Q & A with Fernando Alvarez and Teresa HerranzKLM´s Sales Director in Spain and Marketing and Press Coordinator, respectively

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Air France-KLM has managed to become the second-largest air carrier in both Spain and Portugal in a short period of time, thanks in part to a blend of fares and flights that give local passengers the chance of making the most of them both. About this and other topics the company´s execs talked about in this exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.

Q.- What´s the importance of the Spanish and Portuguese markets for KLM?

Fernando Alvarez: They stand for the fifth or sixth largest markets in Europe for KLM.

Q.- What´s the new approach the company has taken on following its being bought by Air France?

Fernando Alvarez: To begin with it has meant to be a reinforcement of KLM´s presence in the Spanish market. Now that they are together in the business, Air France and KLM have combined their strengths to become the world´s second-biggest airline in those markets, only trailing behind Iberia.

Q.- What new advantages is this merger between of Air France and KLM giving Spanish travelers?

Fernando Alvarez: This alliance is living Spanish travelers a much larger variety of services, such as the brand-new frequent flyer program that we call Flying Blue. Secondly, we are giving Spanish trippers a combination of fares that gives them the opportunity of flying to Los Angeles and Paris on Air France and come back home via Amsterdam on KLM. That´s really a huge advantage.

On the other hand, and thanks to Air France´s much bigger geographical outreach in Spain, we can give passengers access to those airports we‘d never had nonstop flights to, like Bilbao, Malaga and Valencia.

Q.- Based on this, how have Spanish tour operators received this merger and how their reaction has turned out in terms of revenues for the company?

Fernando Alvarez: First of all, it has helped the implementation of a joint marketing policy –and that´s something way too hard to come by these days. We used to have deals and agreements with Air France in terms of our retailing and wholesale policies. At the same time, we´re planning to lay out a well-defined policy with the tour operators, especially for the upcoming summertime travel season. With that view in mind, the fares we´re planning to disclose are going to be very much in sync with that new approach.

Q.- What concrete changes do you have in store as far as the communications policy is concerned?

Teresa Herranz: The only changes KLM is introducing right now is the organization of our own communications department, though sticking to Air France´s current structure.

Q.- Does that mean there´s going to be just one Communications Department for both KLM and Air France?

Teresa Herranz: I can´t tell you right now. He only thing I know is that we´re putting that department together. As a matter of fact, we´ve made press trips together and that´s more or less the line we´re sticking to, I mean, to make press and FAM trips, to go out in search of new points.

The idea is to have relations that could eventually guarantee a communications policy without being bound to depend on the company´s PR Department.