FLYSSC From Lebanon, joined Aug 2003, 6296 posts, RR: 65 Posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 999 times:
If the merging of Air France, KLM, and Alitalia is finally achieved, do you think that each ailine should keep its identity ? or should they all three drop their National references, and adopt a commun new Name, Livery, two letters code, airplanes configuration, etc....
I would personnaly vote for the second option, as it would be much more evident for PAX, commercially, and much easier to control and manage. It would prevent epidermic national reactions such as : "Oh !!! this bad AF is better treated than this poor KL..., "Oh !!! why everything to CDG and nothing to MXP " ?
PS : and maybe, at least, we could see clean planes at CDG...
VCE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 975 times:
I agree with You. It could be a good idea following the example of SK. The Dutch are not Latins as we both are.. but they are very welcome in the family
StarFlyer From Germany, joined Sep 2002, 987 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 883 times:
I cant imagine these prestigeous names being given up. Especially Alitalia and Air France still carry their countries names and I am sure there will be opposition to these disappearing from the skies.
Maybe they'll choose a name like "Air Europe" or something (if thats not gone yet).
FLYSSC From Lebanon, joined Aug 2003, 6296 posts, RR: 65 Reply 5, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 876 times:
KL911, our planes are flying to much ! that's why they are a bit dirty sometimes...they don't stay enough on the ground for maintenance AND washing... that's also what "makes Air France so healthy" as you said..
Maybe KLM planes should be a little bit less clean...and more profitable
JAL777 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 745 times:
The new airline will be called Euro Air, they will only accept Euro for payments, they're logo will be Euro Stars, and they will only carry a Euro flag on their planes. They're employees will learn to speak Euro and completely forget about Italiaa, French, and Dutch. All their passenger will carry Euro passports and also speak Euro.
And then 20 years from now... everyone will wonder what the differences between Italy and the Netherlands were because they would have dissapeared by then.
Kl911 From Czech Republic, joined Jul 2003, 3286 posts, RR: 19 Reply 10, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 755 times:
Dutch humor:
FLIGHTS, FROGS AND A FINN
The story starts, as mine always tend to, in Finland. It was an average, mildly chilly June morning, when I got onto the Finnair flight 0871, and settled down to 'enjoy' yet another transatlantic flight experience. As said, I had done this before, but there was one new factor in the plan - I had a stop in gay Paris, to change planes.
Now, you have to understand, I have nothing in particular against the French, but I must tell you, in the strongest possible terms: do not, under any circumstances, go to the Paris airport. I was expecting a vast cosmopolitan complex with good cafes. What I got instead, was a vast, chaotic sprawl of hallways, and cold, sterile lounges. There were no proper signs posted anywhere, and the signs that they did have, were all in French. Everyone smoked indoors, nobody spoke understandable English, and all of the service was slow and/or unfriendly.
Truly, I had two hours to change planes, and how did I end up using these two hours? Did I have the nice cup of coffee and the croissant I had been fantasizing about all morning? No. Did I get myself a copy of Empire or the Gay Times, to read during the flight? No. Instead I had the distinct displeasure to run around for an hour, just to find a bus to take me to another terminal, and then to stand in line for thirty minutes, just to get my boarding-card printed, which took the skill-challenged individual behind the counter some twenty additional minutes.
Now, those of you who are good at math, can figure out that at this point, I had some ten minutes to get to my plane. What makes matters even more hilarious, and worked to raise my blood-pressure a few more notches, was the fact that the boarding-card didn't even have a seat marked on it. "I'm sorry sir, we not able give you seat here, you go satellite seven, they give you seat."
By this time, I was getting somewhat frantic. I have never missed a flight in my life, and this was definitely not the time to do so. I still had one more connecting flight to get to in the US, to reach my final destination of Charlotte, and I truly did not fancy the idea of missing that. So I rushed, panting, to satellite seven, where I found yet another security checkpoint (I had been through three at this point), pitifully understaffed, with a huge line between it and myself. I kept my cool, seeing I still had some minutes left, and actually did manage to make it through in time. This was mostly due to the plane being late in the true French fashion, boarding when it should have already been in the air.
Now, if you think that my problems were at an end, you are most mistaken. I got to the boarding-gate, only to have one more French person tell me that I should go to the USAir desk, to be assigned a seat in the plane. Now I am happy to say, I did not punch this woman out, there and then. I only told her, in no uncertain terms, that I was coming from said desk, and that they had told me to get the said seat here. She retorted with a mess of something she most assuredly thought to be English, but the only words I could make out were: "please sir, just calm down, please". A helpful American (they do exist) interjected at this point, telling me there was another desk, neatly hidden behind some ornamental plants, just nearby. I followed his instructions, and indeed, found this desk, where a group of merry Frenchmen were smoking and having a bit of a laugh, under a USAir sign that had been turned off in the most friendly fashion, making it somewhat impossible to notice from any distance. I approached these jolly continentals, slammed my ticket to the desk to attract their shifty attention, and demanded my seat. To my surprise, the jolly natives actually managed this in only eight minutes (I timed them). In a few moments more, I was on the plane. To add insult to injury though, I had the only French stewardess on that particular flight.
FLYSSC From Lebanon, joined Aug 2003, 6296 posts, RR: 65 Reply 11, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 636 times:
KL911, you forget to mention that everybody here at CDG is very hairy, and walk like monkey, almost naked...Oh !!! and they still use stones to engrave flights departure and arrivals on the terminal walls... Sometimes, they also use these stones to throw them to the face of alll those distinguished multi-lingual tall blond Dutch walking around...completely lost !!!
Bicoastal From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 581 times:
I posted the same point in a thread a couple of weeks ago. The merging airlines need to rebrand to be more inclusive and less nationalistic.
How about....."Europe International Airlines: The Best of Air France, KLM and Alitalia!" I'll leave it to others to do the French, Dutch and Italian translations.
After a few years they could drop "The Best of Air France, KLM and Alitalia!" and simply be know as Europe International Airlines.
Sabenapilot From Belgium, joined Feb 2000, 2563 posts, RR: 51 Reply 14, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 542 times:
I wouldn't count too much on it guys..
AF is more or less taking over iys European rivals KL an AZ just as they did with Air Inter and UTA in France..... If the Dutch and Italians are lucky they will manage to keep their name in the skies for some more time, written next to the pegasus logo of the Air France group; in the worst case scenario Amsterdam, Milan and Rome will be full of white planes with red and blue stripes on the tail before this decade is over.
Steman From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 1171 posts, RR: 11 Reply 16, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 447 times:
Ciao guys,
in my opinion, the best way to act in case of a merger of the three airlines is the following:
The current owners (major shareholders) of the three airlines will create a new Company which will actually own the three airlines.
The Company will dictate the guide lines for the three airlines, will create common structures like maintenance, training, catering, airport handlings etc but will keep the three brands separated.
A little bit like it happens in the automotive industry where for example the VW Group owns VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda and they keep on selling cars with the different brands...
However,
I still hope that the merger won't go through.
Elwood64151 From United States, joined Feb 2002, 2477 posts, RR: 9 Reply 17, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 410 times:
StarFlyer:
I was thinking "EuroTran", in the model of AirTran, but recognizing that it is a combined European carrier, and not the national carrier of any particular nation.
JAL777:
That's so funny that you're now on my respected users list!
Also, considering how significantly unliked the French are in this country, I think it's important that they drop the nationalistic names. I know several people who are spending a few extra dollars to fly KLM or BA to avoid flying AF.
Keeping any name offends the people of the other two nations, and keeping AF hurts the KLM and Alitalia components by losing American international travelers.
For the sake of diplomacy, they'd have to find something they can all live with.
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it in summer school.
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