Air France has rolled out ``Voyageur Rewards'' a new money-saving reward and incentive program in a mass mailing to more than 40,000 U.S. based companies with fewer than 500 employees.

Voyageur Rewards allows employees of a company to collectively earn discount certificates, upgrades and free travel for their companies while at the same time continuing to earn their own miles in Frequence Plus. All employees share one account number and refer to the Air France Voyageur Rewards program when booking flights directly with Air France or their company's travel agent.

``This is a very simple program where everyone wins,'' said Jean-Louis Pinson, vice president and general manager of Air France in the United States. ``Enrollment is easy, tracking is automatic, and turning points into rewards can benefit the tens of thousands of small-to-medium size companies across America that make up a very important segment of the business community,'' Pinson noted.

Earning points is easy and the reward scale is simple. For example, for a USA/PARIS/USA ticket, the passenger earns 1,800 points if traveling in L'Espace 127 (business class). To redeem a free round-trip ticket from the U.S. to Europe is 4,000 points in Tempo (coach class), 7,000 points in L'Espace 127 (business class), 13,000 points in L'Espace 180 (first class) and 15,000 points on Concorde. Round-trip Upgrade Certificates to Europe are between 1,300 points for L'Espace 127 to 6,500 points for Concorde. Discount Certificates ranging from $50 to $500 require 600 points to 1,500 points.

Points earned will expire on December 31, 2000. Any rewards must be claimed before December 31, 2000 and are valid for one year from date of issue. Maximum earnings: 100,000 points per year per company.

There is no membership fee. Companies can complete and return the membership registration form they received in the mail or call 877-700-6100 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Air France is a major global airline with service to 189 cities worldwide. The airline operates 10 gateways in the United States and provides service from an additional 79 cities across the country in code-sharing arrangements with Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

SOURCE: Air France