Rodolphe Lenoir, Air France general manager, says that as of this year, the French airline will focus on electronic services, after having introduced the fifth daily flight on Bucharest-Paris route.
“This year, we will centre on electronic services. In this respect, we have introduced the same technology as in the other countries, despite differences between markets in terms of maturity. Starting this year, passengers will have the possibility to check-in through the Internet and will be able to issue their boarding pass from home,” stated Rodolphe Lenoir, general manager of Air France Romania.
The use of electronic services will reduce ticket prices by 15-20%.
“Electronic services enable people who do not have time to go to the travel agency to buy the ticket instantaneously and then check in at the airport. This way, they will save time. People travelling for leisure can resort to travel agencies,” explains Lenoir. At present, e-ticket sales account for 47% in Air France”s direct sales and 20% of the French company”s total sales in Romania.
Air France representatives stated that the French company last year witnessed a growth in turnover above the market pace. “The value of the airline market last year advanced by 15-20%, but we managed to exceed this mark. This growth was influenced by the introduction of the third flight. It is the latest flight from Bucharest to Western Europe and allows people to catch connecting flights to South America, Asia and South Africa”. Lenoir chose not to reveal the company”s turnover for 2005, but given the position of the French air operator on the Romanian market, turnover topped 23 million euros.
Air France operates five daily flights on the Bucharest-Paris route, two in code-share with Tarom. “Last year, more than 100,000 passengers left from Romania using Air France flights. Two years ago, we ranked third on the market in terms of the number of passengers, and now we hold the same position, but we”ve considerably narrowed down the gap between us and second place,” explained Lenoir.
He stated that Air France”s strategy for 2006 differs from the strategy implemented in 2005. “Whereas last year we introduced an additional flight on Bucharest-Paris route, this year we want to boost our capacity by introducing larger planes”.
Until this spring, Air France operated with two Airbus 320 and a Boeing 737 aircraft, but now uses Airbus 320”s exclusively.
Starting last year, the Romanian airline market has become increasingly appealing for low-cost operators. This is demonstrated by the introduction of new flights by Blue-Air, and also by the entry of Hungary”s Wizz Air and Slovakia”s Sky Europe on the market. Air France does not consider the low-cost operators present in Romania as its direct competitors.
lavinia.marin@zf.ro
Air France Romania
@ Last year logged 15-20% higher turnover, above the market growth rate
@ Turnover growth was influenced by the introduction of a third flight
@ Operates five daily flights on Bucharest-Paris route, two in code-share with Tarom
@ Starting this year will focus on electronic services, to cut down ticket prices by 15-20%
@ E-ticket sales currently account for 20% in the French company”s total sales on the Romanian market