Air France's 'boost' could ply Atlantic as well as serving Asia

Air France-KLM Group’s new low-cost, long-haul Boost arm could provide trans-Atlantic services as well as helping Europe’s biggest airline to compete with Persian Gulf carriers on routes to Asia. Asked whether the start-up might also perform westbound flights, Franck Terner, who heads the company’s Air France unit, of which Boost will be part, answered: “Could be, why not?” Air France-KLM views the SNPL pilot union’s plans to meet on June 8 and discuss whether to put Boost contracts to a vote of members as a positive development, he said in an interview in Cancun, Mexico. Flight crew belonging to the labor group have already backed the terms in principle after the company scrapped a 15 percent cut in pilot pay at the unit in favor of a 1.5% reduction across the whole of Air France’s cockpit employees. Terner, who was speaking on the fringes of the IATA’s annual meeting, added that the group will move forward with Boost regardless of pilot backing, adding that “the negotiation itself is finished.” Former Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac -- who now heads IATA -- was forced out of the airline after seeking to expand short-haul discount arm Transavia without pilot backing. Terner confirmed that Air France aims to hire about 500 new flight attendants for Boost by mid-2018. Jean-Marc Janaillac, De Juniac’s successor, said last month that the unit will start medium-length flights this year followed by long-haul operations next summer.<br/>