Word: klm
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Alitalia is losing much more than its artwork. On Monday afternoon, the board of Air France-KLM approved a deal to acquire a 25% stake in the Italian carrier for $414 million. Linking up with another major foreign airline was widely considered the only way that Alitalia could survive following years of cost overruns, labor unrest and political meddling that has led to more than $3 billion in state aid since 1998. (See pictures from Italy...
...sale, which may be the first step toward an eventual takeover by the French-Dutch carrier, gives Air France-KLM a big say in decision-making at Alitalia and greater access to Italian routes, which are ripe with potential for both international and domestic travelers. Unlike most other European countries, Italy's geography (1,350 kilometers (840 miles) north-south from Turin to Reggio Calabria, and two major islands) fuels steady national flights. Despite the current worldwide economic crisis, Italy also remains a destination for tourists as well as the families of Italian emigrants and their descendants around the world...
Those airlines lacking resources and scale may have little choice but to yield to larger ones, analysts say. Alongside Air France-KLM - Europe's biggest airline and still a favorite to grab a minority stake in beleaguered Italian flag carrier Alitalia - and the ever growing Lufthansa, an enlarged BA and Ryanair would mean "for most of the smaller network airlines who have a very weak balance sheet, they're going to have to fold into one of those four groups," says Exane BNP Paribas' Van Klaveren. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), for one, "will survive 2009, but I doubt it can survive...
More Fee Cuts. Following Qantas's lead, Air France, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have all reduced passengers' fuel surcharges in light of the drop in oil prices. Depending on the class of ticket you purchase, British Airways is dropping $12 to $20 off flights over nine hours and $10 to $18 off shorter flights. Virgin Atlantic is lopping off the same amounts. Lufthansa will drop its fees $4 to $32 depending on the route...
...There's still a slim possibility Alitalia can be saved. Air France-KLM or German carrier Lufthansa might make a new offer, or the Italian consortium could reconsider if the labor syndicates show more leeway. But the likelier scenario is that Italy's national carrier goes under for good...