The largest international long-haul network
Air France was formed from a merger of five French airlines: Air Union, Air Orient, Soci?t? G?n?rale de Transport A?rien (SGTA), the CIDNA and A?ropostale. Air France was one of the few existing airlines to have been founded before the second world war.
As early as 1946, Air France launched a regular service between Europe and North America, linking Paris to New York. In 1958, Air France inaugurated a new route serving Tokyo ? the polar route, with a stopover in Anchorage. The Company currently operates the largest international long-haul network.
With the arrival of the first jet planes in the 1950s, the Atlantic Ocean could be crossed in one bound by aircraft travelling at speeds of above 900 km/h. In 1958, Air France brought into service the first Caravelles operating flights to Europe and North Africa and the Middle East, while operating the first Boeing 707 which shortened the Paris-New York trip to 8 hours. In 1976, Air France brought into service the supersonic aircraft Concorde, linking the two cities in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
The technical progress in aircraft and airport infrastructure improvements went increasingly hand in hand with the boom in traffic and airlines. In 1961, Air France set up its head office and workshops at Paris-Orly Sud. In 1974, Air France set up operations in the new Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1 terminal, followed by CDG 2 in 1982.
An alliance on a global scale
The alliances SkyTeam, for passenger transport, and SkyTeam Cargo, for freight, were launched in 2000 by Air France, Aeromexico, Delta Airlines and Korean Air. SkyTeam has continued to expand ever since. Today, SkyTeam has 18 member airlines and offers access to a worldwide network of more than 14,800 daily flights to 993 destinations in 186 countries.
Today, an innovative group
Since 2004, AIR FRANCE and KLM have formed one of the leading European air transport groups. Both airlines now offer their customers a network covering 230 destinations in 113 countries from their hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Their frequent flyer programme Flying Blue is the leader in Europe and has over 21 million members.
The group is also at the forefront of digital innovation. When booking their flight, customers benefit from “AF Connect” and “KLM connect”, an exclusive, free service, with no registration or subscription required, which proactively informs customers of any changes and irregularities during their trip by phone, SMS or email. In addition, as a world first in 2013, Air France will offer its customers a range of digital press on their personal screen (smartphone or tablet), on the day of their flight, in addition to traditional newspapers and magazines.
Discover all the latest Air France news in real time wherever you are on the free iPhone application on the corporate website and on smartphones at http://mobile-corporate.airfrance.com/en