Introduction: Cheapest flight ticket
And here we go, onto our 3 months journey around South America. We had booked an Air France flight bundle from Strasbourg to Paris by train and Paris to Sao Paulo by plane. Our schedule departure was the 28 December 06:07am from Strasbourg and then 10:30am from Paris. We took this option because a return ticket costs 652euro with a check-in luggage (only for the return flight). Also, Strasbourg train station was 40min by car from our home and my parent could easily take us there.
Table of Contents
Train cancellation
First problem appeared a week or so before Christmas when SNCF (French national railway company) started striking and protest against the retirement plan of the government. So, the 26th December around 7pm, we learnt that our train is cancelled. Let’s call Air France then, after 10min waiting we got someone on the phone. After explaining our situation, he put us on hold and after a while came back to offer us with two solutions. The first one was to leave the 27th at 2:00pm from Strasbourg to Lyon, then Lyon to Paris, sleep overnight in Paris and take the plane the 28th as planned. Unfortunately, that option was not possible for us as we had our last vaccination schedule for the 27th at 2:15pm. The second option was to leave the 29th. But we didn’t want to lose one day.
We had checked before calling them and there was an AF flight from Mulhouse/Basel airport at 6:40am the 28th that would be a good option for us as this airport is 1h40 to 2h from our home. Air France accepted our offer and after we hang up the phone, we received new ticket.
Trip to Paris
28th of December arrived and we woke up at 3:15am to leave home at 3:45am. At this time there really was no traffic and we arrived in Basel/Mulhouse airport around 5h30. One last coffee and breakfast with my parent and onto the plane. That was a comfortable ride to Paris.
We landed on time in Paris CDG airport, get off the plane and walk to the terminal. We then followed the sign to the next terminal 2E where our next plane was scheduled.
We got a transfer area that allowed us to quickly get into international departure without any more control of our bag. We found the gate and waited our boarding.
Flight cancellation
We boarded on time the AF0456 flight and as we had chosen seats 46H and G we could use the boarding line 4 allowing us to faster get inside the Boeing 777-200 as we were in the tail. We get to our seat, put our backpack on the overhead compartment (luckily there wasn’t many people yet there and we had plenty of space on the compartment. As we only have 50L carry one backpack, it could be hard to have them right over us)
Unless our previous flight with Air France, this plane is quite new and have a great entertainment set. We then started to watch a movie while other passenger where boarding… Boarding’s finish… Awesome, we are in the middle 4 seats row but are only 3.
Up to now everything is fine, the plane is being refuelled and everything is proceeding normally until the captain presented herself and her crew to announce that the plane had a mechanical issue. One hydraulic pump of one engine has a failure. After a while, the pilot came back to us passenger and told us that the pump must be changed and that it would take 1 to 2h. Later, more news and now our departure is scheduled for 12h50 with 2h20 delayed. The great thing about the situation is that the pilot was honest, and she would let us know when the pump arrived and what was happening.
Unfortunately, after over 2h waiting, our movie finished, more news. Reparations are not yet done, and we do not know how long it will take. So, we will have to be rescheduled to another flight because of the crew working time
We are asked to wait 10min, and another 10min in order for the land crew to get ready. After what we left the plane and walked out of the departure area and back to the departure one area 11. Paris CDG airport is quite big and really there wasn’t anyone there to guide us through especially that there were 2 possibilities. If you had a visa for France or not.
We managed to find our way back to check-in 11 and line up. We then got to the counter where they asked us if we were living in Paris, as we said no, they say that they will then offer us accommodation and meals. Air France crew then gave a voucher for one night in the Ibis hotel style in Paris with dinner and breakfast there. As well as shuttle voucher to get there and 15€ voucher each to be used now for lunch in the airport. They also checked us in on another flight for the day after at 10:00am. It was around 3pm when we left the counter.
We then had lunch, took the shuttle and went to the hotel.
The end of it
The hotel was ok and comfortable. We were tired to we rested nicely before having dinner there. It was a small but Ok buffet. Breakfast was also buffet type and when we went back to the airport on the 29th everything went on fine and we took off to Sao Paulo.
On our way to the hotel we even met another French traveller that works in Sao Paulo. And the 29th morning, we went back to the plane together and even shared an Uber in Sao Paulo. That’s the wonder of travelling, you always met great people.
Air France travel sponsor
The next morning, we made it to Sau Paulo, we opened our computer and went on Air France website to claim for our trip. It was a simple procedure, we entered our flight information, reservation data and our bank account number. We first did it for me and the evening we received an email from Air France telling us that they apologized for the inconvenience and will make us a 600€ reimbursement. We were then wondering if this was for one person or for one booking. After a few days, we made another claim under Tina’s name, references and bank information and they again apologized and told us we would receive another 600€.
That made us travel to South America for 52€ each return tickets 😊 if we do not change our departure date.
“Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead.”
