What is Transavia's strategy for expanding in the French market over the coming months?
Hervé Kozar - Transavia is expanding rapidly. For the past two years, we have been adding 20 to 25% of additional capacity every year. We have opened 20 new routes last year, and ten more this year. We are now trying to improve our frequencies on destinations opened in previous years. We will therefore be opening fewer new routes, but reinforce existing lines. This is the case in Portugal, for example, where we are very strong in Lisbon and Porto, with two or even three daily flights. This year we have opened up routes such as Amsterdam, Munich and Dublin, where we find a lot of business travellers.
What role do business customers play in this strategy?
Hervé Kozar - We started with a very leisure-oriented clientele, which we have supplemented with 'citybreakers' who come to visit European capitals at weekends, and we now have 10% of passengers using our flights for business purposes. Departures fromOrly are a major advantage in this business travel market. So are early morning departures. From April 2016, we will be offering at least one daily flight on 29 routes. And we will be adding a second daily flight to Dublin, Munich, Prague, Venice, Seville and Amsterdam: six destinations to which business travellers will be able to make the most of their flight.round trip day.
Are you planning to launch any new business travel services?
Hervé Kozar - Yes, we're also concentrating on improving the product, which used to be relatively straightforward. This year we introduced branded fares, including the Max fare, aimed at business customers We will soon be adding other improvements dedicated to business customers, most likely in the areas of ground efficiency, cabin baggage, priority boarding and the choice of front seat for faster disembarkation. In January 2016, everything will be in place.
Alexandre de Juniac had announced that Transavia would become the leading low-cost airline at Orly. Where do things stand?
Hervé Kozar - This will be the case in 2016. We have very strong growth: we have added five more aircraft this year, and five more will arrive next year. We now have both the programme and the product to attract business travellers. Our distribution has been adapted, via the GDSs and SBTs of corporate customers. Everything is now much more fluid than it was at the beginning, and travel agents can easily sell the Transavia offer to their customers. We are fortunate to be able to count on the strike force of the Air France KLM groupThis is what sets us apart from some of our low-cost competitors.
What next?
Hervé Kozar - We want to rapidly increase the number of business customers on these routes, as we have done in Portugal, where we are targeting 15 to 20% business travellers. To fill our aircraft year-round and on weekdays, we know that we need to reach out to all customer segments. The sale of single tickets on low-cost airlines also allows business travellers to 'shop around' for their appointments, opting if necessary for two carriers on the outward and return journeys. We have also expanded our sales team, recruiting Charlotte Dumesnil as Business Sales Manager.
How much autonomy does Transavia have within the Air France KLM group?
Hervé Kozar - We are in complete autonomy. We decide on new route openings, but it would make no sense to do it on our own: we try to discuss each other's constraints and objectives. We try to discuss each other's constraints and objectives. So we do it in good understanding, and in relation to the slots that Air France provides us with at Orly.
What is the relationship between Transavia France and its Dutch counterpart?
Hervé Kozar -It's a day-to-day relationship. Together we have successfully completed the recent developments in terms of rebranding, the launch of the new website, the new uniforms, and so on. with a European customer in mind.
