Less than three years after its creation, La Compagnie has joined forces with another French carrier: XL Airways. The two companies have decided to join forces and create a new entity - which will also include tour operators Héliades and Crystal - with consolidated sales of over 400 million euros. This merger will have no social impact on 800 people will be brought together in the new entity, which will be headed by Laurent MagninCEO of the XL Airways group. Frantz Yvelin is stepping down. " This new shareholder base now gives us the dual fuel we need to take on new challenges "warns Laurent Magnin, who becomes operational director of the two companies. " The positive opinion of our works councils, which was particularly important to me, shows the same entrepreneurial spirit in both entities. Two companies whose strength lies in the commitment of their staff! Consumers want competitive prices associated with a product visibility. Our companies will act in this direction under a French label in the world's leading tourist destination, and one that must remain so ".
Synergies will be implemented very quickly
The quest for the best fares will undoubtedly be the common foundation on which the two partners will build this alliance. XL Airways has specialised in an "adapted" low-cost format, developing an aggressive pricing approach without sacrificing the long-haul basics: meals and baggage included. This hybrid format is to some extent similar to La Compagnie's positioning, " specialist in business class at the best price "as summed up by its co-founder Jean-Charles Perino last September.
In addition to their fare positioning, the two airlines intend to exploit other common strengths, in particular the uniformity of the aircraft operated: XL Airways uses exclusively Airbus A330s, while La Compagnie operates only Boeing 757s". Synergies will be implemented very quickly "the press release warns. The transatlantic route, and in particular the Paris-New York route, will undoubtedly be the most obvious showcase for this complementarity, even if the press release specifies that " the concept could be extended to other routes ".
