AZ to end AF/KL partnership from january 2017
#257
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But then, in a way, we could always argue that this thread discusses the consequences of Alitalia - a close partner of AFKL and SkyTeam member and an airline many people have FFP status on that they use on AFKL - disappearing or landing in the arms of the great evil, i.e. an airline in another alliance. Sounds like a good topic for a weekend forum discussion
#258
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It is very unexciting offering, I agree, but does not plunge to quite the same depth of mediocrity as the likes of RO, AR or VN at their hubs (can't comment on AM or SV as I am not familiar with these). Perhaps KE would be reasonably close to KL but, given that this is an Asian airline, expectations tend to be higher, hence why KE is so disappointing.
#259
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,635
Slightly OT but...
Air France-KLM, Delta examining ways of keeping Alitalia in Skyteam
PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and its U.S. partner Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) are studying ways of keeping Alitalia inside the Skyteam alliance - but without Air France-KLM being a buyer, Chief Executive Jean-Marc Janaillac said on Friday.
“We are not a potential buyer so we did not participate in the process,” Janaillac told a news conference, adding the Franco-Dutch airline group has not had access to Alitalia data.
Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), which leads the rival Star Alliance and has its own North Atlantic joint venture, has said it would be interested in a bid but only if Alitalia could be restructured.
Janaillac said that given the publicly-known offers so far, there was a risk that Alitalia could leave Skyteam and the North Atlantic joint venture, which would have a negative impact for Air France-KLM.
Air France-KLM and Delta last year rejigged their North Atlantic alliance, bringing in Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL], which had a separate joint venture with Delta.
“Also, we are working (on) a new joint venture in the Atlantic with a specific role for Alitalia and it would also be quite negative to have Alitalia not as a partner but as a competitor on these North Atlantic routes,” he said.
The Italian market is of interest to airlines because of the high demand from tourists from all over the world wanting to visit the country.
British low-cost airline easyJet (EZJ.L) said last month that it was interested in parts of Alitalia, and that discussions were ongoing. However, it is only interested in short-haul operations, so a separate buyer would have to be found for long-haul routes.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKCN1G012S
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Originally Posted by Reuters
Air France-KLM, Delta examining ways of keeping Alitalia in Skyteam
PARIS (Reuters) - Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and its U.S. partner Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) are studying ways of keeping Alitalia inside the Skyteam alliance - but without Air France-KLM being a buyer, Chief Executive Jean-Marc Janaillac said on Friday.
“We are not a potential buyer so we did not participate in the process,” Janaillac told a news conference, adding the Franco-Dutch airline group has not had access to Alitalia data.
Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), which leads the rival Star Alliance and has its own North Atlantic joint venture, has said it would be interested in a bid but only if Alitalia could be restructured.
Janaillac said that given the publicly-known offers so far, there was a risk that Alitalia could leave Skyteam and the North Atlantic joint venture, which would have a negative impact for Air France-KLM.
Air France-KLM and Delta last year rejigged their North Atlantic alliance, bringing in Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL], which had a separate joint venture with Delta.
“Also, we are working (on) a new joint venture in the Atlantic with a specific role for Alitalia and it would also be quite negative to have Alitalia not as a partner but as a competitor on these North Atlantic routes,” he said.
The Italian market is of interest to airlines because of the high demand from tourists from all over the world wanting to visit the country.
British low-cost airline easyJet (EZJ.L) said last month that it was interested in parts of Alitalia, and that discussions were ongoing. However, it is only interested in short-haul operations, so a separate buyer would have to be found for long-haul routes.
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#260
#261
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Etihad in particular will be rolling their eyes at this news...it came too late to help them!
#262
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,635
It was just matter of time. Considering Alitalia’s disastrous financial circumstances (making any development in terms of JV treacherous if not impossible) plus their ever shrinking network, this is not a surprising move and can only benefit the JV in the long term.
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#263
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SJJ/AMS
Posts: 4,635
In an interview with Italy's il Sole 24 Ore, Pieter Elbers (KLM's CEO) confirmed that there are 'fresh' talks in place towards the integration (or reintegration) of Alitalia within the new joint-venture (i.e. Air France-KLM-Delta-Virgin), all this while rumours of Delta negotiating a partial take-over (49%) of the Italian carrier are on the rise.
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#264
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Original Poster
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Another sign of AZ going away (while it is still very unclear or obscure about the future of AZ and the new airline ITA) : AZ is moving to CDG2B from June 29.
https://www.grand-roissy-tourisme.co...-a-roissy-cdg/
https://www.grand-roissy-tourisme.co...-a-roissy-cdg/