The crisis is “not yet” in sight, but “negotiations are continuing”. On the second day of the strike, Alexander Juniac on course. After securing less than 50% of flights Monday, Air France announced that 60% of its aircraft remain on the tarmac as Tuesday and Wednesday.
This is a poker game that is played between the management of Air France and drivers. Meanwhile, passengers have to make do, while 60% of flights were canceled for Tuesday, September 16 but also for the next day. Yesterday, before Jean-Louis Barber, president of the largest union, the SNPL, announces the continuation of the strike until Sunday, Alexander Juniac warned at a press conference unawares “this movement costs 10 to 15 million euros per day, said the CEO of Air France-KLM. If it continues, the return of Air France profits are threatened. ”
The day before, the newspaper 20H TF1, he even suggested that without an agreement with the sailors, Transavia, causing tensions would develop out of France. The low cost subsidiary must receive 1 billion euros over five years with, the key, creating a thousand jobs in France.
The SNPL not intend to yield
“Roger”, could have met Jean-Louis Barber as they say in the cockpit when the message is understood. But at 14:30, the boss of SNPL explained that there was no question of giving. Worse, he said, the movement, followed by nearly 3 out of 4 drivers, should lead to an almost complete standstill Wednesday. And denounce a proposed “Doodles”: “This is not growth but redeployment. And again on the medium-haul network, Air France has increased from 136 to 102 aircraft between 2008 and 2014 Transavia does not cover the difference. ” Even his counterpart KLM Steven Verhagen, who came for the occasion, supports the Air France pilots. In the Netherlands, however, the Transavia fleet already has 30 units against 14 in France, while its market is four times smaller.
Meanwhile, Frederick GAGEY, the boss of Air France nevertheless tried to calm things down. “We felt a concern of pilots who imagined that Transavia France could suddenly replace Air France on France. To show that our strategy is clear, we proposed that the fleet is limited to 30 aircraft, similar to that of Transavia Holland size, “he has said, adding that this restriction would be valid until 2019.
An undeniable cost problem
But the SNPL always requires a single employment contract in the group for airline seats over 100 drivers, the risk of clipping the wings the low-cost uplink. For if it is not about to pay less, however, on Transavia, they fly more 700 hours per year to 480 against Air France
This allows productivity to compete. : according to Capa Centre for Aviation, the unit cost per seat kilometer Transavia is only 5 cents against 6 for EasyJet, Ryanair and 3.5 … 10.5 on the short and medium-haul network Air France.
To catch up on these low cost rivals Air France-KLM is also preparing to create Transavia Europe, a new subsidiary based outside France and the Netherlands, to ‘seek growth in new markets, such as Spain and Portugal. It could provide a link between Porto and Munich, for example. Three bases will open this year and six next year with local contract staff. Whether Air France pilots refuse to lift the strike, it is this division that could bring growth low cost airline in the future. That is to say, with foreign sailors. A general meeting of Air France pilot is scheduled for Tuesday.
Pauline Damour and Kira Mitrofanoff
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