The return of French tourists stranded in Tunisia began Saturday and will pick up Sunday with the chartering of twelve additional aircraft by tour operators to repatriate most of the vacationers who want the end of the weekend. "Much effort has been made by tour operators with twelve additional flights" in addition to regularly scheduled rotations, told AFP Rene-Marc Chikli, president of the association of tour operators Ceto.
Saturday morning, Rene-Marc Chikli believed that these early returns would spill over the weekend several days, considering the logistical problems faced by tour operators, between keeping the curfew in Tunisia and difficulties to find aircraft, crews and slots flights. Finally, the situation has released over the hours, especially in the afternoon."Basically, 100% of customers will be back Sunday night for most major tour operators, subject to external events," he said Saturday evening. "Substantially all" of French tourists stranded in Tunisia will be returned Monday, said Sunday the National Union of Travel Agents (SNAV).
Travel agencies have thus repatriate by Sunday evening the two-thirds of their 8,000 clients present Friday in Tunisia, according to figures from the State Secretariat of Tourism. For those who want to stay, said Rene-Marc Chikli, "we did sign a waiver."
Departures remain suspended
Repatriate as much guests simultaneously request to establish a well-oiled logistics, routing passengers from their hotel on arrival in France. "We do not start with an airplane like a car.It is not enough to go to the garage and put the key in the ignition, "says Jean-Pierre Mas, co-president of the network of travel agencies" AS Travel (Afat and Selectour), which has 1,500 customers in Tunisia instant payday loans.
Thomas Cook France (700 customers), Fram (1,600 customers), New Frontiers (200), Marmara (790 customers) have confirmed their aim was to repatriate passengers Sunday night unless unexpected. "If flights do not land in France in the airport of departure we will organize post-delivery" by bus or train, said Marmara. Club Med, which has only one village open right now, has finally found airline seats for its 130 customers and 35 "GO" Europe of 91 that the operator has decided to repatriate. "For the French, who bought a flight, travel agents are mobilized to locate them …which is not easy with the difficulties of mobile telephony in Tunisia, "says Jean-Pierre Mas.
All departures from vacationers to Tunisia remain suspended until Monday inclusive. The tour will then decide depending on the situation in the country to extend or not the freeze starts. Friday night, the Quai d'Orsay has indeed advised all non-emergency travel to Tunisia. For customers who are not parties, proposals to postpone travel, without charge, at a later date on Tunisia or wherever made.The events in Tunisia under the case of "force majeure", professionals find themselves "freed from their traditional obligations to people traveling or refund if there is a change," told AFP Emmanuelle Llop, Lawyer specialized.
"They do not offer refunds spontaneously because they do not always this possibility, including travel agents who have more funds," she says.
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(With AFP)