Date: 16 October 2012
Air France to launch Kuala Lumpur route.
Reports in The Jakarta Post reveal that Air France intends
to launch a new route linking Paris CDG with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in April
2013. Interestingly at Kuala Lumpur the Air France flight from Paris will
dovetail into the existing KLM service from Amsterdam which continues on to
Jakarta.
According to Air France/KLM's country manager in Indonesia,
Dirk Buitelaar, it means that passengers arriving into Kuala Lumpur from Paris
will be able to continue on to Jakarta using KLM. Details of schedules are not
yet available but Air France/KLM passengers travelling further afield may be
offered onward connecting possibilities with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) at Kuala
Lumpur.
Although MAS is expected by then to have become a member of
the rival Oneworld alliance, there is nothing to stop airlines of different
alliances striking their own codeshare deals. For example, Air France (Skyteam)
with JAL (Oneworld) or Qantas (Oneworld) with Emirates (non-alligned).
It also means that UK passengers will have another option
for reaching Kuala Lumpur. This is especially relevant for regional passengers
who will be able to bypass London and fly directly from, say Aberdeen,
Edinburgh, Newcastle or Manchester to Paris CDG for the Kuala Lumpur
connection.
Currently the London to Kuala Lumpur route is monopolised by
Malaysia Airlines, and there are no direct flights from the regions.
By Alex McWhirter.
Copyright @ Panacea Publishing. Copyright 2012
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