My complaint:
Dear Sir or Madam,
On 6 April, I left my home in Zaventem, Belgium at 11.30 with my three daughters to catch a train to Brussels, then another train to Paris Charles de Gaulle. We were flying to The Reunion to visit my sister, our flight was departing at 19.30. As you know, that is a very long flight that one of my 10 year old twins was particularly worried about since it was the second time she was flying and her first flight had been two hours long.
When I booked our tickets, I didn’t see the option for a departure from Brussels (it’s not very clear on your website) so we got tickets from Paris. I then tried to call you to see if I could change the tickets but I was holding for so long when I tried that I gave up and bought train tickets separately. I therefore was very conscious about arriving at the train station in plenty of time.
When we arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulles, the queue for boarding was already quite long. We started queuing then go asked for our COVID documents.
I had two doses of the vaccine. I had an appointment to do my third dose in February but my 14 year old daughter was hospitalised urgently and I had to cancel my appointment. I was going to rearrange, but then my ten year old daughter was hospitalised urgently in March and I saw on your website that there could be a 9 month delay between the second and third dose of the vaccine. Out of precaution, I took a covid antigen test anyway the day before travelling. It was negative. My 14 year old daughter was not vaccinated so she took a test as well which was also negative.
At the airport, one of your staff members checked my covid vaccination pass and for some reason, it did not scan. Your staff member then informed me that the third dose was supposed to be six months after the second dose and that I would not be able to travel. I did not accept this so your staff member pulled me aside and asked me to wait for his supervisor. After 15 minutes, he said his supervisor was busy but he would try to find her. The wait carried on for some time, then he asked if he could take my phone to show his supervisor and save time. I let him have it and he came back to me saying that I would have to call a health service to get them to send me a derogation by email. I called the service in question and was told that the vaccination pass was no longer required. I explained my situation to the lady on the phone and she said that they did not issue derogations. I put your staff member on the phone, his supervisor then came to talk to them. Then in the end, I was advised to call their services at the Reunion. It was 16.45 then. We had arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle before 15.00. I was trying to find the number to call for the Reunion knowing that they were 2 hours ahead when the supervisor came to talk to me. I got very tearful explaining to her that we had been waiting there for almost an hour, we had done everything we were supposed to and I couldn’t understand why I was in this position. She asked to take my phone and went away. I then got my daughter’s phone because she had told me that everything was on the website and accused me of being misinformed. I was looking for the information I had seen about the 9 months when she came back with the staff member I had been dealing with saying that the site indeed, said that the period between the second and third dose was 9 months. We were then allowed to embark. We had to queue some more and finally managed to board the plane, much later than anticipated and very upset as the supervisor had even had the nerve to ask me if I would let my daughters travel alone since the “problem” was with me!
Upon my return from the Reunion to Paris, again, I took a COVID test for peace of mind but it was not checked because your staff on that side knew that there were nine months allowed between the second and the third dose, so there was no hold at that end.
I have to say that I was shocked and distraught by the treatment I received at Paris Charles de Gaulle. I had arranged to be at the airport early enough to look around and not have to rush and look at the shops at the airport, buy a magazine, but so much time was wasted for no reason that by the time we got through customs, it was almost time to board the plane.
I wanted to make you aware of the incompetence of your staff as even a supervisor didn’t seem to be aware of the content of the company’s website. I will no doubt return to visit my sister at the Reunion but I will think twice before I travel with your company again.
Kind regards
Stéphanie Rurakamvye
Suggested solution:
Make sure staff are trained adequately and do not give passengers false information
