Launched on January 24, the petition has already attracted more than 440 signatories to denounce the exorbitant prices of SXM-Paris plane tickets and the monopoly situation held by Air France since September 2022.
The initiative is led by two residents of Saint-Barthélemy who, for the occasion, founded a collective called “The pigeons of the Northern Islands”. Both primary school teachers with their children attending school in France, they decided to call on the public authorities as well as the Air France company to put an end to this injustice. After meeting the MP for Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, Frantz Gumbs, during his greetings on the sister island, the collective “Les pigeons des îles du Nord” launched an online petition entitled 'Airplane too expensive! Stop the Air France monopoly in Juliana, sign to fly cheaper!': "After consulting with the MP, signing a petition remains the only way to convey our word to the State and to Air France" tells us a of the founders of the collective. “We (residents of the Northern Islands editor's note) are the only ones who do not have the choice to travel to France, the objective is not to blame Air France but to allow us to travel at the right price on the line which remains the most profitable for the company. The new collective will meet the president of the Saint-Barthélemy Community in mid-March, a meeting which confirms the support of elected officials from all sides “but without several votes or signatories, this remains a dead letter”. The petition, which resonates with many people in both territories, demands the end of the monopoly and the establishment of resident rates: “We were interested in the direct Paris-SXM flight which allows us to ensure territorial continuity with public funds. Guadeloupe or Martinique have very advantageous offers with Corsair, Air Caraibes or others… if Air France offered tickets for €3000 SXM-Paris when your children are sick in mainland France, or you need care there, you would be forced to buy them. On August 30, 2023, Faxinfo already alerted of the alarming situation by relaying the edifying comparison between the price of a Guadeloupe-Paris round trip (€509,35) and an SXM-Paris round trip (€1127,14). ) carried out by a reader: 39km less and yet €617,79 more to pay for a simulation carried out in November. Air France unfortunately did not deign to respond. Perhaps it will do so given the number of signatures on the petition which is increasing as quickly as the price of the company's plane tickets... _VX
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Shortened link to the petition:
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