KLM-Air France will collaborate with Etihad and Airberlin
In addition to a collaboration with Etihad from the Middle East, airline Air France-KLM is also joining forces with low-cost airline Air Berlin. The partnership will start on October 29.
Air France-KLM has already announced that it will be working with Etihad. A collaboration with Airberlin was also preferred by the management at Etihad. Airline Etihad owns 29% shares of the German low-cost airline.
The aim of the alliance is to cooperate on certain routes, so that the companies can offer a larger network to their customers and receive mutual passengers.
Aviation alliances
The cooperation has not only come about quickly, it is also remarkable because it crosses the boundaries of existing aviation alliances. Air France and KLM are in Skyteam, while Etihad and Airberlin are in Oneworld (with British Airways as the largest player).
In concrete terms, it now means that passengers from Abu Dhabi can travel from Etihad to Schiphol with KLM journey and can transfer there to certain KLM destinations.
Abu Dahbi
KLM customers can transfer in Abu Dahbi to some Etihad flights: Colombo (Sri Lanka), Islamabad (Pakistan), Lahore (Pakistan), Melbourne and Sydney (Australia).
The collaboration with Airberlin concerns the route between Berlin and Schiphol. KLM passengers can continue their flights from Berlin with Airberlin to Krakow (Poland), Gdansk (Poland) and Kaliningrad (Russia). Conversely, Airberlin customers at Schiphol can take a KLM aircraft to Edinburg, Glasgow and Manchester in the United Kingdom.
Bangkok
It is currently unknown whether KLM-Air France's partnership with Etihad and Airberlin also offers more options for flights to Bangkok.
So if I understand correctly, you book a ticket with Etihad and then you have to fly with KLM. KLM doesn't exactly have a good reputation, so I don't understand why Etihad wants to associate itself with that.
I will leave the merits of the various aircraft operators mentioned in this article entirely in the middle for the time being.
One doesn't like KLM, the other Air Berlin, the third Etihad, and so on.
Let's face it, all that working together has NEVER made it better or cheaper for the customer, and it won't do it in the future either.
The partnerships between the companies mentioned in the article are exclusively entered into for the benefit of the companies, and certainly not for the benefit, in any form whatsoever, of the customers who are increasingly confronted with rising prices and falling options/comfort, etc.
The remark that the low-cost carrier Air Berlin is participating makes me laugh a lot.
Let's face it, it should have been written the former prizefighter.
Some time ago, the competitor, then Mahan Air, was saddled with a flight ban.
Two days later, the flights of LTU, now air Berlin, had become 80-100 euros more expensive each way.
In summary, competition works to the advantage of the customer.
Loss of competition increases prices.
Collaboration ALSO increases the price
The most fearful thing in this is cooperation across alliances.
Watch out, price increasing!
Air Berlin has indeed become a lot more expensive since the collaboration with Etihad. That's why I don't fly with them anymore (also because of the small seats and bad food). I think that many Dutch people no longer fly with Air Berlin since the price increases, so those customers will now fly via other airlines. The result is that Air Berlin makes less profit and has to fly with half-full aircraft.
So I doubt it was smart to raise the prices.
I recently flew with Emirates in the A380 to Bkk. The A380 had engine problems and that caused a delay of 6 hours, so we had to wait in the gate with 600 people, while that gate is built on normal aircraft with 300 passengers. The result was that not everyone could sit on a chair. Now I'm working on claiming the 600 euros in compensation, which is a major disadvantage for companies that use the A380. 600 x 600 euros is a considerable expense for Emirates, which incidentally denies that I am entitled to that compensation.
Tookie,
Not only has Air Berlin become much more expensive since Etihad took a stake in Air Berlin, LTU has already become much more expensive when Mahan Air was not allowed to fly, and has become more expensive again when LTU was merged with Air Berlin.
I am personally completely at peace with the fact that the "service" is getting less in the form of no meals or drinks, provided that free drinking water remains.
I even have peace with less comfortable seats.
If only that is reflected in lower prices.
Unfortunately, the wave of collaborations, acquisitions, and whatever these combinations may be called, results in less and less competition,
Read higher prices and less service, and especially fewer direct flights.
Let's face it, I don't have the faintest idea if Mahan Air still flies from Dusseldorf, but I think Air Berlin is missing many Dutch customers.
Read cause pricing and switching.
Since Germany also introduced a flight tax, all flights have become more expensive. So it no longer makes sense to leave Germany. Parking is still cheaper than at Schiphol, but that's not why I do it.
I am curious how the transfer with Etihad or Air berlin is in Abu Dhabi. Maybe someone can write about that?
Air Berlin no longer flies directly to Bkk but stops in Abu Dhabi I think.
I personally think that a flight with a transfer should be cheaper than a direct flight, but that is not always the case.