San Gottardo

Not really it seems: as reported by La Tribune (click here) new strike days have been announced, June 23-26.

The strike has already cost the company EUR 400M. Not sure how much clout the interim CEO really has, given that she is interim.

Zarmakuizz

The last gossip claims that Delta had a lot of influence over the new head organization or AFKLM. Pieter Elbers, while still the head of KLM, would be more active in AFKLM. The new head would be from Northern America.
Source: La Tribune : Et si AFKLM choisissait un patron américain ? (French)

This is still a gossip at most, although an union representative has an ...interesting opinion about it: Libération : Sandrine Techer (SNPNC-Air France) "Ne pas être associé aux performances de la compagnie est vécu comme une injustice" (French)
Translated:

brunos

several interesting articles on AF saga in Le Figaro 2 August
Toujours sans pilote, Air France-KLM encaisse les turbulences
Air France-KLM : les coulisses d'une longue bérézina

San Gottardo

Zarmakuizz

The : is missing after the https in your link.

La Tribune (French) gives some background about Benjamin Smith, who had to manage though discussions with the unions at Air Canada.

San Gottardo

Klems

Honestly, it might not be a bad idea to bring someone from that side of the Atlantic, given that the work and business culture are quite different. Things tend to get done a little faster, and that might just be what AF' very dusty management need...

jsfr

It was amusing to see the front page of Le Figaro in the AF lounge last week...

"Air France The Big Waste"



A Canadian is a good compromise - probably francophone.

brunos

Leaking the name of a potential candidate is a certainty to have him shot from many sides.
Benjamin Smith sounds like an excellent candidate. Not only is he not a former French civil servant but he has extensive experience in the airline industry. He seems familiar with labor negotiations and successfully launched the low-fare airline Rouge. He is an english speaking canadian but probably also speaks decent French, Bringing new blood and spirit is badly needed.

But SNPL is already strongly opposed to him and launching a pathetic campaign. They would much prefer some "weak" AF guy who will perpetuate the power of pilots.
And the French "Haute" Administration is likely to find all kind of faults with him. Giving such a high French position to someone who has not "served" the State is unheard of. Let's hope.

The Lev

He has done a good job as the #2 at Air Canada (his style is much "gentler" than AC's CEO). It would be interesting to see how he could navigate the shoals of employee relations in France (and if a non-European would be allowed to run this business).

https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/arti...0404_3234.html

caliform

I'm all for it. I don't like AC, but someone with aviation industry experience, union experience AND North American business culture to cut through some ........ sounds almost too good to be true.

NickB

Be careful what you wish for. Yes, somebody with greater international experience than you average French énarque would not be bad thing. But, ideally, you would also want someone who has enough flair, knowledge and understanding to successfully navigate the incestuous relationship between state and industry in France.
It also depends on what can of solutions he puts forward. I said in another thread that, while AF needs to sort itself out, I hope that it will not follow the low-cost direction that BA has taken. The AC background does not inspire a huge amount of confidence from that perspective and he may turn out to be AF's equivalent of Alex Cruz (albeit in the equivalent position to Willie Walsh rather than Alex Cruz).

lloydah

That's exactly what I was thinking. It'll take years for BA to regain anything like it's old self after the purges of A. Cruz et al. It's a bit like governments here in the UK. You get one party that is far right, after a time people want change so they vote in a left wing party and it swings violently the other way. Someone who wants to "turn AF" is no good unless it's done with genuine vision and not just a cost saving agenda. There's enough BA/ Ryanair about.

San Gottardo

+1. I also hope that Ben Smith or whoever will be the new CEO will have better and more visionary ideas than just cut cost on the passenger/quality end.

However, I am convinced that there are numerous ways to reduce cost without touching the product quality, in fact it can even make it better. Delayering the company in combination with a right-sizing of the HQ (yes, these are just technical terms for basically firing people); redesigning processes, leveraging technology, AI, etc; reviewing salaries/working hours; reviewing supplier relationships; etc.

On top of that, to increase margins (not only by cost cutting) numerous things could be done on the network/carrier portfolio end.

The only problem is - and I choose these words deliberately - a handful of lazy and cosseted people in the workforce who use all their energy to oppose change, who are just wired the wrong way when it comes to governance and what the objectives of the company are, and the French state as major shareholder being open all too often for calls to intervene.

So, the company may get the right guy with the right ideas about the right levers - but the in-house opposition may just be too strong. Pity.

q

Despite the recent troubles, AF as a whole are doing Lots of things right (right now) and there is ample room for making things worse if one is not careful.