Articles tagged “air france-klm”

KLM CEO Pieter Elbers is honest. He knows some of his employees question why KLM, which is thriving, needs its long-term marriage to Air France. But Elbers knows that in airlines, the biggest carrier usually wins. Plus, he knows there's no other way forward. For better or worse, Air France and KLM are probably together forever.

Tag flights — when an airline lands in one international city and then almost immediately takes off for another — are disappearing from aviation as more airlines launch ultra-long-haul nonstops that make the stop unnecessary. But Qantas will probably keep its Los Angeles-New York nonstop for awhile.

Wasn't the whole point of these surcharges to prevent the global distribution systems from taking a cut of that juicy ancillary money that is now flowing in? One has to wonder what the terms of Air France-KLM's deal with Amadeus and Travelport really are. For now, it looks like the global distribution systems that took the new distribution capability seriously are reaping the rewards.

Airlines have long hoped for a technological development that would enable them to take back control from travel's middlemen. The New Distribution Capability was supposed to be that solution, but change of this magnitude takes time. At the moment, the British Airways parent seems more than happy to eat up the cost.

Air France-KLM is being much more cautious than its rivals on the subject of low-cost long-haul. Joon isn't the long-term answer and Air France-Klm needs to come up with something better if it is going to compete against Norwegian and others.

A $60 fee to check a bag in one direction sounds extreme. But how many passengers will buy Basic Economy fares on transatlantic flights? It's one thing to give up perks on a two-hour domestic flight. It's another to give up the right to choose a seat on an eight- or 10-hour segment.

Those who book expensive airfares have much to look forward to with Flying Blue. Budget travelers, not so much.

Air France-KLM had hinted at adding a distribution surcharge as far back as 2015, so the announcement doesn’t come as a surprise. What it does tell us is that airlines are increasingly confident that the positives of introducing such a fee outweigh any negatives.

You may have seen Air France's new airline designed for millennials. But that's mostly a creation of marketers. Let's be honest. This is a lower-cost airline that needs to attract passengers of all ages if it's going to be successful.

It seems like there is a renewed appetite among Europe's big airline groups to reduce the number of players in the market. They may find it hard to do while fuel remains cheap, but when it starts to creep up, more deals will likely occur.