Air France

Benjamin Smith was recently appointed as the new Air France-KLM CEO following the departure of Jean-Marc Janaillac. He assumed the CEO role on Sept. 30, 2018. Just over two weeks into the job, Smith and employee representative unions successfully signed an agreement regarding employee compensation. The unions in the accord represent over 76 percent of […]

A costly and long-standing pay dispute has finally been resolved after Air France struck a new pay deal with five of the seven unions with whom it had been at loggerheads. The unions, representing 76 percent of Air France’s workers, have accepted a four percent pay rise, two percent of which is backdated to the […]

Air Canada is enjoying continued and increasing success in its transatlantic routes, particularly to Germany. Canada’s national carrier, including its low-cost variation Air Canada Rouge, has long been riding a wave of profitable years for its flights across the pond. In 2017, revenues on Canada-Germany routes had increased by 17 percent and passenger volume grew […]

On Oct, 7, 1919, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded by eight Dutch businessmen and became one of the first commercial airline companies. The first flight took place just over seven months later on May 17, 1920, between Croydon, U.K. and Amsterdam, Netherlands on a leased De Haviland DH-16 registered as G-EALU with two British […]

Three of Europe’s largest carriers have announced they plan to end flights to Tehran, the Iranian capital, citing lack of demand and poor financial performance. The final flights in September will mark the end of such routes that were only reintroduced two years ago after Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal framework was agreed upon with a […]

The recent appointment of Canadian Benjamin Smith as CEO of Air France-KLM has ruffled some feathers within the organization that operates both the French and Dutch flag-carriers. French and Dutch unions are already threatening strike action, a measure frequently used in Europe, if there is no dialogue on pay. Since the announcement on Aug. 16, Air […]

Delta, along with its joint venture partner, Air France-KLM, is launching a new program bringing aligned benefits for corporate customers. This is an industry-first program catered to enhancing corporate customers’ travel experiences. Titled ‘Global Corporate Priority’, the program aligns the most valued corporate traveler benefits that were based on customer feedback. Beginning in the fourth […]

Travelers set to fly through French airspace on Tuesday may be greeted with a shock after numerous flights have been left as cancelled due to planned strikes by French air traffic controllers. A variety of airlines have had to put plans in place to accommodate passengers, such as with refunds or re-booking, on affected flights. […]

Many airlines today only offer a business class and an economy class. Some have started to offer a version of a premium economy to passengers. Fewer and fewer airlines still offer a true first class. There were, however, times when there was only a first class and economy class on board — and no business class. […]

Given the propensity of labor strikes on the European continent, it comes as no surprise that there is yet another air traffic controller strike in France. Since 2010, air traffic control (ATC) strikes have cost the Eurozone economy nearly 12 billion euros and passengers have faced nearly an entire year’s work of ATC strikes since […]