[dennis]

On january 7 2012 we were to fly from CDG to JFK.
We arrived 3 hours before the departure so we wouldn't be rushed. We had our boarding passes so the only thing pending was to have our bags ticketed and go through security.
After we passed our bags ,we proceeded to the security area. A person was at the area with an iron box and told us that we had to verify the carry ons dimensions.
We complied but he insisted that since the carry on was a little bit larger than the box and needed a shove to fit into the box, we had to go back to the baggage area and check the carry ons as baggage.
We tried to speak to him and we told him that this was a trans atlantic flight and that we had a flight the next day and that we needed the medicines and clothing for our next days flight in case our other bags were delayed. He ignored us and told us to go back.
We went back to the check in area and had to wait on the long line to get to the counter. After an hour long wait we talked to the clerk and told her the same things we had tried to explain to the other person. I told her that i have traveled all over the USA, Canada and South America with this same carry on .
We even told her that we have seen other airlines take large carryons at the gate and check it in free of charge. We even told her that Air France had taken this same carryon and allowed me to travel with it on our flight from JFK to CDG one week earlier. She would not budge and told us in a rude fashion "you are in France now!!!!".
She sent us to the ticketing counter where we had to wait in a long line again and had to pay 75 Euros per bag...that is 150 euros or aprox. $200. We were furious at the extortion that we had to be submitted to. We got to the gate as the flight was boarding and i will never fly Air France in my lifetime....