spokesperson more generally. Contradicted by François Calvet. “This line is made for tourists who have time not for business trips”insists the chosen one.
The fact remains, Transavia responds, that “Of the 30 round trips activated since March 27, 44% of tickets sold were priced at less than 50 euros and 58% at less than 60 euros. As for the maximum fares, they remain lower than those previously practiced by Air France.the carrier defends itself, adding an hourly punctuality of “90%, measured at 15 minutes in both directions from destinations”.
Transavia, which is preparing to change its Boing 737-800s with Airbuses from the A320 range, hopes to put an end to the turbulence to continue its flight from Perpignan more calmly.
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François Calvet and Jean Sol to Jean Castex: “This totally disorganized company does not meet the expectations of users”
Two days after the arrival of Transavia in Perpignan, already disappointed by the new service provider, the two LR senators from the Pyrénées-Orientales had anticipated co-signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Jean Castex.
“A good number of users wanted to share their dissatisfaction with us, a feeling that we share”, begin the chosen ones. They explain: “This change of airline, totally disorganized, absolutely does not meet the expectations that are entitled to obtain from users who no longer benefit from Air France services. Indeed the services offered by Transavia on this line are disastrous”, write the parliamentarians. They evoke “insufficient rotations, a rise in prices unless you book months in advance, an unexplained delay in boarding whose priority is not respected, anarchic management of cabin baggage, narrow seats, loss of benefits for subscribers Air France…”
And to conclude “services inferior to those of the previous company for a higher cost leading to the deep feeling of having once again, in our department, been sold off, abandoned”.
This was before the incident on Monday evening. The next day, “we are going to take up the pen again for the attention of Jean Castex to reiterate our great dissatisfaction”promised François Calvet and Jean Sol.
CS