Skyteam10001 From United States of America, joined Jun 2004, 194 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 2185 times:
Hot off the wires, sorry only in French
Basically, the latest industrial plan for Alitalia to be presented on 8/30 to the AZ board calls for dramatic cut in long haul flying and concentration on short and medium haul flights. This is said to be a move in the direction of AK-KL.
AF-KL would be associated with TPG or Apax. The Italian State would only keep 10% of the airline.
AIR FRANCE-KLM serait prêt à prendre jusqu'à 39% d'ALITALIA
(AOF) - Air France-KLM envisagerait de prendre entre 29% et 39% d'Alitalia, selon la presse italienne de ce week-end. La compagnie franco-néerlandaise pourrait s'associer à dessein au fonds d'investissement Texas Pacific Group ou Apax. L'Etat italien verrait sa participation réduite à 10% dans la compagnie italienne et n'intégrerait pas la holding de contrôle d'Air France-KLM.
D'après la presse transalpine, le nouveau plan industriel d'Alitalia, qui sera présenté au conseil d'administration le 30 août, prévoit un recentrage sur les vols court et moyen-courriers et une réduction des lignes intercontinentales. Cette réorientation stratégique pourrait être destinée à faciliter le rapprochement avec Air France-KLM, estime notamment "La Repubblica".
Le 9 août, le directeur général délégué d'Air France-KLM, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon avait déclaré rester tout à fait attentif au dossier de la compagnie italienne, qui doit être privatisée.
Beaucaire From Syria, joined Sep 2003, 5252 posts, RR: 26 Reply 1, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 2126 times:
The stock-exchange seems to welcome the news,since AF shares are on the rise...
I'm still of the opinion that AZ can be turnd into a beauty.Italy as a market is very dynamic and one should not be distracted by the fact that AZ has been badly managed that there is not potential to make money with a re-vamped operation.
AF are perfectly capable to achieve this within one year.Once the decision is taken,the shares of AZ will rise !
I've still been to Rome airport flying to France last week and the place was packed ! The clientéle is there-just give them a decent service,no strikes,newer aircraft and some more professional dedication-that's all it takes!
PHKLM From Northern Mariana Islands, joined Dec 2005, 1198 posts, RR: 3 Reply 2, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 2074 times:
Quoting Beaucaire (Reply 1): The clientéle is there-just give them a decent service,no strikes,newer aircraft and some more professional dedication-that's all it takes!
So why oh why did it not happen during the last decade?
No strikes is a utopia, it's Italy after all. The unions are not going to be satisfied when a French company is taking AZ over.
If long-haul routes are going to be cut (I thought this is where AZ actually made some money, but well), you face the short haul fleet of AZ which is pretty rationalized, A32S and M80. Though the M80 is not the newest of planes, it still is very competitive for its low capital costs. Those costs are extremely important for a company like AZ, because it is very expensive for them to acquire new capital.
Professional dedication is not a button you touch and then it's there; it takes time and a lot of effort to change the minds of demoralized AZ staff.
Sure, on paper the basis is there, Alitalia Express operates the E-jets, like AF Régional and KLM Cityhopper (on order), European flights are operated with A32S (like AF) and the fleet of M80's is large enough to justify it as a sub-fleet, on long haul you have 763 (although I think they will be phased out if long-haul services are cut) and the 772, used by both AF and KL. But, practice will prove a lot more difficult than theory.
Icarus75 From France, joined Oct 2003, 769 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2011 times:
Quoting PHKLM (Reply 2): No strikes is a utopia, it's Italy after all.
I think some people were saying the same about AF!
On another point, a lot of people were saying that AF "buying" meant the end of KL! Are we close from this end?
What Beaucaire said is right. I live in Milan and commute to Paris every week-ends, either to and from MXP or LIN.
I fly both AF and AZ : All the flights are full all the time, often overbooked.
The clientele really exists and, speaking with italian people, they only avoid AZ because of poor service and strikes (often).
On my side, I only hope things will work and AF-KL will turn AZ in a true and reliable airline.
UAL777UK From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2005, 3355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 1993 times:
Well all I can say is that anybody who takes over the current AZ, better have Lady Luck on the board as well, as IMHO, AZ is nothing but a hotbed of trouble. They should have been liquidated, a new Airline born out of the ashes with new contracts for staff etc and then prospered from there. Time will tell.....
Beaucaire From Syria, joined Sep 2003, 5252 posts, RR: 26 Reply 5, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1953 times:
Quoting UAL777UK (Reply 4): AZ is nothing but a hotbed of trouble.
Yes and no...
As a fervent defender of Italian culture and lifestyle,i'm fully aware that the past management did not do any good to AZ.
But are we really objective when we exclusively pin-point the negatives of Italy /and-or Alitalia?
There have been ton's of threads about AZ and all basically agreed that the airline should have been closed and re-opened under true management and with 50 % of the actual staff.
But there is a critical quantity of passenger transportation to handle in Italy every day.Economy and tourism keep flourishing and the sudden cut of AZ transport-capacity in and out of Italy would create absolute chaos.
Sure they use a fleet obsolete MD 80's and MD 90's -but so what ? Look at most American network carriers who still rely heavily on the workhorses of airlines today.Those planes are fully depreciated and op's cost are most likely better than newly leased A320's.There is no way to defend strikes that have cost the airline millions of much needed cash.There is no way to defend ego-centric ,selfish behaviour of some of AZ's staff.But honestly-I've been flying them for quite some time,and they are not worse or better than most other European network-carriers.
Viva Italia !
Art From Lebanon, joined Feb 2005, 2977 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 1898 times:
Quoting Skyteam10001 (Thread starter): D'après la presse transalpine, le nouveau plan industriel d'Alitalia, qui sera présenté au conseil d'administration le 30 août, prévoit un recentrage sur les vols court et moyen-courriers et une réduction des lignes intercontinentales.
I suspect that if they focus on short and medium range flights and reduce intercontinental routes, they are going to get through their cash stash even faster than now. What happens to the staff and aircraft surplus to requirements when long hauls are reduced? They will stick around costing money while earning nothing. OK if Alitalia have long haul aircraft whose leases are about to expire, that may get them off the equipment hook, financially speaking. But do they have flight crew whose leases are about to expire?
UAL777UK From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2005, 3355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (5 years 10 months 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 1793 times:
Quoting Beaucaire (Reply 5): -I've been flying them for quite some time,and they are not worse or better than most other European network-carriers.
Oh come on, apart from AF, who had their spate of strikes in the past, no airline in Europe comes close to AZ and the strikes their staff keep pulling, that alone makes them in my book....worse!
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