A new instance of Air France’s incompetency has come up on the internet. In the April of 2025, a passenger flying with Air France from Seattle to Paris experienced what they described as one of the worst customer service encounters they’ve ever had. The passenger had booked and paid extra for an emergency exit seat to accommodate their tall partner.
However, after a last-minute aircraft change, the assigned seats were not honored. Despite filing a claim immediately after the flight, they waited nearly three months to receive a generic response that dismissed any refund based on the airline’s “General Conditions of Carriage.”
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The reply from Air France offered a hollow apology and cited their terms, stating that seat selections are never guaranteed. This policy essentially allows the airline to take payment for a service they may never provide, with no obligation to reimburse customers when that service is not delivered.
To make matters worse, the passenger’s follow-up call with customer service led to a condescending interaction where a representative suggested that if guaranteed comfort was essential, they should “fly private.” Such an attitude reflects a shocking level of arrogance and disregard for customer loyalty.
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The airline offered 608 Flying Blue miles as a token gesture, which is an amount so trivial it wouldn’t even cover the cost of a seat selection on future flights. Understandably, the customer refused, stating they had no interest in flying with Air France, Delta, or KLM again.
What makes this experience even more frustrating is the contrast with budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet, where the passenger claims to have consistently received better service and respected paid seat reservations. Air France’s behavior in this case shows a lack of accountability and a troubling reliance on fine print to avoid refunding customers for services not rendered.
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