Air France revealed on Tuesday a new group of first -class, as it is expanding efforts to attract wealthy travelers from Jets Business Prosels and adding a “French touch” to the conflict to obtain excellent revenue.
The CEO of Parent Air France-KLM, Ben Smith, told Reuters that the unspecified investment aims to put France aircraft at the European League summit in the luxury of aviation, indicating a battle with British Airways and Luvthansa.
Smith said in an interview: “A large percentage of customers fly for commercial reasons … Many of them have a private plane or fly in the first class.”
“What is new to us over the past few years is a noticeable increase in the number of other customers who fly for entertainment.”
The air travel industry is closed in a battle for the customers of high wings where it recovers from the epidemic, but it is divided into the value of investment in the first degree, as many transport companies focus on fixed improvements in the seats in the business category.
The latest first -class Air France cabin, which was placed in four pairs of the red gray and gray seats on the chosen aircraft, followed a year -old effort to re -invent the product product once since Smith joined the National Transport Company in 2018.
The Canadian executive authority has always been a first -class heroine even with many competitors with business degree. But he said that a handful of airlines only has the depth of demand or the ability to benefit from assets like France as a destination.
He said: “Many people want to experience France. When they get the plane outside France, they want to start their flight from San Jose, Tokyo or Sao Paulo in France actually across the environment on the plane.”
The launch comes weeks after British Airways launched the arched competition in its new cabin.
Lufthansa as it is offered first -class. She did not respond to flying to the suspension requests.
The power of the French brand
Smith refused to determine the amount of the cost of investing in the new seats, but the airline says that its first -class service is already profitable, in part because the ticket price has increased in recent years.
The cost of the Paris-New York ticket in one direction is about 10,000 euros (11,0000 dollars) in May, according to Air France.
The start of the airline's efforts to strike a tendon with France's broader reputation for luxury, as the waiters pass by snacks from the Michelin star in the presence of the specially invited influencers at the Paris Fashion Week site.
However, Smith insisted that the “La Premiere” brand can stand on its feet as a luxurious product.
The state -owned France has long been synonymous with the first layer, with the list of very strong passengers so that the seats were one day of reputation by spying agencies in the country.
Now, you should compete with lie seats now in the increasingly accessible business class or aircraft.
A lot of cost is concluded not only in the seats but in detailed ground services such as special checks or limousines.
There is also the hidden cost to create a sub -group of aircraft that can only work on a few roads.
“Unless it is a solid rock, it may be very marginal due to the operational complexity, the investment of capital and the risk of replacing the seats that could be sure of the business degree,” said John Stricland, Aviation Adviser.
