Wirraway
18th Nov 2004, 13:45
Fri "The Australian"
Qantas to call Air France mon ami
Blair Speedy
November 19, 2004
QANTAS is considering extending its co-operative relationship with Air France into Asia, less than a month after code-share flights between Singapore and Paris began.
Qantas dumped its thrice-weekly flights into Paris on October 31, shifting its passengers on to daily Air France services timed to connect with Qantas flights from Australia's major cities.
Qantas will operate Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A330-300 aircraft between Australia and Singapore, with passengers then transferring on to Air France 777-300 planes for the longer leg to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
The deal also marked a return to the Australian market for Air France, albeit by proxy, after it failed to make a go of it in the late 1990s.
Qantas chief Geoff Dixon made an overnight visit to Paris last week to discuss a co-pricing arrangement with Air France for Asian destinations.
Australia's flag carrier wants to build its business outside Australia, having already committed $40 million to become a 49.9 per cent partner with Temasek Holdings and two Singaporean businessmen in Asian discount airline Jetstar Asia.
Air France flies to four destinations in mainland China, a market Qantas withdrew from in 2001.
Qantas has a code-share arrangement with China Eastern, which flies daily into Shanghai, and is set to begin flying its own aircraft into the city three days a week from December, with China Eastern continuing to serve the other four days.
But a deal with Air France, which also flies into Guangzhou, Beijing and Canton, could allow Qantas to accelerate its exposure to the rapidly growing Chinese market.
Qantas head of sales and distribution Rob Gurney said the airline's booking systems had now been fully integrated for the Paris code-share with Air France, allowing them to offer seven fare classes from December 1.
In addition, the system would now allow full flow-through of bookings, rather than just access to a fixed block of seats, which could have left either airline unable to sell tickets even if a plane was not full.
Air France vice-president for Asia-Pacific Jean-Louis Pinson said the airlines would now be able to adjust their pricing schedules more accurately to reflect passenger demand.
Reflecting its own ambitions for the region, the French flag-carrier planned to open a new $2.5 million Asian call centre in Sydney next March, Mr Pinson said.
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Qantas to call Air France mon ami
Blair Speedy
November 19, 2004
QANTAS is considering extending its co-operative relationship with Air France into Asia, less than a month after code-share flights between Singapore and Paris began.
Qantas dumped its thrice-weekly flights into Paris on October 31, shifting its passengers on to daily Air France services timed to connect with Qantas flights from Australia's major cities.
Qantas will operate Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A330-300 aircraft between Australia and Singapore, with passengers then transferring on to Air France 777-300 planes for the longer leg to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
The deal also marked a return to the Australian market for Air France, albeit by proxy, after it failed to make a go of it in the late 1990s.
Qantas chief Geoff Dixon made an overnight visit to Paris last week to discuss a co-pricing arrangement with Air France for Asian destinations.
Australia's flag carrier wants to build its business outside Australia, having already committed $40 million to become a 49.9 per cent partner with Temasek Holdings and two Singaporean businessmen in Asian discount airline Jetstar Asia.
Air France flies to four destinations in mainland China, a market Qantas withdrew from in 2001.
Qantas has a code-share arrangement with China Eastern, which flies daily into Shanghai, and is set to begin flying its own aircraft into the city three days a week from December, with China Eastern continuing to serve the other four days.
But a deal with Air France, which also flies into Guangzhou, Beijing and Canton, could allow Qantas to accelerate its exposure to the rapidly growing Chinese market.
Qantas head of sales and distribution Rob Gurney said the airline's booking systems had now been fully integrated for the Paris code-share with Air France, allowing them to offer seven fare classes from December 1.
In addition, the system would now allow full flow-through of bookings, rather than just access to a fixed block of seats, which could have left either airline unable to sell tickets even if a plane was not full.
Air France vice-president for Asia-Pacific Jean-Louis Pinson said the airlines would now be able to adjust their pricing schedules more accurately to reflect passenger demand.
Reflecting its own ambitions for the region, the French flag-carrier planned to open a new $2.5 million Asian call centre in Sydney next March, Mr Pinson said.
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