Air France-KLM unions bristle as Air Canada executive tipped for CE job

French pilot unions hit out at the possible appointment of Air Canada's COO Benjamin Smith as Air France-KLM's new boss, after several newspapers reported that he was poised to be named to the job Thursday. The appointment would fill a management void after a tumultuous stand-off with unions at French carrier Air France. Former CE Jean-Marc Janaillac quit in May when staff rejected his offer of a pay deal aimed at ending a wave of strikes. The next boss will have to grapple with unions that are demanding fresh talks over wages, and the reported choice of a North American to run a company in which the French state has a stake has already raised hackles among some. "The board of Air France-KLM always makes the worst decisions," Philippe Evain, head of the SNPL pilots' union, said. <br/>