- Title: FRANCE: Paris airport voted world's worst for transit sleeping
- Date: 5th August 2010
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) YVES, PASSENGER TRAVELLING TO AUSTRALIA, SAYING: "It's not bad here. At least there are seats. There are seats to sit on. There are other places where there are less seats. At smaller airports at times, it's not right. It depends, I think it changes, there are places where it is improving and others which aren't and so they aren't as good." CLOSEUP OF
- Embargoed: 20th August 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Travel / Tourism,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA4SBQ58MZPMYIDLG0Y0MOGKN7T
- Story Text: Paris may be renowned for its lavish hotels but its airport - Roissy Charles de Gaulle - was voted "worst airport" in the world for 2009 when it comes to sleeping cheaply on a bench while in transit.
According to the website "The Guide to Sleeping in Airports", Terminal 1 in Roissy is not at all welcoming to international travellers when it comes to spending time before flights.
The website was created in 1996 and has been classifying the world's airports in which to spend a night and squat a bench for a few hours when on a tight budget.
Described as "dirty", "noisy" and with "lengthy queues", the Paris' Terminal 1 airport tops the list of the worst airports closely followed by Moscow airport, Delhi, JFK New York, among others.
Frank Mereyde, Director of Terminals E, F, G at Charles de Gaulle airport, said the airport's priority was to give passengers the most efficient travel and transit experience and as for spending the night, the airport had a range of hotels at close proximity.
"For us the priority is to allow passengers to travel in good conditions. For sleeping at airports, we make sure there are all types of hotels and at an airport like Paris Charles de Gaulle, we have all types of hotels from the most simple, the least expensive to the most luxurious, the biggest names are available," Mereyde said.
Besides, Mereyde said, a survey and marketing opinion organisation BVA, commissioned by the airport to conduct passenger surveys reported positive results.
"BVA surveyed 40,000 people last year and 86.5 percent out of them were satisfied with our terminals. This is compared to a website who is not at all a professional surveyor, who has gotten testimonies who doesn't make sure these surveys are right and I don't know how many have really come through Paris and when because the figures quoted date back to last year," Frank Mereyde added.
Passengers waiting to board their flights on Wednesday offered mixed reactions.
"I think it needs some organisation. You know, because how we come all the people now stay in the line, you know nobody knows how to go, where to go, where wait, you know, different lines, this I think is bad. Need to change," said one passenger Faris.
"It's not bad here. At least there are seats. There are seats to sit on. There are other places where there are less seats. At smaller airports at times, it's not right," said Yves, another passenger.
Terminal 1 in Paris is the oldest Terminal, with its Camembert cheese shape, and is a stark contrast to the newer and more modern Terminal 2. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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