oneworld offers more alliance fares in France as it aims for a bigger slice of French business travel market

16 mars 2005

oneworldTM , the leading quality international airline alliance, offers a wider range of its fares and sales products in France than any other country worldwide - more variety than any other airline grouping provides.

The 15 fare and sales products it markets in France comprise excellent value and flexible tickets for travel on any of its eight member airlines - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus - and their 17 affiliates, who between them fly across an unrivalled global network covering 603 destinations in 136 territories.

These fare and sales products cover the needs of customers ranging from captains of industry and companies to student backpackers, whether they want to fly right around the world, tour round one continent, or send staff regularly on trips to any of hundeds of destinations worldwide.

oneworld Global Sales Manager Filip Lemmens said: "oneworld's fares and sales products offer unmatched flexibility and schedule options, at highly attractive prices. Travelers from France will find them hard to beat. Together, our airlines offer consumers across France a real alternative for their global travel needs. The range of oneworld products offered in France reflects our strategy of gaining a bigger share of the travel market from the republic."

France is currently just one of two countries worldwide where oneworld offers its businessflyer product, enabling small and medium sized companies to benefit from discounts of up to 70 per cent on air travel worldwide in return for a more regular relationship with the alliance's airlines.

Some 750 companies have signed up so far, working with 450 travel agency partners across the countries. Revenues from this product have increased by 500 per cent in the past six months.

Three other fare products available from France have just been rebranded, to make them fit more closely with the others in the oneworld portfolio. This trio allows customers to travel from France to, within and then back from the continent of their choice, using any combination of oneworld member airlines.

Using asiaflyer, a trip from Paris to Hong Kong and then on to Tokyo on Cathay Pacific, then returning to Paris via London on British Airways would cost just €3 400 plus taxes - a saving of €3 310, or 49 per cent, on the regular business class fare. Destinations featured in Asia include Bangkok, Beijing, Denpasar, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nagoya, Osaka, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. A stopover is available for just €200.

latinflyer could be used to fly from Nice to Rio de Janeiro via Madrid on Iberia, on to Santiago, Chile, on LAN, then back to Paris via Dallas/Fort Worth on American Airlines, for just €3 850 plus taxes - a saving of €3 219, or 46 per cent, on the regular business class fare. Destinations covered include Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Guatemala, Guayquil, Lima, Managua, Mexico, Panama City, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, San Jose, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo. A stopover is available for just €200.

 

southernafricaflyer could be used to fly from Bordeaux to Cape Town via London and then on to Johannesburg with British Airways, then back via Madrid with Iberia, for just €2 750 plus taxes - a saving of €3 946, or 59 per cent, on the regular business class fare. Destinations featured include Cape Town, Harare, Johannesburg and Lusaka. Up to two stopovers are permitted.

 

All three of these fares are for business class travel. They carry no advanced booking requirement and have no minimum stay requirement. They are valid for a year's travel. Journeys can start or finish at any of the eight airports across France served by oneworld airlines - Paris CDG and Orly, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Toulon and Toulouse - and from 12 TGV stations throughout the country. All three fares attract frequent flyer miles and points through any oneworld airline's frequent flyer programme. Infants and children receive a 20 per cent discount.

Currently, asiaflyer, latinflyer and southernafricaflyer are available only for travel originating in France, using business class only. The plan is to extend them to other markets later.

Other oneworld fares and sales products available from France include:

  • oneworld Explorer: The unique, flexible, great value round-the-world fare – the obvious choice if you want to include trips in Australia – available for travel in economy, business or even first class. Unlike other round-the-world fares, oneworld Explorer's price is based on the number of continents you visit, not the mileage you fly, making planning and pricing your journey much more simple and flexible. Prices from France start from €2 000.
  • Global Explorer: Another round-the-world, this time offered in conjuction with five airlines outside oneworld - Air Pacific, Gulf Air, Swiss International Air Lines, Polynesian and Australian Airlines - increasing the number of destinations available, particularly in the South West Pacific. Unlike oneworld Explorer, its fares are calculated on the miles flown. It has four versions - for flying up to 26 000 miles, up to 29 000 miles or up to 39 000 miles in Economy class, or up to 34 000 for travel in any class. Prices from France start from €1 899.
  • Visit Passes: Offering multi-sector flights on any oneworld carrier in a specific continent – once you have flown to that continent longhaul. They offer a great value way to travel around a region. oneworld is the only alliance offering this sort of tickets for all six continents.
  • Circle Explorer: Similar to oneworld Explorer, but excludes travel to North and South America, so you can fly halfway around the globe and then back again, without actually circumnavigating the planet (eg London-Hong Kong-Sydney-Jo'burg-London). There is no competitive alliance fare in the market.
  • Circle Pacific: Another explorer variant but for trips around the Pacific Ocean, covering Australia/NZ, Asia and North and South America.
  • eventflyer: Special fares offered to organisers of and delegates attending international conferences or conventions.
  • For full details of all fares, see oneworld.com or any oneworld member airline.

About oneworld: oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Finnair and Aer Lingus - enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. Together, its members serve 603 destinations in 136 countries. It is the first global alliance with the customer convenience of interline e-ticketing between all its member airlines. oneworld was voted the world's best airline alliance by readers of Business Traveller magazine in its 2004 poll and named the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the second year running in the latest World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by travel professionals from 80 000 agencies in more than 200 countries. Note: LAN affiliate LAN ECUADOR is not a member of oneworld.