Up in the air . . .

IN May 2018, Air France-KLM will bring Europe closer to Brazil with the launch of new flights from Paris – Charles de Gaulle (operated by Joon!) and Amsterdam-Schiphol (operated by KLM). The new services will operate twice a week from Paris on Fridays and Sundays, and three times a week from Amsterdam on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. 

www.airfranceklm.com

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Economy class but with more choice

AN enriched Economy class offer is being introduced by Air France and KLM on all their international flights within Europe, and to North Africa and Israel. With a choice of three products, each offering specific services and conditions.

• The “Light” product for passengers looking for the lowest available fare and travelling without checked in baggage.

• The “Standard” product for an additional fee of €40-50, offers the customer additional benefits, such as the possibility to check in one item of baggage free of charge and to change their ticket for a fee. 

• The “Flex” product for an additional fee of €70-150, offering maximum flexibility (no change fees and a refund at no extra charge), the possibility to take advantage of the SkyPriority service for seamless, priority access at the airport.

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Namibia via Angola

KLM will start flights to Namibia via Angola from October this year.

The flights from Amsterdam to Windhoek,Namibia via Luanda, Angola will operate three times a week.

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Beer on tap at 35,000ft

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES is to serve beer on tap at 35,000 feet from next month. 

After years of development and experimentation with high altitudes and pressure changes, Heineken has found a way to have a draft beer — served from a keg rather than a bottle or a can — in the sky.

‘Because the air pressure is so much lower in an airplane than at sea level, a traditional beer tap will not work as it will dispense only a huge amount of foam,’ Heineken’s Edwin Griffioen says. ‘We do have dispensers that work on air pressure, but these were too big to fit in a plane. It was one big jigsaw puzzle, as the keg of beer, the cooling system, and the air pressure compressor all had to fit in an airline catering trolley. In the end we had to leave out one of those pieces to make it all fit, so with pain in our hearts we had to leave the cooling behind.’

Miriam Kartman, KLM in-flight services vice president, commented: ‘We are always looking for typical Dutch products to set us apart from other companies. Customers rate beer from draught higher than out of a can.’

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Up in the air . . .

KLM and Aer Lingus are to launch direct daily flights between Dublin and Amsterdam.

CANADIAN airline Air Transat will increase the number of flights from the UK to Toronto next winter by offering a daily service from November to April. London Gatwick to Vancouver also gets a second weekly flight commencing in December.

LOW-COST Cyprus airline Cobalt – funded by local and Chinese investors – is preparing for its first take-off in July. The company’s CEO, Andrew Pyne, says he want to turn Larnaca Airport into a regional hub serving Europe and Middle East. The airline will start with five planes – for flights to Britain, Greece, and Ireland – with plans to have ten by the end of 2017.

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Air France-KLM says Paris attacks cost £36 million in bookings slump

NOVEMBER’S terrorist attacks in Paris cost Air France-KLM €50 million (£36.11 million) during the rest of the month.  

While daily ticket sales have generally recovered from the November 13 murders, a slump in bookings in the immediate aftermath left thousands of seats unsold stretching into next spring, Bloomberg reports.

The Japanese market, one of the biggest for tour groups to the French capital, has been worst hit, said Air France-KLM chief financial officer, Pierre-Francois Riolacci.

The attacks further undermined demand that had slumped since the January 7 killings in the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store in Paris. North America was also badly affected, whereas the impact on travel from China was minimal since the media there did not give the same blanket coverage, Mr Riolacci said.

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KLM boost for Belfast

BELFAST AIRPORT is the only airport in the UK and Ireland to be included in expansion plans announced by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which will start a daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol in May.

The airport’s commercial and marketing director, Katy Best, said: ‘Attracting an airline such as KLM to Northern Ireland is a major win for the airport, tourism within the region and local businesses who will benefit from KLM’s worldwide network.

‘Schiphol is the lynchpin of the KLM network, and as one of the busiest airports in Europe serving over 300 destinations, it is an attractive superhub with quick and easy transfer facilities for passengers on popular routes such as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Moscow, Johannesburg and Bangkok.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: ‘Today’s announcement by KLM is really good news for tourism, as we kick off our 2015 promotional drive. Not only will it help grow visitor numbers from the Netherlands, but this new flight will offer connectivity from other important tourism markets, including North America, Asia, and the Middle East.’

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New flights …

BRITISH AIRWAYS has launched its biggest ever summer schedule, offering new destinations and more seats on flights from Gatwick, Heathrow and London City airports. The new routes include Austin, Texas, and Mykonos and Santorini in Greece.

 GETTING to Athens will be easier if you live or work in Birmingham. Aegean Airlines has announced a new direct air connection between the city and the Greek capital, starting in early June.

MARCH saw the re-introduction of a fourth daily KLM service from Norwich Airport to Amsterdam following a very successful introduction for summer 2013. The increased frequency will provide better connections to destinations such as Dubai, Lima and Toronto. 

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