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 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 members’ vote as a positive development, Terner said Tuesday 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% cut in pilot pay at the unit in favor of a 1.5% reduction across the whole of Air France’s cockpit employees. Terner added that the Paris-based company 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/>