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French BeeThis business is NOT BBB Accredited.
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Complaints
Customer Complaints Summary
- 30 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 12 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
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Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against French Bee Airlines for gross mistreatment, misleading actions, and substandard service during my recent flights. I am requesting a full refund of $434.60 for the Los Angeles flight and ******** for the Miami flight, due to the following reasons:Incident Details:Original Flight and Booking Issue:On July 11, 2024, I was booked to fly from ***** Orly (ORY) to *********** (LAX) under booking reference LHNGKT. I arrived at the airport at 12:30 pm, well before the 2:50 pm departure time. Despite arriving early and being prepared to board, I was pressured into purchasing a new ticket, falsely told that I missed my flight. I was coerced into rebooking a flight to ***** instead of ***********, which was not my intended destination.New ******** ************ and Misleading Information:My new booking reference JHI9AW placed me on a flight to ***** in premium class. Upon boarding, I found that my assigned seat was occupied, and I was moved to a solitary aisle seat with a malfunctioning entertainment screen and non-working power outlets. This was far from the premium service I was promised when being upsold on the Miami ticket.Financial Burden and Stress:In addition to the unnecessary expenses, I was subjected to the emotional stress of navigating these issues while suffering from a migraine. The airline staff showed no empathy or professionalism during this ordeal.Refund Request:*********** Flight (LHNGKT): USD $434.60 Miami Flight (JHI9AW): EUR ******** (approx. USD $1,434.00 based on the current exchange rate)I believe the refund is justified based on the disservice, forced ticket rebooking under false pretenses, and the failure to deliver the services promised.Documentation Provided:I have enclosed copies of both booking receipts, boarding passes, and any additional expenses related to this issue.Desired Resolution:I request a full refund for both tickets.Initial Complaint
Date:08/09/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I booked 2 roundtrip tickets to ***** from French Bee on Feb 26 2024. (The flights were to be in June). I canceled those refundable tickets on May 28 2024. French Bee confirmed the refund of ******* Euros on May 29th. These facts are not in dispute and the refund is indicated on the attached document. But the supposed refund never showed up on my MasterCard (last 4 digits 8494). French Bee has claimed in repeated emails and phone calls in June July and August that the refund was paid. ************* (my credit card issuer) repeatedly denies this. Document attached shows the original charges in February but no refund in May June July or August. French Bee insists on "certificate of non credit" but Barclays has said time and again this money was never received. I now believe French Bee is engaged in a predatory practice of claiming refunds are paid when they are not paid. This is fraudulent practice designed to discourage consumers from tracking their refunds. I have spent 10+ hours attempting to rectify this and it should be investigated.Initial Complaint
Date:07/15/2024
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
6/11/2024 - Departure flight from ****** on French Bee (originally booked via Expedia). French Bee agent determines that my booking info. did not match passport. Initially, French Bee offered to allow change for ****** fee. They determined that change was not allowable due to the amount of letters needed to change (more than 3). They determined only resolution was to re-purchase same flight ticket for ******. At that time, I was in route to ****** with friends and family. Upon reaching my destination (*****), I contacted Expedia to determine corrective actions for remaining itinerary. Expedia spoke with French Bee and told me I should contact them to change remaining itinerary. French Bee again initially stated I would be able to change my information for ****** for return flight to ******. They again claimed the only way to rectify was to re-purchase return flight ticket (same seat), which I did (6/13/24). It cost me ******. On June 18th, I was assisted by French Bee agent to print out boarding pass and luggage check tags. The FRENCH BEE AGENT provided me with a boarding pass with the information (name) that they had asserted on 6/11/24 was not acceptable for travel. I was able to travel back to the ** (**************) without incident both at the French checkpoints in ************ and in ***************I am seeking full refund because French Bee claimed I could not travel with my initial boarding pass and passport HOWEVER... They were willing/able to provide me the original boarding ticket information on my return flight. Ample evidence that their charges for full fare on my flights were unnecessary and arbitrary. I believe that if they were more customer-focused, they could have found a more agreeable solution. As it stands their arbitrary application of "policies" leaves me out 1******. I wish that they provide a full refund to me and quite frankly a full apology for the amount of wasted vacation time I spent ( 1/2 day?) seeking a solution.Initial Complaint
Date:04/23/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On April 1st, 2024 I booked a flight through my *********** credit card flying from ************* to Tahiti June 14, 2020 and returning July 1, 2024 (Confirmation numbers 2TWV2W and 2TWNP7) I am not sure why I received two separate confirmation numbers. I called French Bee about a week later to ask them a question. The representative I talked to was great. He told me that my husbands last name had an extra letter on the reservation. Our last name is **** and the reservation was Carrr (one too many r's). He said that it would be $195 each reservation to take the one "r" off. I thought this was crazy. I know it was my fault for the extra r but almost $400 to correct it I feel is crazy. My credit card company could not change it so I tried looking for another way to contact them. I messaged them on ******** and emailed them. Every avenue said I still had to pay this amount. Today I thought I found another phone number to their reservation department and they wanted to charge me $800. I can't not seem to talk to a manager and today I will end up paying the $400. This will be my first and last time flying with French BeeInitial Complaint
Date:03/11/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
french bee withdrew my business account using my debit card multiple times with out permission 2/22/2024 $902.60 2/22/2024 $906.00 2/22/2024 $1218.00 2/26/2024 $1040.00 3/1/2024 $339.70 3/1/2024 $415.70 3/1/2024 $1042.30 3/1/2024 $1389.30 3/4/2024 $383.60 3/4/2024 $503.60 3/4/2024 $503.60 for a total of $ ******** i have tried to contact the company and they are no help. my debit card was hacked by them and they need to refund my accountInitial Complaint
Date:02/14/2024
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My reservations number Q5kmjd. I use french bee 1/13 ****** to **** and 1/22 /**** **** to ******. When I reserved my flight i added cabin pet animals service by accident and I call customers services. They said French bee don't refund for service but call customers services after completing my round flight they will give me a voucher for use my next trip. Ok. When I returned from Orly to ******. I have psychiatric service dog and air crew made someone sit next to me who had allergy to dogs and complained to me. They *************** cabin in last minute but I have disability. I can't believe they sat passenger next to me who had allergy to dogs. When I fly from ****** aircraft was so professional I was so happy and it really worth to pay for premium cabin. But when I return my whole flight was night mare and waste my **** dollars. And I tried to contact customer support many times. They don't get responded. They are money hungers. Now I needs my service 200 dollars money back and also They escalate my disable from my last flight so I also wanted my money back, trip from Orly to ****** premium cabin. They don't care people who have disorders and just want money. Horrible airline.Initial Complaint
Date:01/26/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 1/8/2024, we were to fly back from ***** on a upscale airplane with entertainment (TV etc). Without notice, we boarded onto a plane with no insignias on the outset portion of plane. Once inside, we were shocked to see a very old interior plane, no TVs, no where to charge phones, no audio, no blankets or pillows. We paid for a newer plane as we had flown on prior. Multiple passengers voiced their frustration, we were stuck on the tarmac for 2 hrs. We did not get an explanation of the changes. We were stuck. We paid for a ******** quality plane and received a ****s *****Initial Complaint
Date:01/11/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inform you about an issue I encountered during my flight with 'French Bee' on January 4th, ****, departing from *** to ***.Upon arrival at ***, my wife and I discovered that, despite checking in two bags, only one bag successfully made it back. We later learned that the agent at 'French Bee' had neglected to attach a bag tag to the first bag we checked in. Fortunately, through an AirTag inside the bag, we identified that our missing bag is currently at the *** airport terminal 4.I promptly reported the loss of my luggage at *** on January 4th, **** (ref number: laxbf10695). However, I have not received any updates or resolutions to date. The baggage carrier for 'French Bee' at *** has attempted to contact the *** French Bee and personnel, but unfortunately, there has been no response.Efforts to contact *********** led to a recommendation to reach out to Alyzia, the company handling baggage for 'French Bee' at ***. Regrettably, attempts to contact ****** via phone or email have proven futile.Numerous calls to 'French Bee' customer service in both ****** and ***************** have been unsuccessful, as the calls consistently drop. Despite visiting *** airport in person to meet with 'French Bee' staff, assurances from *****, the manager, about reaching out to 'French Bee' in ****** have not yielded any updates.I have attached a photo of the lost luggage for your reference. The missing bag is a black Samsonite cloth bag with pink ribbons on the handle. It is identified by a blue 'French Bee' tag from the check-in window and an ****** Airlines name tag with my wife's name, "*********************."Due to the challenges in reaching customer service, I have been unable to initiate the necessary steps for compensation. Your assistance in resolving this matter would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience.Initial Complaint
Date:01/10/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Just 4 days before our departure, we have received an email from French Bee customer service informing us that our flight has been reassigned to a different airline (WAMOS) and our seats to a lower class (economy instead of premium). Ive never heard of this WAMOS airline and I dont feel safe putting my family on that plane. My wife has work commitment so we cannot depart any later that the date we originally booked. Besides, Im traveling with a 6 months old and I had reserved front seats with a bassinet which are no longer offered to us on that replacement airline. Any comparable alternative costs $11,000 for one-way seats as of today. Ive contacted the customer which never picks up, and when someone does, they say they cant do anything and need to escalate. No supervisor is ever available to talk. So in the end, nothing gets solved. My family and I are stranded abroad and need to come home on a safe airline with a similar class that we paid for and a bassinet for our infant. Looking at Reddit and other websites, it looks like French Bee is accustomed to this practice. I just went onto their website and theyre still selling tickets for this French bee branded flight. This airline should be looked into.Initial Complaint
Date:11/27/2023
Type:Product IssuesStatus:UnpursuableMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
There are five different charges for just two flights. We flew from ** to ***** on March 20th with a return on March 27th. The departure flight on 3/20 was ****** USD, and the return flight on 3/27 was ****** USD. For both flights, we paid $100 bag fee as separate charges. The flight was a miserable experience in which we were provided no food or water without paying money. A literal 12 hour flight held hostage unless we spent more money to get a single cup of water. That wasn't the problem though. On March 27th, there were protests in ***** over the trash strike, which resulted in only one road being open out of *****. We left for the airport four hours before departure, but the normal 37 minute trip, now took and hour and a half. We arrived at the check in counter and hour and 20 minutes before our flight, so we couldn't check out bag, as the deadline was an 1.5 hours, so our $100 wouldn't be refunded. We then had to throw away our checked bag and items with, that also wouldn't be compensated for. We then waited for nearly an hour for help at the low staffed FrenchBee desk, and asked if they could let the gate attendant know we were on our way. We ran through the airport and arrived at the gate 28 minutes before departure. The plan boarded early, and sealed the door early, and wouldn't let us on, even though we said we were on our way. We weren't allowed on the plane, with no way home, and we wouldn't be refunded. The next flight wasn't until the next day. The airline would not compensate us for a hotel room. We then paid ****** USD for a flight on March 30th, which was the next available flight out of ***** to LA. We ended up paying ****** USD for the extra nights in ***** that were forced upon us for not allowing us on our flight. We paid the company ****** USD for a flight we weren't allowed to board, paid a premium to leave the country, plus a bag fee we couldn't use, extra hotels, and loss of valuables. Damages in the thousands.
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