The strike update and logic à la française

The forecast for train traffic for Wednesday and Thursday were supposed to be published at 4pm yesterday. At 4pm, there was a press release available on the SNCF site informing clients that there would be reinforced customer service and that, oh, train info would be available at 5pm. So when I got home at 6, I threw myself at the computer and learned that 1) only a few trains would be going between Lille to Paris with none passing through the airport and 2) strikes were called through the end of the weekend.

This morning, I logged onto the Air France website and found that my original Lille-Roissy by train had been rerouted through Toulouse by plane. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm very pleased that Air France was so reactive and took the initiative to find a solution. But I'm still wondering how they thought I was going to make my 1:30pm flight from Paris if they were putting me on a 2pm flight to Toulouse then a 3:30pm flight to Paris. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was a computerized system.

In any case, when I called Air France this morning to explain that their rerouting was totally impossible and that I had in fact found a friend to drive me down on Wednesday night, they said they thought they could make the change but would have to check if I would be charged! The ticket agent put me on hold while I prepared my rant about refusing to pay and demanding a manager. The agent got back on the phone and told me no problem!

France is never so easy as it is the night before a strike...now all I have to worry about is how I'm going to get Suzanne to sleep tomorrow night in a real bed shared with me.

And for your viewing pleasure, Sarko being called an "asshole" :