Air France-KLM chairman blames Accor over CEO search delay

Anne-Marie Couderc, the interim chairman of Air France KLM, has blamed AccorHotels for complicating and delaying the airline's search for a new CE, according to an internal memo. The airline has been hunting for a new boss to fill a gap left by the abrupt departure of CE Jean-Marc Janaillac in May, after staff rejected a pay proposal aimed at ending strikes that have resulted in heavy losses. In June, the French hotel group said it was looking at taking a minority stake in the troubled airline group to help it compete better against travel packages offered by online rivals such as Expedia and Booking.com. However, Couderc said in the memorandum to employees that AccorHotels' interest had hindered the hunt for a new CEO. "Some of these disturbances are linked to the way AccorHotels has manifested its interest Air France-KLM Group" as well as by media speculation about candidates, she said. Veolia finance chief Philippe Capron, initially a candidate, implicitly cited opposition from AccorHotels as he ruled himself out earlier this month - and suggested the company might be seeking Air France client data.<br/>