Air France-KLM has appointed Franck Terner, who is currently Air France-KLM EVP engineering and maintenance, as the next CEO of Air France. In a statement dated Nov. 3, but released to the group’s website on Nov. 2, the Franco-Dutch airline group confirmed the anticipated leadership change. Terner will succeed Frédéric Gagey, who will in turn become Air France-KLM CFO, replacing Pierre-François Riolacci whose departure was announced in July. “The Air France-KLM and Air France boards of directors met today [Nov. 2] and decided to change the group's governance, to support the implementation of the Trust Together project and to enhance the decision-making process. The functions of chairman and CEO of Air France are now separate, and Jean-Marc Janaillac, chairman of Air France-KLM has also been appointed chairman of Air France,” Air France-KLM said. Terner joined Air France in 1988 as a Concorde production engineer. He then worked his way through a series of maintenance roles, becoming head of aircraft maintenance at Air France subsidiary Regional in 2002. From here, he became EVP-operations and support at Regional and, in 2008, he became COO of Regional. In 2010, Terner was appointed Air France Industries VP and, since July 1, 2013, he has been Air France-KLM EVP-engineering and maintenance.<br/>
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Delta Wednesday announced a marketing agreement with Airbnb, becoming one of the largest established companies in the travel industry to embrace the 8-year-old apartment-sharing service. Delta said customers can earn award miles toward free flights when booking stays with Airbnb. This follows similar promotions from Virgin America and Qantas. Airlines have long marketed hotel packages to draw customers to their websites and get a larger cut of their travel spending. The Airbnb deal reflects how airlines are moving to keep offerings relevant as the popularity of apartment sharing increases. "Nearly 20% of US travellers, based on our research, have used a home-sharing site like Airbnb," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. "Delta recognises that." Airbnb will pay Delta for the miles its airline customers accrue through bookings, just like hotels do, a spokesman for the carrier said. "Our members have repeatedly expressed desire to have choices when it comes to which partners they can earn miles with," the spokesman added. "Airbnb offers ... options for our members in nearly every city Delta and our partners fly to." But for now, Delta will not display Airbnb listings where it currently shows hotel search results, powered by Expedia. Rather, customers must visit a separate portal - delta.com/airbnb - reflecting a challenge to integrating Airbnb listings into more booking methods. For Airbnb, deals with airlines can offer additional customers at a time when governments are attempting to minimize the impact of short-term stays on neighborhoods and urban housing markets through new laws.<br/>