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From: AIRWISE-NEWS –Airlines News - Archive Good Summer In Prospect At Air Liberté Apr 5, 1999 Air Liberté's head Marc Rochet told French radio station Radio Classique April 2 that the carrier was looking forward to a good summer. Air Liberté is a subsidiary of British Airways. "February was good, March was excellent. So it seems there is currently a strong recovery for our business and I think the summer looks like being very good for all companies," M. Rochet said. "It's very good in Europe in general, fairly sustained in the United States and over the north Atlantic," he added. Mr Rochet called on the French government to allow more flights at Paris's Orly airport, which is increasingly being used as France's main domestic hub, while international flights are moving to Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport. "We could handle five million more passengers a year at Orly today, without any environmental problems," he said. The extra traffic would mean 40 to 100 more flights per day, depending on aircraft size. M. Rochet pointed out that a ban on night flights had reduced complaints about noise. The government has capped air traffic at Orly at 250,000 take-offs and landings a year, in response to residents' demands. But M. Rochet said modern aircraft were much quieter. Orly handled 370,000 take-offs and landings a year when the much noiser Caravelle and Boeing 707 airliners were flying, he said. Air Liberté Joins Europe By Air Jun 18, 1999 It was announced June 17 that French carrier Air Liberté has joined the Europe by Air pass program. Air Liberté's route system adds 32 new French cities to the program and increases the number of participating airlines to 17. There are now 115 European city destinations available at USD$99 per flight plus tax. From its base at Paris Orly Airport, the major cities served by Air Liberte include Bordeaux, Nice, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Montpellier, Nantes, and Toulon for St. Tropez. It also offers "alternative airport" service for other destinations such as Annecy in the French Alps (40 miles from Geneva), Perpignan (100 miles away from Barcelona) and border gateways to Germany and the Black Forest at Strasbourg and Metz/Nancy. Other French cities valid for Europe by Air passengers at USD$99 per segment plus tax are Agen, Aurillac, Bergerac, Brest, Brive, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Epinal, Lannion, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse, Perigueux, Poitiers, Rennes, Roanne, Rodez, Tours and Figari in Corsica. From Nice, Europe by Air travelers can connect with Virgin Express to its hub in Brussels or Portugalia to their Lisbon hub. In Paris, Europe by Air passengers can fly to Debonair's hub in London. "Once passengers get to any of the member airline hubs the network stretches from Ireland to Moscow to Greece to the Iberian Peninsula," said Bill Wolf, Europe by Air President. Air Liberté, in business since 1987, operates a fleet of 42 aircraft including DC10, MD83, Fokker jets and turboprops. Air Liberté, partially owned by British Airways, operates 2,000 flights per week, and as many as nine flights per day between Paris and Nice. Europe by Air Passes are sold in countries outside of Europe only and are not available for sale to European residents. Each Pass costs USD$99 each plus tax 1 subject to a minimum purchase of three tickets, is non-refundable and is valid for 120 days. Airline members include AB Airlines, Air Greece, Air One, AlpiEagles, Augsburg, CityJet, Croatian, Debonair, Estonian, Icelandair, LTU/RAS, PGA Portugalia, Spanair, Trans Travel, Virgin Express, VLM and now Air Liberté. Air Liberté Joins Europe Pass Program Jul 16, 1999 French carrier Air Liberté is the latest airline to join the Europe by Air pass program. Available to non-European residents only, the pass which costs USD$99 plus tax, gives access to major business and vacation destinations throughout Europe. The passes offer unlimited travel in Europe for 120 days subject to a minimum purchase of three tickets which are non-refundable. Air Liberté, part-owned by British Airways, is based at Paris Orly airport and flies to 32 French cities. Other members of the Europe by Air program include Air Bristol, Air Greece, Air One, AlpiEagles Airlines, Augsburg Airlines, CityJet, Croatian, Estonian Airlines, Icelandair, PGA Portugalia, Spanair, Virgin Express and VLM. Strike To Disrupt French Air Traffic October 11 & 12 Oct 9, 1999 Air traffic in France is expected to face considerable disruption Monday October 11 and Tuesday October 12 resulting from a two day strike by pilots and cabin crew on French airlines. Air France said it would mean the airline would be operating only a half to two-thirds of its usual schedule. In a statement, Air France apologized for having to re-accommodate some passengers onto new flights saying that it was due to events beyond Air France's control. French national aviation unions have called the two-day strike to protest the proposals on implementing the French government's mandated change to a 35- hour work week. "We are very sorry for any inconveniences to passengers who have been re- accommodated on other flights," said Jean-Louis Pinson, vice president and general manager for Air France in the U.S. "We are working hard to get our passengers to their destinations as soon as possible." Passengers on the following arriving and departing Air France flights for Monday, October 11, 1999 are being re-accommodated, all other Air France US flights are scheduled to operate, the airline said. Atlanta AF300/307 Boston AF322/321 Chicago AF050/055 Houston AF036/033 Los Angeles AF062/061 and AF068/069 Miami AF090/095 Newark AF004/003 Washington AF026/027 The statement said that negotiations were continuing to stop the strike from spilling over into Tuesday and that an announcement would be made later. For latest information check the Air France web site at http://www.airfrance.com or call your travel agent or Air France Reservations at 800-237-2747. 2 Air Liberte, the British Airways subsidiary based at Paris-Orly, said it was forecasting only minor disruption. In a statement, the carrier said it expected to maintain all long-haul flights to the West Indies and the Indian Ocean and around 75 percent of its domestic schedule to Nice, Montpellier, Perpignan, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Toulon. Air Liberte’s regional French network would not be affected, the statement added. Next week's strike follows a protest October 7 by ground staff at the two main Paris airports over the same issue. That strike did not involve pilots and flight attendants but slowed air traffic and closed off one of two runways at Orly airport and one of three runways at Charles de Gaulle airport causing delays of up to one hour. By January 1, 2000, French companies with more than 20 employees will be required by law to implement a 35-hour work week. The government passed a law last year that encourages companies to sign on to the plan ahead of schedule by giving them tax breaks. AOM French Airlines said it would issue a statement on the impact of the strike on their flight programs later. Swissair Eyes Liberté Mar 3, 2000 Swissair is reported to be in talks with British Airways about the future of Air Liberté, the UK airline's unprofitable French unit. A report in Le Figaro newspaper said the Swiss carrier, which already has stakes in French airlines AOM and Air Littoral SA, is discussing a figure for Air Liberté of about 539 million French francs. Swissair declined to comment further on the report, which said it could merge its French holdings and include them in its Qualiflyer alliance of regional airlines. "If you have an alliance, if you are working in several markets, you try to have synergies," said a spokesman for Swissair, which owns 49 per cent of AOM and 44 per cent of Air Littoral. BA has declined to confirm that it is close to selling Air Liberté, which has been unprofitable since the UK carrier bought 84 per cent of it in 1993. The disposal of Air Liberté would make sense for the UK carrier, Europe's biggest, as it focuses elsewhere to get back to profit. Swissair may have to compete with Air France for Air Liberté, which would help the flagship French carrier to boost the number of its takeoff and landing slots at Paris's Orly airport to two-thirds from 43 per cent, Le Figaro said. BA Sells Stake In Air Liberte May 5, 2000 British Airways has stepped back from the French domestic market by selling its controlling stake in Air Liberte. Competition from high speed trains is one of the reasons given for the sale. BA's will receive around FFr 457 million (GBP£40 million) in cash for its 86 per cent holding in the airline from European financial institution Taitbout Antibes BV. The French carrier was acquired by BA three years ago. Air Liberte will continue to operate BA services between the UK and France - between London Heathrow and Paris Orly and on routes from London Gatwick to Bordeaux and Toulouse. 3 BA Chairman Lord Marshall said: "Since British Airways initial entry into the French domestic airline market in 1993 competition has intensified significantly, both in the air and on the ground from high speed trains. "Despite the great efforts of the management teams and employees Air Liberte and, before it TAT European Airlines, have not delivered an adequate return for BA shareholders. We have explored every option for resolving the matter and the sale to Taitbout represents the best way forward." Alain Blanc-Brude, President du Directoire of Taitbout's parent company Groupe Alpha, said: "Together with our existing businesses, AOM and Air Littoral, the acquisition of Air Liberte creates the possibility for us to build a strong second force in the French airline market." Air Liberte operates a fleet of three DC10s, used on routes to the French Caribbean and Reunion, ten MD83s and 11 Fokker 100s which serve its French domestic network from Paris Orly.