For passengers onAir France-KLM doing business in South-East Asia, until now there has been the alliance of Skyteam to cover this part of the world, thanks to cooperation agreements with alliance members Garuda Indonesia and Vietnam Airlines. From the end of December, passengers will benefit from a new alternative thanks to the signature of a cooperation agreement with Garuda Indonesia and Vietnam Airlines, members of the alliance. large-scale code sharing between Air France-KLM and the Australian group Qantas. The agreement also includes the two low-cost subsidiaries of Australia's national carrier, Jetstar Airways and Jetstar Asia.
Jetstar Airways and Qantas have their main base at Sydney and Melbourne, while Jetstar Asia is based in Singapore. With Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Airways, Air France-KLM will offer more destinations in South East Asia from Paris-CDG andAmsterdam and via Singapore. At the latter airport, Jetstar Asia operates a fleet of 18 Airbus A320s with flights to almost 25 regional destinations.
The Franco-Dutch group will thus affix its own flight number to Jetstar Asia routes to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia; to Danang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; to Denpasar, Medan and Surabaya in Indonesia; to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia; to Phuket in Thailand and Yangon in Myanmar. To Australia, Darwin will also be accessible from Singapore.
In cooperation with Jetstar Airways, Air France-KLM passengers will be able to travel from Denpasar (Bali) to Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
From Denpasar, passengers should be able to look forward to the first Airbus A321neo LR (long-haul) aircraft entering service next year, alongside the current Boeing 787s. The new aircraft will offer superior comfort with new seats, individual online video, including a USB socket, and larger baggage compartments.
Also before the end of the year, the codeshare agreement between Air France, KLM and Qantas will also cover routes between Bangkok and Australia, in addition to existing agreements via Singapore and Hong Kong. For business people, this will mean third alternative route from Amsterdam or Paris to Sydney.
The two groups said that from 9 December, members of Air France-KLM's Flying Blue frequent flyer programme can earn miles and XP (experience points), as well as spend miles on Qantas flights. Premium Flying Blue members will also have access to additional benefits such as priority airport services and additional checked baggage allowance on Qantas flights. Air France-KLM and its Australian counterpart have indicated that they are exploring other opportunities, including the use of airport lounges.
