KLM celebrates its 90th anniversary

Founded on 7 October 1919 for the Netherlands and its colonies, KLM is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. The events on 7 October mark the end of the 90 Years of KLM celebrations. Air France, which KLM merged in 2004, is celebrating its 76th anniversary this year which today accounts for a turnover of 24 billion euros.

With 540 aircraft in operation (at 31 March 2009) and 2,500 daily flights, Air France-KLM is Europe's leading airline group for passenger transport. The two airlines' networks are structured around the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs which connect Europe to the rest of the world.

15 daily flights connect these two hubs, offering customers easy access to both airline's global networks. Thanks to combinable fares between the two airlines, customers have access to the networks of both Air France and KLM.

Overall, Air France, KLM and their subsidiaries operate 30 daily flights between France and Amsterdam.

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, KLM is running a promotion on direct flights departing Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Tolouse to Amsterdam, priced at 90 euros inc. tax.

This promotion is valid on 7, 8 and 9 October for flights departing between 7 November 2009 and 31 January 2010.

Read more: 90 Years of inspiration

Inaugural flights on the A380: start of the auction at AF380.com

--> go to af380.com

At 10am this morning, Air France started to auction 380 seats on each of its two inaugural flights by Airbus A380 between Paris and New York. 100 seats will go up for sale today for a period of 7 to 10 days.

See the video "Contest Air France YouTube video"

This auction is open to all markets worldwide up to 21 October 2009 and offers seats in the Voyageur-Economy and Affaires-Business cabins.

The auction is taking place on the website eBay on a staggered basis, with each auction period lasting for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. The auction also includes the return ticket on a scheduled Air France flight.

Read the presse release

The A380 is coming ...

A few days ago, on Friday 25 September at 1pm, Air France's first A380 took off from Hamburg-Finkenwerder for a 5 hr 10 min test flight with 2 Airbus pilots on board and 3 engineers.

Air France will take delivery of this A380 on 30 October 2009 and it will make its first commercial flight on 23 November 2009 between Paris-CDG and New York JFK.
See the new photos of the A380

KLM launching New Economy Class Product

An image released by KLM to accompany the announcement.

From December 2009, passengers travelling in Economy Class on all intercontinental flights operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines can choose seats offering greater comfort. The new Economy Comfort zone offers up to ten centimetres more legroom and back supports that can recline twice as far. It’s not yet clear how many Economy Comfort seats will be available on each plane, but the seats will be positioned at the front of the standard economy class, allowing Economy Comfort customers to disembark first.

KLM will be offering the new Economy Comfort zone in response to customer demands for greatercomfort and more choice in Economy Class on intercontinental flights. The Economy Comfort zone supplements the preferred seats already available at an additional charge. This development forms part of KLM’s long-term programme entitled ‘The Customer Journey’, which focuses on renewing its brand position and awarding top priority to customer demands.

KLM’s entire intercontinental fleet will be equipped with the new zone. The first aircraft have already been converted. The remaining aircraft will follow in the months ahead, enabling all passengers to choose for the Economy Comfort zone on intercontinental flights from December.

KLM has gone for a different approach to sister airline Air France, which is officially launching its new premium economy product next week. While Air France has gone for a completely new seat, with a separate cabin, priority check-in and upgraded amenities, and with ticket prices to reflect this, KLM is effectively adapting its economy seat to offer passengers the choice of more legroom and a greater recline.

Depending on the distances involved, the price of the new zone will amount to between €80 and €150 for a single leg of the journey. Flying Blue Platinum members and passengers travelling on a full-flex Economy Class ticket can book Economy Comfort seats without a surcharge. Flying Blue Gold members will be offered a 50% discount and Flying Blue Silver members 25%. The service in Economy Comfort will be the same as that in Economy Class.

Economy Comfort seats can be booked from the end of November at http://www.klm.com/

D E L T A 100% no quesito inclusão social

A Delta Air Lines anunciou que recebeu a nota máxima de 100% no Índice de Igualdade Corporativa de 2010, uma pesquisa anual realizada pela Human Rights Campaign (HRC). A nota alcançada destaca a Delta como uma das melhores empresas dos Estados Unidos para empregados gays, lésbicas, bissexuais e transgêneros (LGBT) e reconhece os esforços da empresa no tratamento da comunidade LGBT.

O Índice de 2010 da HRC classificou 590 empresas, avaliando políticas e práticas relacionadas à comunidade LGBT, incluindo políticas não-discriminatórias, benefícios de saúde para transgêneros, benefícios para parceiros domésticos, marketing que respeita a comunidade, e suporte à comunidade LGBT.

Delta’s Flat Bed Seats

Delta Air Lines has launched its new full-flat seat that will become the standard in its BusinessElite® class on international flights served with Boeing 767-400 aircraft. Featuring 77-82 inch, 180-degree full-flat beds in a 1+2+1 configuration, the new seat gives every BusinessElite customer direct aisle access as well as a choice of single seats for added privacy. The seat is now available on all flights between London’s Heathrow Airport and Atlanta, New York JFK and Detroit, and will be introduced on flights between Heathrow and Minneapolis by September 2009.

International customers flying in economy class on Delta’s B767-400 will also enjoy Delta on Demand digital entertainment, as well as printed menus and complimentary beer and wine.

Later this year it will begin to introduce new BusinessElite service on transcontinental flights between Delta's JFK hub and Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Delta Fleet in Livery

For all of you airline aficionados out there, below is the complete Delta fleet in new livery. Click to enlarge.

Air France A380 Interior Design

LES AMENAGEMENTS CABINE

1. Le plan de cabine
2. Les sièges
3. Les galleys
4. Les escaliers
   

Le plan de cabine

Avec 538 sièges au total dans un A380, Air France a fait le choix de « partager » le bénéfice de la très grande cabine de l'A380 entre efficacité économique et confort supplémentaire donné aux clients.

Une étude particulière a été effectuée sur la partition des cabines, 8 au total, pour mettre en valeur la sensation d'espace de taille humaine et briser l'effet visuel de masse.

Au total 9P/80J/449Y

Au pont principal : 
- 9 sièges "Première" tout à l'avant et 343 sièges "Voyageur"

Au pont supérieur :
- 80 sièges "Affaires" à l'avant et 106 sièges "Voyageur"

"PMR friendly" (passager à mobilité réduite)

Dés sa conception, Air France décide que les aménagements des cabines soient conçus pour être facilement accessibles.

L'escalier n'influe pas sur cet objectif dans la mesure où l'entrée du pont supérieur est reliée directement par une passerelle dans tous les aéroports accueillant l'A380.

La quasi-totalité des accoudoirs côté allée se relève, les numéros des sièges sont mentionnés aussi en braille et certaines toilettes sont accessibles en fauteuil.

Il y a en permanence 2 "chaises de transfert de bord", conçues spécialement par Air France qui permettront de s'y rendre. Si les personnes le souhaitent, elles pourront garder auprès d'elles leur fauteuil dont les roues se démontent. Dans le cas contraire, un placard spécifique est prévu.

Tous les membres d'équipages d'Air France reçoivent une formation précise pour s'occuper au mieux des passagers à mobilité réduite et appréhender au mieux les différents types de handicap.

Les sièges de la classe "Voyageur" - « large people friendly »

la place pour les jambes, la largeur et la planéité des mousses d'assise, la forme des accoudoirs sans angles vifs, leur mouvement de relevage et d'« escamotage » dans le dossier ont été particulièrement étudiés pour le confort des personnes à forte corpulence.

Les sièges
Bientôt...
 
Les galleys


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

L'armement des galleys de l'A380 sera effectué à l'aide de 80 VRA ou VBA.

Cet avion est équipé de galleys réfrigérés de nouvelle génération.

Une amélioration ergonomique notable; à l'exception de 2 portes qui sont à doubles battants toutes les portes des galleys réfrigérés sont à simple battant.

- Les fours BEA programmables ont une fonction convection/vapeur avec affichage digital. Leur positionnement en quinconce facilite les chargement des cassolettes à deux lorsque c'est possible. Des tablettes rétractables ou des entablements galleys agrandis (20cm) sont installés en dessous partout où cela est possible.

- 4 trash compactors

- 4 GWDU (Galley Waste Disposal Unit), sont des équipements munis d'une aspiration qui évacuent les éléments liquides ou semi liquides (nouilles, marc de café, riz, etc...) susceptibles de provoquer l'obstruction des plonges.

Le meuble CCP (Cabin Operation Center ou COC)

Sa localisation, isolée de la cabine, positionne ce meuble à proximité du cockpit et séparé de la voiture documentation PNC que par l'escalier du main desk.

Les escaliers

Deux escaliers relient les deux ponts :

L'un à l'avant

Situé entre les portes M1 gauche et M1 droite, l'escalier avant sera utilisé lors de l'embarquement et le débarquement des passagers, dans le cas d'aéroports non équipés d'une passerelle d'accès au pont supérieur.
Sa largeur de 1,08m permet le passage de deux personnes de front.

L'autre à l'arrière

Situé en arrière des portes M5 gauche et M5 droite, l'escalier de prés d'un mètre de large permettra aux passagers et à l'équipage de circuler aisément entre les 2 ponts.

En haut de l'escalier arrière, le déploiement de la barrière de protection sera impératif lors de la manoeuvre du monte charge en porte U5R.

Barrière de protection arrière

Air France A380 Humanitarian Flight

Air France has announced the auction of 380 seats on each of its two inaugural Airbus A380 flights, the proceeds of which will be used to fund three humanitarian projects supported by the Air France Corporate Foundation, in India, South Africa and France. In India, this project will benefit 500 child labourers in Delhi by improving their living conditions and enabling them to build a better future for themselves. The two inaugural Airbus A380 flights will operate from Paris to New York/JFK on 20 November and New York/JFK to Paris on 21 November 2009. This exclusive auction, terms of which will be presented at a later date, will take place on the internet in October 2009 and will be available to all markets.

The first commercial A380 Paris-New York flights will start operating on 23 November 2009 and bookings are now open.

The winners will travel on the A380 outbound inaugural flight to New York and return on the commercial flight. Departures will only take place from Paris and New York.

Commenting on the initiative, Pierre Henri Gourgeon, Chief Executive Officer, Air France said, “Since 1992, the Air France Corporate Foundation has supported over 500 projects in 67 countries in order to enable sick and disabled children, as well as those in great distress, to have access to education, leisure activities and culture.

View the video about the Air France Foundation

Korean Air Celebrates 40th Anniversary: ‘Beyond 40 Years of Excellence’ Airline Announces Business Objectives for 2019

Korean Air celebrated its 40th anniversary and announced its slogan for the year and business goals for year 2019 (the 50th anniversary) at a commemorative event held at its world headquarters building in Seoul.

Korean Air Chairman Yang Ho Cho (6th from the left), other executives and employees gathered at the Korean Air 40th Anniversary Ceremony to mix a large bowl of Bibimbap, symbolizing the company’s harmony and blend.

Privatized from state-run Korean Air Lines on 1 March 1969, Korean Air started with just eight small airplanes and was a practically unknown regional carrier. Forty years later, Korean Air operates a fleet of 130 aircraft to 116 destinations in 39 countries around the world.

For 40 years, Korean Air aircraft flew over 5.87 billion kilometers. The distance is equivalent to circling the earth 146,700 times, or 7,700 roundtrips between Earth and the moon. The accumulated number of passengers so far adds up to 472.51 million and the airline has carried over 27.3 million tons of cargo over the years

The new slogan “Beyond 40 Years of Excellence” stands in line with the corporate mission of Excellence in Flight and expresses the airline’s will to further pursue its vision “to be a respected leader in the world airline community” with an innovative and youthful spirit.

On its 40th anniversary, Korean Air looked towards the future rather than reminiscing in the past, and set a goal to accomplish when it reaches its 50th anniversary. By 2019, the carrier aims to increase its number of international passengers to 20 million per year by 2019 from 13 million last year, boosting it to a global top ten ranking in the passenger field. Already the global leader in cargo, Korean Air predicts it will retain this title and increase the number of air cargo tons carried per year from 1.66 million last year to 2.5 million by 2019.

For premium service enhancement, Korean Air will offer further upgraded seats in First and Prestige classes, beginning in May with newly delivered B777-300ER aircraft. The new First Class seats offer a wider, more comfortable 27-inch seat width.

Larger 23-inch personal video monitors will to deliver the full excitement of Korean Air’s AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) system on board. The new Prestige Class seat also has a 180 degree lie-flat feature which offers customers a level of coziness that rivals seating in first class of other carriers.

In terms of fleet expansion, the airline has previously announced orders to add Boeing 787s and Airbus 380s to its fleet mix. With ten of each aircraft type on order, the first double-decker A380 will join the fleet next year, while the Boeing 787 will be added from 2011 to 2014. The fleet expansion also includes 36 additional new aircraft including the B737NG and B777-300ER types. The current fleet count of 130 will be increased to more than 180 by 2019.

The airline will continue to focus on developing high-potential new markets, enlarging its network to 140 destinations across six continents including Africa, South America and Europe.

Korean Air will also expand its business to logistics-related projects, such as the Navoi Airport Development Project in Uzbekistan, and cargo airline joint venture Grandstar, to maximize its logistics know-how and secure a broader base of growth.

The 40th anniversary of Korean Air is an important milestone in the airline’s history, and more significantly, it is the start of a new era of growth towards 100 years and more.

KQ to start flights to Botswana

Gaborone is the 35th Kenya Airways destination in Africa with Libreville, Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville being the other recent additions.

Kenya Airways (KQ) has said that it will start flying to the Botswana capital, Gaborone as from 4 September.

The flights will be on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays under a code-sharing agreement with the state-owned Air Botswana. They will leave Nairobi for the Zambian capital Lusaka, then to Gaborone and back to Nairobi through Harare, Zimbabwe.

Kenya Airways expects about 475 passengers per round trip. The airline said that in future hope to fly to every African capital using Nairobi as a hub.

Gaborone is the 35th Kenya Airways destination in Africa with Libreville, Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville being the other recent additions.
One of the challenges they faced during the bilateral negotiations was getting permission from the Botswana aviation authorities to land in Gaborone.

Earn revenue

Code-sharing between Kenya Airways and Air Botswana is a common industry practice that allows airlines to earn revenue by selling tickets on each other’s flights.

Under the deal, one airline sells seats for partner’s flights, puts its own code number on the reservation and advertises the route as part of its own network.
It is a win-win situation because the ticketing airline gets part of the fare without the expense of operating a flight.
Botswana and Kenya have for long been trying to revive air links between Nairobi and Gaborone which were severed in the early 1990s due to unprofitability of the route.

via: daily nation.co.ke

Korean Air launches Jin Air Environmental Plan

Jin Air which was launched by Korean Air in 2008 proposed since 16th July 2009the implementation of an Environmental Management Plan for its one year anniversary. Jin Air has set a goal of becoming one of the leaders for the protection of the environment and reducing CO2 emissions with the use of the Environmental Management Plan. Jin Air has also announced the launch of its international operations as from 29th October 2009 and plans to become the best low-cost airline in Asia over the next decade. Korean Air’s Jin Air will take delivery of a Boeing 737-800 with the capacity of 180 passengers in Economy Class.

via: airvalid.co.uk

WestJet lands deal with Air France-KLM

Agreement will let European passengers travel to Canadian carrier's destinations with single ticket

Following the interline agreement signed on 4th February, Air France, KLM and WestJet announced that the 2 European companies will offer interline itineraries that connect their passengers into WestJet’s Canadian network. Initially, connections will be made through WestJet's Calgary and Vancouver gateways, with the option to continue on to Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton.

This announcement supports WestJet’s strategy to increase connectivity, bring additional travellers to its network and offer more access for its guests to new destinations, while allowing Air France and KLM a great opportunity to strengthen their position in Canada.

via: The Globe and Mail.com

Environment: Air France-KLM rewarded

On 12 July in London, Air France-KLM was honoured by Airline Business in the Environment category of the Airline Strategy Awards. The Group’s strategy, which places the environment at the heart of its concerns and development, received the award.

The jury praised the quality of the Group’s communication on the subject of sustainable development and its participation in programmes to improve air traffic management and the compensation of CO2 emissions.

The criteria used for judging in the Environment category of the Airline Strategy Awards are the following:

• definition and implementation of a global environmental strategy;

• definition, development and implementation of measures giving rise to beneficial effects on the environment;

• participation, within the airline industry, in research programmes to find new technology or operational procedures to reduce the carbon footprint, such as alternative biofuels or ways to improve air traffic management.

The Airline Strategy Awards, held once a year, reward companies for their contribution to the air transport industry in various categories, including the environment.

via: corporate.airfrance.com

The last A310 service in CSA's fleet

Despite Delta Air Lines will increase nonstop New York - Prague flight from 3 to 5 effective 26OCT2009 (Mo, Tu, We, Fr and Su in Prague) apparent decrease on USA - Czech Republic market is visible due to DL Atlanta and CSA New York flight suspension.

Czech Airlines will withdraw from the last scheduled long haul Prague - New York flight at the end of October 2009. It means the end of the Airbus A310 service on the scheduled flights by any EU carrier as well.

Air France to launch A380 in November

Air France has confirmed it will launch A380 services this November, with Paris-New York being the first route served by the superjumbo.

The announcement means Air France will be the first carrier to offer transatlantic flights from Europe to the US using the A380. The aircraft will be configured for 538 passengers, with 80 business class seats (Affaires) and 106 economy seats (Voyageur) on the upper deck, and 9 first class seats (Première) plus a further 343 economy seats on the lower deck.

Air France is also due to be launching its new premium economy product later this year. In previous conversations the carrier has said that this new product will appear on its A380s from the delivery of its seventh superjumbo onwards, with the first six being retrofitted at a later date.

Equipped with four GP7200 engines specially designed by Engine, Air France has 12 Airbus A380s on order, four of which are due to start operating in winter 2009 and spring 2010. Air France's first A380 is MSN33.

Watch the video

The new SkyTeam livery

A few weeks ago, Air France welcomed a new Boeing 777-300ER into its fleet, with the SkyTeam livery.

Since then, this new aircraft, registration F-GZNE, has been sporting the alliance's colours all around the world. 

Watch the video

The new SkyTeam livery was revealed in April 2009 in Milan.

All SkyTeam alliance airlines will have had at least one of their aircraft repainted with the SkyTeam colours by the end of 2009.

via: corporate.airfrance.com

Delta tem voo inaugural São Paulo - Los Angeles

A Delta Air Lines começou a voar non stop entre São Paulo e Los Angeles na quarta-feira, 1º de julho.

Os voos partem de Guarulhos (DL234) todas as segundas, quartas e sextas, às 22h25, com chegada prevista em LA às 7h30, com tempo de 13 horas e 5 minutos de voo. O voo Los Angeles-São Paulo (DL233) é nas terças, quintas e domingos, partindo às 21h hora local, com chegada ao Brasil às 13h20, com tempo de 12 horas e 20 minutos de voo.

O voo é operado com um Boeing 767-300ER equipado com winglets na configuração de 181 assentos na classe Econômica e 36 na classe Business Elite - serviço de luxo premiado da Delta Air Lines.

Com o voo inaugural LA-Sydney, Austrália, também em 1º de julho, a Delta é umas das únicas companhias aéreas no mundo a voar para os cinco continentes.

Delta starts Los Angeles-Sydney flights

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) on 1st July commenced its new Boeing 777-200 LR (Longer Range) route linking Los Angeles with Sydney. The new route will be operated daily.

Air France and KLM launch their first design contest!

Task: Create a new design concepts in inflight catering for Air France and KLM, «Design the meal trays and tableware of tomorrow».

Deadline: 15th of May 2009

Prizes:

• First Prize: € 3,000 in cash + 2 long-haul Air France return tickets in Voyageur Class on board the A380

Air France and KLM have launched their first Young Designers’ Contest for students and young graduates from design schools in France, the Netherlands and four other European countries (Belgium, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Italy).

The young talents must imagine and rethink the current design concepts for meal trays and tableware (plates, containers, glasses and cutlery) to be used in Affaires, Premium Voyageur and Voyageur Economy on Air France and KLM long- and medium-haul flights.

The projects will be selected according to different criteria: creativity and originality of the concept, attractiveness of the design, integration of environmental constraints, technical feasibility and economic factors, etc.

The jury will consist of ten or more representatives from Air France, KLM, Servair, and eminent personalities in the design industry.

The award ceremony will be held in Paris at the beginning of July.

Read competition rules and the full Brief here !

KLM launches channel on YouTube

The official KLM YouTube channel is now online. With a growing collection of videos, KLM now offers travellers and non-travellers both practical and special visual material, such as its ‘Journeys of inspiration’ commercial.

Capture the atmosphere…
KLM’s online Destination Guide videos give you a taste of what their destinations are like. For certain destinations, these videos provide handy tips for activities, restaurants, nightlife, public transport, etc.

KLM: 90 years of inspiration
To get their 90th year in the air off to a festive start, a Boeing 737-800 and a Boeing 777-200 flew a special group of passengers over the Netherlands. A film report of this celebration flight is also available on our YouTube channel.

What’s more…
KLM’s new YouTube channel will be giving you more and more as time goes on – the company’s most recent TV commercials, for example. To see them as they first become available, just sign up for a free subscription.

Log on to youtube.com/KLMRoyalDutchAirline to find out more.

Czech Airlines como melhor companhia da Europa Central

A companhia aérea Czech Airlines ganhou o Skytrax World Airline Awards 2009 como a melhor companhia da Europa Central, prêmio que é atribuído pelos próprios passageiros.
A publicação britânica Skytrax distingue anualmente as melhores companhias aéreas com base em entrevista aplicada a passageiros de várias transportadoras.

A qualidade dos serviços de bordo da Czech Airlines foi um dos tópicos mais enfatizados pelos entrevistados, com especial destaque para o catering e conforto a bordo, bem como os serviços de aeroporto da companhia, proteção de bagagens e das viagens de táxi gratuitas e do acesso rápido no aeroporto para passageiros em Business Class.
A Czech Airlines é membro da aliança SkyTeam e, em 2008, transportou 5,6 milhões de passageiros entre os 129 destinos para onde voa.

KLM staff takes new uniform

Dutch airline KLM has asked designer Mart Visser to design new uniforms for 11,000 air hostesses, ground crew and female fliers. The investment is to express confidence in the future and in the KLM brand, ‘especially in the current economic context’. Staff will start wearing the new uniforms in April 2010. Visser’s design will be the tenth ladies’ uniform since the first one was introduced in 1935.

Delta to Begin Nonstop Service to Valencia

Starting 5 June, Delta Air Lines will inaugurate nonstop service to Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Delta will offer four flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from JFK in New York to Valencia Airport in Manises (VLC). Return flights from Valencia to JFK will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Delta may increase service to five flights a week later in the summer. The flights will be aboard a Boeing 757-200 ETOPS aircraft, with 16 seats in Delta’s award-winning Business Elite business class and 158 in economy class.

Delta Air Lines’ flight 198 will depart JFK at 5:05 PM, arriving in Valencia the following morning at 7:30 AM. The return flight, Delta 199, departs Valencia at 10:00 AM, arriving back into JFK at 1:55 PM. Delta has been serving Spain for more than 15 years. The airline also offers daily flights to Madrid (MAD), Barcelona (BCN) and Málaga (AGP) from New York and Atlanta (ATL).

Korean Air May 2009 update

Turn up the volume and watch the lastest news from Korean Air.

You can see the latest First Class and Business Class seat layout upgrades, new route to Xian and Mudanjiang, TV commercial and Korean Air's signature dish - Bibimbap.

Enjoy!

The big picture: Korean Air's new premium seats

Kosmo Suites (first class)

Korean Air has released images of its new premium seats, due to enter service on the carrier's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from the end of May. The airline has also announced that it will begin refitting all of its mid and long-haul aircraft with the new seats (along with a new slimline economy seat offering) from this September, with a completion date slated for March 2011.

The first class cabin on the B777-300ER will have 8 new generation seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

They will be fully-flat beds, 12cm wider than the four year old Kosmo Sleeper, with a seat width of 69cm. The individual AVOD screens will be 58cm (15cm wider than the current offering), and there will also be privacy screens and large extendable tables.

Designed by Acumen, a world renowned design company based in the UK, was created with the discerning taste of Korean Air’s VIP customers in mind.

Prestige Sleeper (business class)

The business class cabin will have 55 of the new Prestige seats in a 2-3-2 configuration and the seats will recline to a fully-flat 180 degrees (as opposed to 170 degrees on the previous Prestige Plus product).

- New Economy, ergonomically designed new Economy Class seats, contains 5.6cm (2.2 inch)-enlarged individual monitors which now measure 27cm (10.6 inch).

AeroMexico cancels Shanghai temporary

Chinese health inspectors wait at the entrance to an AeroMexico aircraft, identified as the aircraft which carried a man infected with the influenza H1N1 virus or swine flu at Pudong International airport, Shanghai.

China on 02MAY09 announced it'll temporary ban flights to/from Mexico.

As per GDS availability and inventory display, AeroMexico is cancelling the week of 04MAY09 service on the Mexico City - Tijuana - Shanghai route.

Korean Air's Image Song, "For Our Dreams'

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Korean Air has been presenting its image song. 'For Our Dreams', (written and sung by Shin Seung Hun) as in-flight music since 26 January 2009. It represents the friendly image of Korean Air and the affinity with its customers, while sending out a hopeful message to the public.

Written and sung by Korea's leading singer and songwriter Shin Seung Hun, 'For Our Dreams' is a pop song with its theme centering on memories, happiness, and traveling, together with its lilting, beautiful, and catchy melody. It is Shin Seung Hun's first corporate image song.

Korean Air recognized the conformity of Mr. Shin's wide popularity abroad as a Hallyu star with Korean Air's corporate image as a rising global airline, and thus requested an appealing image song from Mr. Shin in celebration of Korean Air's 40th anniversary.

In its gently flowing introduction, 'For Our Dreams' reminisces about the past, and proposes to move beyond the present into the future. In the climax, it delivers an image of flying high up into the sky, portraying Korean Air's future-oriented image as a rising global airline.

• Listen

- Korean version

- English version

Air France Cargo takes delivery of its first B777

Pierre Vellay, VP for new aircraft and fleet planning (centre) is pictured with Boeing’s Aldo Basile (left) and Larry Loftis.

Air France has taken delivery of the industry’s first B777 freighter at a ceremony in Washington State, US. The aircraft, registration F-GUOC, landed at Paris-Charles de Gaulle after its ferry flight from Seattle.

The airline has ordered five of the 100-tonne payload aircraft to replace older B747 freighters within its fleet.

Fuel consumption is estimated to be 18% less than that of the B747-400, with an equivalent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Air France already operates over 50 passenger B777s, bringing economies of scale through introducing the freighter version of the same type.
They can be flown by the same flight deck crews and for the most part use the same spare parts.

Air France currently operates five custom-built B747-400 extended range freighters and four B747-400 converted freighters.

Delta closes Indian call centres

Delta Air Lines has announced that they are no longer outsourcing reservation calls to India.

This decision was taken after the company received too many complaints from their customers.

The airline company added that they are in the process of bringing all customer calls back in-house to USA and has hired about 4,500 call-center workers in the US after it ended its current outsourcing operations in India.

They are still using some of their centers based in Jamaica and South Africa.

Airline Chief Executive Richard Anderson added: “The customer acceptance of call centers in foreign countries is low, and our customers are not shy about letting us have that feedback.”

After the merger of the Northwest Airlines, Delta is now the world's largest carrier. It had sent its call centres to India in 2002 to save money, which at that time was estimated to be about $25million a year.

SkyTeam signs with Vietnam Airlines

 

Vietnam Airlines has signed a “preliminary agreement” to join SkyTeam, adding to the alliance’s south-east Asian network.

SkyTeam says that the agreement “outlines Vietnam Airlines’ intentions to undertake discussions to become a part of SkyTeam during the year 2010, pending fulfillment of the alliance’s membership requirements”. This suggests there is still a way to go before any definite joining date is announced, but if successful the carrier would become the second south-east Asian airline to join SkyTeam (Korean Air being a founder member), and would add to the alliance’s network within the region.

As a former French colony Vietnam continues to have strong ties with the country, so it’s no surprise that the airline has chosen to join an alliance founded by Air France. Vietnam Airlines serves cities including Paris, Beijing, Guangzhou, Melbourne, Moscow, Seoul, Sydney and Tokyo, and would add 17 unique destinations to the SkyTeam network.

Currently, SkyTeam members China Southern and Korean Air have codeshare agreements with Vietnam Airlines, and Air France has engaged in strong bilateral cooperation with the airline.

About Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines is the national flag carrier of Vietnam headquartered in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines serves its 9 million annual passengers with 64 routes to 44 destinations including 28 domestic routes to 20 destinations and 36 international routes to 24 cities with more than 200 daily flights. With recent purchase orders of more than 50 aircraft mainly including A350/321s and B787-9s and future orders, the airline expects to expand its fleet to 104 and 150 aircraft by 2015 and 2020, respectively. http://www.vietnamairlines.com/

- View the press release

Arrival of the 54th Boeing 777 in the fleet

On Saturday 11 April, a brand new Air France 777-300ER, registration F-GZND, arrived at 6:47am at Paris-Charles de Gaulle from Everett in the USA.

See all the episodes of the delivery process:
- First episode
- Second episode
- Third episode
View the photos

It is the 54th Boeing 777 to join the Air France fleet and the first to be painted in the new livery. It is configured for 245 seats spread over three cabins - Première, Affaires and Voyageur - and will go into service on Thursday 16 April on flight AF292, taking off from Paris for Osaka at 1:55pm.

Landing of the first Air France's aircraft with the new livery

Landing of the first Air France's aircraft with the new logo and the new colors.
Watch the third episode

View the photos

6:56am, Paris-CDG airport: Here is the very first aircraft flying with the airline's new livery.

Air France's 54th Boeing 777 landed from Seattle and will operate its first commercial flight this week to Osaka.

Boeing delivers 777th 777 to Air France in New Livery

The first Air France plane in the new livery

10am at Boeing's Future of Flight Aviation Center.

 

Everything's ready. The speeches by Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Larry Loftis and Pierre Vellay are now over. Each company thanks the other for their contribution to this remarkable joint achievement. All that's left to do is to unveil the first aircraft to sport the new Air France logo.

Watch the possession video

Arrival of the 54th Boeing 777 for Air France: D-1

D-1: arrival of the 54th Boeing 777 at Boeing's delivery center in Everett. The U.S. Authorities have just issued the required certification for this aircraft.
Watch the second episode

Payment can now be made. At 12:14pm, the transfer call between the bank and Boeing's delivery center confirms the payment. Air France now owns the aircraft.

One pilot and two pursers board the aircraft, parked a few metres away, to check that it is in perfect condition.

In less than 24 hours, they will form part of the crew who will be flying the plane to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Tomorrow, third episode: ”Boeing hands over the keys of the aircraft”

Arrival of the 54th Boeing 777 for Air France: D-2

6:30am D-2 Boeing’s delivery center at Everett. Some ten people are preparing for what should be the last test flight for Air France’s 54th Boeing 777 before delivery on Friday.

Watch the first episode

Pilots, engineers and technicians go through the last technical data and set the objectives for the test flight. The plane takes off facing south at 7:30am with a mixed Boeing/Air France crew at the controls. After only 40 minutes flying at an altitude of 12,000 metres, the 777 comes back to land. «The tests went fine – the plane is ready for delivery. Next stop Paris!» exclaims George Adams, test pilot for Boeing.

A team of Air France mechanics then go through the plane with a toothcomb for the last time to point out to their Boeing counterparts any nuts and bolts to tighten – any final détails to settle – the last clean-iup of the cabin, galleys and toilets. «Mission accomplished. Air France will be taking delivery of this aircraft in a few hours. All that’s left are the final touches» said one of Boeing’s mechanics while adjusting the remote control for the on-board vidéo system.

All in all, it took less than 30 months to assemble this Boeing 777-300ER from the moment the parts were delivered to Boeing until actual delivery to Air France. Thirty months to build and assemble the 777th Boeing 777, which the aircraft manufacturer had specially reserved for Air France.

Registered as F-GZND and with 8 hours on its log book, the plane is ready to fly to Paris to join Air France’s long-haul fleet.

Tomorrow, second episode: "Air France takes possession of the aircraft"

Air France receives its 54th Boeing 777

• 777th Boeing 777 manufactured by Boeing
• First aircraft to sport new Air France livery

To mark the arrival of its 54th Boeing 777 in its fleet, Air France will air five episodes telling the story of the delivery of this aircraft, the first to sport the Air France’s new livery.

On Friday 10 April 2009, in Everett, Air France will take delivery of its 54th Boeing 777, registration F-GZND.

This aircraft is the 777th Boeing 777 produced by the manufacturer Boeing at its workshops in Everett, near Seattle.

Air France’s 54th Boeing 777 will be the first aircraft in the fleet to sport Air France’s new livery and will land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Saturday 11 April 2009, at 6:45 am, after a nine-hour flight.

On this occasion, Air France will be broadcasting five programmes telling the story of the delivery of this aircraft on its corporate website.

Watch the assembly teasing video

Watch the painting teasing video

Episodes scheduled:

Thursday 9 April: "Last minute touches"

Friday 10 April: "Air France takes possession of the aircraft"

Saturday 11 April: "Boeing hands over keys to the aircraft"

Sunday 12 April: "Air France’s new livery at Paris-Charles de Gaulle"

Week starting 13 April: "Air France’s 54th Boeing 777 brought into service"

Gol e Air France assinam acordo comercial em São Paulo

Constantino de Oliveira Júnior, da Gol, e Jean-Cyril Spinetta, do Grupo Air France-KLM, assinam a parceria; acima, eles se cumprimentam pelo acordo comercial firmado no hotel Sofitel em São Paulo

Depois de quatro anos de negociações, o CEO da Gol, Constantino de Oliveira Júnior, e o chairman do Grupo Air France-KLM, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, assinaram no hotel Sofitel São Paulo, um acordo de cooperação comercial entre as duas empresas que inclui voos em code-share e os programas de fidelidade, respectivamente, Smiles e Flying Blue. “Estamos muito felizes com esse acordo com uma grande empresa global, e a parceria é do tipo ganha-ganha-ganha, ou seja, ganha a Gol, que passa a oferecer voos internacionais para os 6 milhões de clientes do Smiles, ganha a Air France-KLM, que terá uma abrangência maior no Brasil para oferecer aos seus 15 milhões de clientes Flying Blue, e ganha o cliente das duas companhias, que terá a sua disposição 300 destinos em 114 países”, disse Constantino. “É para nós motivo de orgulho nos associarmos a esta história de sucesso, de uma empresa que, em apenas oito anos, chegou onde está”, afirmou Spinetta.

A integração dos programas de relacionamento Smiles, da Gol, com o Flying Blue, da Air France-KLM, já começou. Os participantes dos programas de relacionamento poderão acumular milhas nas duas companhias a partir de 1º de maio e poderão resgatar seus pontos, emitir passagens, a partir de 1º de julho de 2009. Para voar de São Paulo a Paris, o participante do Smiles terá que trocar 70 mil milhas.

Em comemoração ao acordo, entre 1º de maio e 31 de julho os participantes do Smiles acumularão o dobro de milhas em vôos da Air France e KLM. Os membros do Flying Blue terão o mesmo benefício nas viagens pela Gol e pela Varig.

Já o code-share tem início apenas no segundo semestre – a data precisa não foi divulgada. Nesse sentido, a Air France vai adicionar o código da empresa aos voos oferecidos pela Gol desde São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro para 13 cidades brasileiras: Belém, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguaçu, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador e Vitória.

A expectativa é atingir 140 mil passageiros por ano, sendo 100 mil voando pela Air France e 40 mil pela pela KLM.
Acredita-se que isso será superado, pois há muitas empresas francesas no Brasil e a França é o quarto maior investidor no país.

Mais cidades brasileiras e outras cidades sulamericanas atendidas pela Gol também poderão entrar no code-share no futuro.

O presidente da Air France-KLM, Jean Cyril Spinetta, apontou ainda que há possibilidade de estender o acordo para a Alitalia, empresa da qual a empresa francesa adquiriu uma fatia de 25% em janeiro.

Plan de l'avion

Evolution des marques

L'arrivée de Premium Voyageur est également l’occasion de faire évoluer les marques des cabines qui seront progressivement mises en place à partir d’avril 2009:

Description de la cabine

 

Pour un tarif très compétitif, Air France permet à ses clients de passer du confort de la cabine économique à l’espace dédié et privatif de la Premium Voyageur qui se caractérise par:

• 40% d’espace supplémentaire : en moyenne, 22 sièges Premium Voyageur seront disponibles sur un espace occupé auparavant par 40 sièges de la cabine Economique;

• un tout nouveau siège spécialement conçu pour Air France et doté d’une coque fixe qui préserve l’espace et l’intimité de chacun. L’assise est large, 48 cm, et l’inclinaison du dossier est importante, 123°, sans être intrusive pour le passager situé derrière, grâce à la coque fixe. De larges accoudoirs en cuir (10cm) permettent à chacun de poser les coudes sans se gêner;

• un espacement entre les sièges de 97 cm et un espace pour étendre les jambes totalement préservé, grâce à l’intégration du boîtier vidéo dans le siège;

• un large écran vidéo individuel de 10,4 p (26 cm) qui permet de profiter de près de 500 heures de programmation à la demande qu’Air France propose sur les vols long-courriers;

• des éléments de confort de la cabine Affaires comme une trousse de voyage, une bouteille d’eau, un casque audio réducteur de bruit, un coussin de plumes ou encore une couverture en pure laine vierge.

Dans cette gamme de cabine intermédiaire, Air France est la première compagnie européenne à proposer des sièges à coque fixe, et la première compagnie au monde à libérer autant d’espace pour les jambes. 

La restauration est celle de la cabine Economique: apéritifs, Champagne, repas élaborés par Michel Nugues - membre des « Toques du ciel » - avec un choix de deux plats chauds, digestifs, vins sélectionnés par Olivier Poussier - meilleur sommelier du monde 2000 - et sur les vols les plus longs, un buffet offrant, entre autres, des mini-sandwiches et des bâtonnets glacés Häagen Dazs (hors Caraïbes et océan Indien). 

A l’aéroport, pour plus de rapidité et de commodité, un service inspiré de la classe Affaires: comptoirs d’enregistrement prioritaires, franchise bagages gratuite de 30 kg, embarquement à convenance et  livraison prioritaire des bagages. 

Les clients voyageant en cabine Premium Voyageur bénéficient également de tous les avantages et services du premier groupe aérien mondial, comme le programme de fidélité européen, Flying Blue. Un voyage en cabine Premium Voyageur permet d’accumuler plus rapidement des miles: un billet plein tarif en cabine Premium Voyageur (modifiable, remboursable…) rapportera 25% de miles en plus par rapport à un même billet plein tarif en cabine Economique.