With the reopening of the American borders on Monday, Air France intends to quickly pick up speed on this major destination. This is what its director general Anne Rigail announced to AFP, who “hopes that the peak of the crisis (of Covid-19) has passed”. “We’ve been waiting for it for a long time!” Exclaims the manager. “This is excellent news for Air France, and more generally for the Air France-KLM group, since the North Atlantic is our main long-haul network. Before the Covid, it still represented 40% of our long-haul revenues. mail on the whole group. “
“We are not starting from scratch because we have never stopped serving the United States, including at the worst moment of the crisis”, with “a lifeline” to the main cities, she recalls. The situation has improved in recent months and the summer has already been quite good, although the planes were almost entirely filled with vaccinated Americans who came to visit Europe, with “just under 50% of the flights”.
A return to 90% of 2019 capacities by the end of March
The announcement by US authorities that fully vaccinated and freshly tested travelers could travel to the United States from November 8, had a “very positive and immediate” effect on bookings, rejoices Anne Rigail. Air France intends to offer 122 weekly flights to this country this winter, compared to 95 currently. “By the end of March, we will gradually return to 90% of our 2019 capacity,” describes the leader.
On the program, an increase in frequencies on the most popular lines like New York and Miami, larger planes, the reopening of the link to Seattle, the resumption of Paris-Papeete via Los Angeles – and no longer Vancouver -, or even flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and New York, a novelty. Competition will be fierce, the North Atlantic being “a very competitive axis” on which “all the competitors will also increase their capacities”, she observes.
In the rest of the world, Air France also “restores” its network with frequencies “adapted to demand”, indicates Anne Rigail, who notes that travelers are present as soon as a country reopens its borders – as recently Canada. “It can go quickly on some destinations and that makes us optimistic about being able to regain between 70% and 75% of our overall capacity this winter”, against 60% this summer (and an occupancy rate of “about 70 % “), she remarks.
“Never safe from a turnaround”
Advantage for the national company, according to her: “an extremely flexible commercial policy” since all the tickets are exchangeable free of charge or refundable – if necessary with a credit note – until the day of the departure, until March 31, 2022. “On is fairly confident but we are never safe from a turnaround in one region or the other and that is why we keep very strong agility “, underlines Anne Rigail.
If the health situation in Europe is not of particular concern to her at the moment, “we have seen that indeed things can change quickly”, she notes, alluding to the situation in the West Indies and Reunion in recent months. “We really adjust our program every week.” When will we be back to 100% before the pandemic? “We gave up the exercise of the crystal ball,” she replies. Particularly because activity remains “fairly weak” towards South America and Asia.
–
