 | SkyTeam HeadlinesSkyTeam NewsFlash — October 2003SkyTeam, the global airline alliance partnering Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air, sets itself apart from the competition with its constant commitment to customer service. SkyTeam NewsFlash, issued monthly, enables the alliance to keep key media fully up-to-date with its most recent developments. Please read on for this month's update of SkyTeam activities. SkyTeam Members Aeromexico, Air France and CSA Czech Airlines Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries Three SkyTeam members are celebrating historic achievements in the airline industry. Aeromexico commemorates its 15th anniversary this month with the introduction of a new fleet of 737-700s, outlined below. On 7 October, SkyTeam member Air France celebrated its 70th anniversary. In 1933, French Aviation Minister Pierre Cot officially inaugurated Air France at Paris Le Bourget Airport. On 29 October, SkyTeam member CSA Czech Airlines will celebrate eight decades in the sky. The first CSA passenger aircraft departed only 20 years after the Wright Brothers assembled the first engine-powered plane. CSA will celebrate the anniversary with a unique fashion show featuring models wearing costume jewelry made by Jablonex. The event is to star Miss Czech Republic 1998 and Queen of the World 1998 Katerina Stocesova. In April, CSA Czech Airlines unveiled a Boeing 737-500 aircraft with a special anniversary design to mark the company's 80th anniversary celebrations. SkyTeam Members Air France and Aeromexico Welcome New Addition to their Fleets On 9 October, SkyTeam member Air France welcomed the first of fifteen Airbus A318's scheduled to serve its French domestic and European routes with SkyTeam codeshare partners. Air France is the launch airline for this new aircraft and completes the last stage of modernizing Air France's medium-haul fleet. On 22 October, in concert with the airline's 15th anniversary celebration, Aeromexico will debut its first of fifteen new Boeing 737-700, scheduled to arrive over the next year. The new 124-seat fleet will offer SkyTeam customers even greater comfort when traveling with Aeromexico, providing more spacious overhead bins and larger windows. SkyTeam Customers to Benefit from Air France's New Concept in Air Travel Starting next month, Air France will revolutionize first and business class travel for SkyTeam customers traveling on the airline's long-haul flights. Sixty percent of Air France's long-haul flights will offer customers an enhanced business class, providing travelers with comfort and modernity to enrich their overall experience. The new l'Espace Affaires cabin will guarantee SkyTeam passengers a lie-flat bed - reclining a full 180 degrees and providing passengers with 27 percent more personal space - as well as a shell to create personal privacy and two separate bar areas. Beginning in April 2004, SkyTeam travelers looking for first class service will find an updated l'Espace Premiere cabin on Air France's 33 renovated long-haul flights Boeing 777-200 and 777-300, offering customers eight seats with 50 percent more personal space, a real bed and a proper mattress. The l'Espace Première and l'Espace Affaires airport lounges have also been redesigned, as can be seen in the new Terminal 2E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. There are newly-designed areas dedicated to work, relaxation, entertainment and refreshment. To help passengers move through the airport faster and more easily and thereby gain in efficiency, Air France has also introduced a host of new airport technologies, such as third generation self-service kiosks. SkyTeam Cargo Joint Venture Welcomes Alitalia On 2 October, SkyTeam U.S. Cargo Sales Joint Venture members Air France Cargo, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air Cargo welcomed SkyTeam member Alitalia Cargo as its newest member. Alitalia Cargo brings an extensive and efficient network to the Joint Venture with over 100 destinations worldwide. The Joint Venture offers customers the benefits of a combined sales force, centralized reservation and service centers, a comprehensive route network and a common product line. For more information about SkyTeam, please visit www.skyteam.com, or call SkyTeam Communications at 646-935-4180 (in the United States). |   |
