Air France service

Complaints about Indonesian airlines are common, particularly from foreigners residing in Indonesia. But for a change, I'd like to present a story from the other side of the globe.

My husband and I have been living in Sumatra for a few years and travel to Germany every once in a while. We use any airline available, not having a particular preference. But this rule was broken after I tried to fly Air France for the first time in my life.

At check-in at Munich's Air France counter on Dec. 4, 1996, I was told my suitcase was nine kilograms over the limit and hence too heavy to check-in directly. This is not an unusual situation at airline check-in counters and therefore should be easy to handle.

But not for Air France in Munich. Even though I arrived two hours before takeoff, the airline staff was not able to handle my case. After a short negotiation, I left some things with my girlfriend who accompanied me to the airport and finally agreed to pay excess for the remaining kilos.

Air France then decided to close the counter, although my check-in procedure was not yet finalized. I was very angry because I was holding an excursion ticket and my husband was waiting for me in Jakarta, with no Air France flight the next day. I had to buy a new ticket with Lufthansa. After losing more than Rp 3 million, but being safely back in Indonesia, I wrote to the Air France management in Frankfurt on two occasions about the case.

Air France, a recognized carrier in Europe, does not care if a passenger is not transported in accordance to the airlines' commitment (after issuing a valid ticket, the airline is legally bound to carry the passenger). The airline also treated me impolitely during check-in, and last but not least, ignored my compla

PAULINA BOHM

Bengkulu