Air France Slashes Summer Schedule 3.4 Percent

The Air France KLM Group’s summer 2009 schedule (March 29 to Oct. 25) has been adjusted in line with the sharp decline in demand caused by the unprecedented global economic crisis which is affecting all corners of the world. Thanks to the complementary Paris and Amsterdam hubs, Air France KLM Group customers will continue to benefit from a global network spread over the five continents.

In terms of available seat kilometers (ASK), Air France KLM Group capacity for the summer 2009 season will be down by 3.4 percent compared with summer 2008; down 3.4 percent on the long-haul network and down 3.4 percent on the medium-haul network.

Faced with reducing demand, Air France is adjusting capacity on all networks, particularly noticeable on routes to North America and Asia, as well as on domestic routes.

In total, capacity (expressed in ASK) will be reduced by 2.7 percent for the summer 2009 season, down 2.5 percent on the long-haul network and down 3.1 percent on the short/medium-haul network. This adjustment to capacity is the result of a route rationalization policy aimed at reducing the number of flights rather than close routes.

The network remains as attractive as before. Air France will take delivery of four B777-300s during the summer season and will retire two B747-400s from service. On the medium-haul network, the oldest A320s will be replaced by A321s.

The Joint Venture with Delta will enable the company to optimize and rationalize capacity on the trans-Atlantic network, with improved departure times for flights to Detroit, the resumption of a mid-morning flight to Atlanta by Air France, the launch of a Paris CDG-Pittsburgh route by Delta starting on June 4 and, at the end of the season, the resumption of flights to Philadelphia by Delta with an aircraft better adapted to the volume of traffic.

Capacity will also be adjusted on the New York route, with the suspension of the flight operated by Delta and the reduction of one Air France flight per week. There will be 48 weekly frequencies on the Paris-New York route.

Capacity will also be adjusted on services to Houston with 12 weekly flights instead of 14. On routes to India, the Paris-Chennai route, which is recording heavy losses, will be suspended.

There will now be four daily flights to Montreal. On flights to Beirut, Air France is starting a second service, four times a week, bringing the number of weekly flights to this destination to 25 with two daily flights operated by MEA on a code-share basis.

On the domestic network, affected by both the crisis and by the continued expansion of the rail industry’s market share, demand has been weakening since spring 2008.

Together with a necessary reduction in costs to maintain competitiveness on this network, adapting capacity (down 6.4 percent) means eight less frequencies on departure from Paris, mainly from Orly, and at the least popular times of the day.