Air France to cancel 40 pct of long-haul flights

Air France said on Wednesday it expected to cancel up to 40 percent of its long-haul flights and up to 30 percent of shorter flights as a pilot strike ran into its third day.

Air France has had to notify thousands of passengers of axed flights this week via email or text message.

On Tuesday, roughly one in two long and medium-haul flights were cut, but many passengers were re-routed on alternative flights, the airline said.

The SNPL pilots union says around half its members are participating in the action over plans by the conservative government to make strikers in the airline industry give two days' notice before any walkout. Currently, they are not required to give any notice.

The industrial action, which adds to travel disarray caused by freezing temperatures across Europe, was set to run until Thursday night.

French daily La Tribune, citing unnamed sources, said Air France loses roughly 15 million euros per day during a strike, before the cost of compensating passengers.

Transport Minister Thierry Mariani said earlier this week the government was determined to push through the legislation, which would let airlines plan minimum services during a strike rather than finding out on the day that staff have not showed up.

The legislation, adopted in the lower house of parliament in January, is to be taken up by the Senate in mid-February.

Air France completes long-haul fleet re-configuration

Air France (AF) has completed the installation of its premium economy cabin on six Airbus A380s, extending the new intermediate class on almost all of its long-haul fleet and network covering 67 destinations. 

AF started rolling out the premium economy cabin in the fall of 2009. All of its A330s, A340s, A380s and most of its Boeing 777s (except those serving the French overseas territories with high-density seating configuration) are now retrofitted. 

The French carrier’s premium economy is a separate cabin located between the economy- and business-class cabins, with fixed-shell seats that recline to 123 degrees, have a 38 in. pitch and an individual video screen offering 500 hr. of programs on demand. The meal service is the same as in economy but passengers receive amenities such as noise-reducing headphones, a feather pillow and a wool blanket. On the ground, premium economy passengers have priority check-in and priority baggage delivery.

Air France-KLM, BA To Operate UK Flights Normally Wednesday

Air France-KLM (AF.FR) and British Airways Tuesday said they plan to operate normal services to and from the U.K. on Wednesday despite planned strikes at airports.

Public-sector workers in the U.K., including border-control officers, are striking over pension changes, likely causing disruptions to passenger flow at airports.

The three airlines are offering passengers the option of switching their bookings to Tuesday or after Wednesday with no penalties for those with non-switchable bookings. However, they aren't offering cancellations because flights schedules are being maintained.

The strike action by immigration officials will actually start on Tuesday evening because of the workers' staggered shift system.

"But we're not expecting any particular issues tonight," a BA spokesman said.

Air France to launch daily A380 Paris-Dubai route in December

Air France (AF) will start operating Airbus A380 aircraft on a daily Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Dubai (DXB) route Dec. 5, and on a 2X-daily CDG to Los Angeles (LAX) route May 28, 2012.

The CDG-DXB service will be a seasonal A380 route, made possible by the aircraft’s redeployment from Tokyo Narita to DXB for the winter season, resulting from lower seasonal demand to Tokyo, AF said. The CDG-LAX route is part of the transatlantic joint venture operated by AF KLM, Alitalia and Delta Air Lines.

AF said it will operate six A380s in the current winter schedule on five routes (CDG to New York JFK, Johannesburg, Montreal, Washington Dulles and DXB) and eight A380s in the next summer schedule to six destinations (LAX, JFK, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Montreal and Washington).