The recovery is here for Air France as indicated by Henri de Peyrelongue, Air France-KLM Sales General Manager and Henri Hourcade, Air France-KLM France General Manager at IFTM Top Resa.
Traffic is practically reaching its pre-covid passenger level, as is supply. ” In North America, the supply is even greater than in 2019in particular with the reopening of Newark this winter with daily flights and the densification of existing lines,” says Henri de Peyrelongue.
He also points out that the number of flights is increasing in the West Indies, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and India. Capacities remain similar to summer 2022 for Africa. But they continue to be lower in Asia. But, according to the General Sales Manager, this situation is mainly due to the continued closure of China.
A good evolution for the last quarter of 2022
On the French market, Henri Hourcade explains that reservations for the moment point to a solid 4th quarter. “While the business market is still down, the general trend remains positive. The desire to travel is there and we adapt”; he describes. Commenting on the business market, Henri Hourcade notes a progression, regular but nevertheless slow. ” We were in March/April at 60% or 65% recovery in the number of passengers compared to 2019. We are almost at 70% at the end of September”, he analyzes.
Stimulating business traffic will certainly be one of the major projects of 2023 both by the offer and the products. Line supply will follow demand, especially on European lines. “We will therefore continue to serve very demanding markets in southern Europe while adding a few leisure destinations in Finland and Norway this winter, as well as Innsbruck and Salzburg. We are adapting our frequencies to central and northern Europe, which is more dependent on business traffic,” specifies Henri Hourcade.
On the domestic market, the company will continue its shuttle service from Orly to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, the service to Corsica as well as the regions/CDG and regions/Orly links. In Lyon, three daily hub slots connect 12 cities.
Intermodality goes digital
“We are also working on two products likely to improve our appeal to business travellers: intermodality with the SNCF and the improvement of the on-board product”, adds Henri Hourcade.
On the intermodal side, Air France and the SNCF offer an air/rail product from 18 stations. But the great novelty is the digitization from mid-November of end-to-end journeys. “Passengers will be able to check in with their luggage from home for a journey combining train and plane. This will further facilitate this type of option”, explains the Managing Director France. However, there is not yet provision for baggage check-in at the departure station allowing passengers to be freed from any constraint. “There are problems on these routes that are still incompatible with the level of security or the infrastructure,” explains Henri Hourcade.
Bet everything on Premium classes
Another project that should attract business customers:the introduction of the new Business Class and Premium Economy product on the long-haul fleet. “We spend a lot of money to offer a product with the best comfort in the industry. 100% of aircraft in the long-haul fleet will be configured with a 2-metre full-flat bed seat by the end of 2023. While our new Economy Premium seat with its 119° recline is gradually being added to the fleet. We have also redesigned the culinary offer on board in Eco Premium”, says Henri Hourcade.
The strategy is to pull traffic to a premium segment and higher revenue per passenger.
The number of business seats on the Boeing 777 will increase from 42 to 48 seats, those in Premium Economy from 20 or 30 to 48. This means a drop in seats for sale in classic Economy class…