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EY wet-leases AF 343
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Etihad Airways va louer un A340-300 avec équipage d'Air France
Etihad Airways annonce son projet de louer un Airbus A340-300 d'Air France, avec son équipage, pour le placer sur sa liaison entre Paris et Abu Dhabi du 15 mai au 30 novembre 2013. (AF.com shows these flights as "effectué par: Etihad". Which I guess is [strictly speaking] correct, but...) |
Originally Posted by irishguy28
(Post 20188016)
(AF.com shows these flights as "effectué par: Etihad". Which I guess is [strictly speaking] correct, but...)
I am sorry for my asking but I am not that proficient in French :( Ulxima |
Poor me....please Irishguy disregard my silly question.
Thank you Ulxima |
Wet lease: the contracted airline provides everything (crew, craft, maintenance, insurance - but NOT fuel!!) to the lessee.
Dry lease: only the aircraft is provided. The lessee has to provide everything else (crew, maintenance, insurance, operating certificate, etc etc) Given that EY's own direct service to AMS commences on this date - MAY15 - I thought perhaps the freed-up aircraft would be used on that route. However, the AMS route will be operated by an A330-200, so this EY A340 that is no longer needed for Paris will be going somewhere other than Amsterdam... Interesting to note that KLM is still not selling tickets on the "new" EY direct service from AMS (instead offering its own direct flight, or connecting with EY in Paris or QR in Doha, or via Paris connecting to this wet-lease "AIR FRANCE FOR ETIHAD AIRWAYS" flight. Strange KLM should already be selling tickets for this just-announced arrangement while still not selling tickets for the EY flight from AMS!) http://i45.tinypic.com/wimwhw.jpg |
Very bad news.
EY premium products (including on EY A340s) are so much better than AF. This is awful news for all those connecting in AUH to Asia. I guess that AF philosophy is that if they cannot compete up to the standards of EY, then they should get EY to move down to the standards of AF. |
Originally Posted by brunos
(Post 20188413)
I guess that AF philosophy is that if they cannot compete up to the standards of EY, then they should get EY to move down to the standards of AF.
:p Ulxima |
Originally Posted by ulxima
(Post 20188434)
Perhaps they are going to join Flying Blue too in the long term...
Originally Posted by Etihad
Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM strengthen cooperation 03-02-2013
Etihad Airways has strengthened its relationship with Air France-KLM, with the announcement that the UAE flag carrier will wet-lease an Air France Airbus A340-300 for use on the Paris-Abu Dhabi route from May 15 to November 30. Air France will operate the 272 seat aircraft as one of Etihad Airways’ two daily Paris-Abu Dhabi return services – EY37 and EY38 respectively. Last October, Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM forged a strategic partnership which saw the two airline groups work together to create value for each airline. The agreement expanded the UAE flag carrier’s European network with codeshare services beyond Paris to Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Madrid, Nice and Toulouse, and saw Air France place its AF flight code on Etihad Airways operated flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi, and to cities beyond. It also played a key role in Etihad Airways announcing direct Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi services effective May 15, in addition to KLM increasing its direct Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi services to daily from summer 2013. Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “This agreement to wet-lease an Air France A340-300 aircraft demonstrates the mutual benefits generated by our close relationship with Air France-KLM. “On the back of recent announcements, this latest cooperation deal is good for both carriers in terms of better optimising our fleets for the rest of 2013. “The temporary wet-leased EY37 and EY38 return service will also see Etihad Airways cabin crew on board, working alongside Air France attendants to provide our guests with an inspired travelling experience that the world’s leading airline is best known for.” Etihad Airways premium customers travelling from or to Paris Charles de Gaulle will continue to receive the priority service they have become accustomed to, including: Etihad Chauffeur service to CDG airport, priority check-in at the Etihad Airways counter, access to the new 620 square metre Etihad Airways signature premium lounge, and subsequent priority boarding of the aircraft. Double-daily Paris-Abu Dhabi flight schedule EY 032 Paris (CDG) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) 1100 – 2040 EY 038 Paris (CDG) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) 2140 – 0720 + 1day (wet-lease) EY 031 Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Paris (CDG) 02:15 – 06:55 EY 037 Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Paris (CDG) 08:45 – 13.25 (wet-lease) |
Originally Posted by irishguy28
(Post 20188449)
That's a long way down the road!
Interesting to note that there will be both Etihad AND Air France crew on board! I've never heard of such a "joint" staffing arrangement before (which is not to say that it does not happen). All this seems playing favourably towards a deep JV which could (hopefully) culminate with EY joining SkyTeam in 2014. Ulxima |
Originally Posted by irishguy28
(Post 20188016)
(AF.com shows these flights as "effectué par: Etihad". Which I guess is [strictly speaking] correct, but...)
If I am hobest, it is not that difficult to follow really if you are methodical. Online booking systems, however, are not really designed to be able to distinguish with that kind of subtlety. |
Indeed, but I just find it a little funny that KLM can describe the flights rather more accurately than AF themselves do ("Air France for Etihad Airways" vs. "Etihad").
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As a loyal Etihad customer and a great fan of their premium cabins (especially their Business class is outstanding!) I am quite shocked how they even dare selling EY tickets at EY fares to make people travel on an Air France plane where the premium cabins are either absent (no First) or hugely inferior (NEVx vs. true lie-flat in a kind of mini-suite, small screen vs. big screen, internet access on some planes vs. no internet access, etc). I typically check on the type of plane that I take so I'd notice, but I'd be really mad if I blindly trusted EY and then found myself confronted with the bad surprise of walking onto an AF A340. And even without that I am mad. I regularly use both the morning and night flights from CDG and also on the way back I use the night flight (less often) and the early morning departure. Now my choice is limited: whilst it will be bearable to be in the NEV seats on the 9am departure for the day flight to Paris taking the Air France A340 without any lie flat seats for a night flight is just a big no no. And Etihad has the nice benefit of never being on strike, although I assume that EY will use one of its own planes should the AF-operated bird not fly because of a strike (=so the best thing that can happen to you as an Etihad customer is for Air France to go on strike and be on the replacement plane!).
Etihad :td::td::td: I have lost any trust in them :mad: |
It's supposed to be a temporary arrangement only, with the "wet lease" (I still think that's not quite the right term for this?) due to end in November.
(Though, beyond that date, it may just be that AF continues as one of two daily flights on the route as a "normal" codeshare). |
Originally Posted by AirlineRoute
ETIHAD Wet-Leases AIRFRANCE Aircraft for Paris Service May – Nov 2013
And if such a lease isn't a suitable solution, I wonder why they didn't just let Air France operate one rotation a day, with EY codesharing on it (this seems to be how a lot of such routes work, with two airlines each providing one rotation. If such an arrangement had been used, that would seem to have been stronger evidence of a potential move towards a JV than simply having both airlines' cabin crews on board...) The 'AF wetleased under an EY operating code with an AF codeshare' seems rather complicated, and potentially confusing for pax (as San Gottardo has pointed out...) But perhaps there are regulatory issues at play, or EY didn't want to lose the rights to the route/slots...
Originally Posted by irishguy28
(Post 20188449)
Interesting to note that there will be both Etihad AND Air France crew on board! I've never heard of such a "joint" staffing arrangement before (which is not to say that it does not happen).
However, having both airlines' cabin crew on board the same flight does sound unusual (and perhaps also confusing...) |
Originally Posted by irishguy28
(Post 20189518)
It's supposed to be a temporary arrangement only, with the "wet lease" (I still think that's not quite the right term for this?) due to end in November.
As a separate arrangement, AF codeshares on the EY flight. [KVS Availability Tool 7.1.4/Diamond - Amadeus Operational Info: EY 38/01 Jun 2013] Code:
Planned Flight InfoCode:
Planned Flight Info |
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