AIR France’s new general manager for the UK and Ireland is looking to boost business-class revenue with service enhancements at London airports.
Marc Benedetti, a former Air France general manager in Singapore, wants to improve products at Heathrow in order to offer a shuttle service to Paris for business passengers.
He also wants to increase capacity at London City airport.
The improvements will also upgrade connections to ex-Paris long-haul services, including Concorde. Benedetti is in talks with Air France’s head office over new investments, which may take two years for final approval.
He said: “We are close to a shuttle service at Heathrow, but we need more specific products for passengers, quicker treatment for them and possibly more staff.”
Air France currently serves Paris 14 times daily from Heathrow, but he added that ideally aircraft would turn around within 30mins to give higher frequencies. Service enhancements, such as electronic tickets, would also be put on-line at Heathrow.
Benedetti said the aim was to attain the level of service in place on important domestic Air France routes, including Paris-Toulouse.
At London City, Benedetti is also planning frequency upgrades.
“London City is very important. Some 80% of our customers are business passengers,” he said.
He wants at least six-daily flights to Paris this winter, an increase of two from the current London City schedule.
Elsewhere in the UK, Air France is planning to improve service at Teesside and Humberside and launch flights from Aberdeen.
Talks are being held with franchise operator Gill Airways to offer direct winter flights from Teesside. Currently double-daily flights are routed through Humberside.
Aberdeen will have double-daily flights to Paris, expected to be operated by Gill, if a current service study proves positive when published this winter. Services will launch within two years.