ČSA, Air France reunite

Air France and Czech Airlines (ČSA) have renewed route cooperation after cutting ties earlier this spring, reinstating a partnership broken likely as a result of tensions that started after Air France pulled out of bidding on ČSA when the unprofitable state airline was put up for sale in 2009.

The cooperation, announced Oct. 4, will result in six daily flights on the Prague-Paris route. The flights, to be split evenly between ČSA and Air France, will adhere to nearly the same schedule as before the route cooperation - called codesharing in the industry - collapsed.

"The negotiations with Air France representatives resulted in the straightening of our mutual business relations and the renewal of long-term cooperation, which pleases us greatly," said Jiří Marek, a member of the ČSA management board and ČSA's vice president of sales and marketing.

Air France-KLM was one of four bidders for ČSA in 2009, but Air France-KLM, and eventually all of the bidders, pulled out of the process when ČSA business records revealed the airline to have almost no market value.

"After more than 10 years of partnership, we needed to revisit our cooperation scheme," said František Šiling, Air France-KLM's country manager for the Czech Republic.

Code shares, like the one reinstated between ČSA and Air France, allow airlines to share the same flights. For example, in this specific code share, passengers can purchase a seat on a Prague to Paris flight from ČSA, but might end up on an Air France flight. The cooperation is used for efficiency and cost-cutting, as airlines needn't offer as many flights to destinations where they are cooperating with another carrier.

The code share fits neatly into ČSA's stated goals in the company's controversial restructuring plan meant to revive the still unprofitable airline and make it more marketable for privatization. The plan includes cutting routes deemed unprofitable and reducing the number of employees, while seeking to piggyback on increased cooperation with other carriers.

So far, ČSA's restructuring has included canceling routes to destinations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey and some domestic flights, while looking to increase routes to East European destinations, like Ukraine, the Caucasus and France, and so far has established new routes to Lviv, Donetsk, Samara and Bordeaux. ČSA is also looking to boost partnerships with carriers for routes farther east in Europe and the Middle East.

The airline recently launched its code share with United Arab Emirates-based company Etihad Sept. 23, through which ČSA will start new direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Prague, and then offer further global connections through Etihad to Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as destinations in Pakistan.

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com