Air France regulars skip a beat

Calcutta: The mid-Atlantic disappearance of the Air France flight on Monday sent a shiver up the spine of many international travellers in Calcutta. Not just because it was a plane crash, but also because it was an Air France crash.
For, the airline that does not touch down in town is tied to the heart, and purse, strings of many a Calcutta flier.
“There are significant bookings on our Indian flights from Calcutta; almost as high as in some other metro cities,” an Air France official said from Delhi.
What explains the city’s love affair with an airline that has never considered Calcutta a suitable destination?
A combination of competitive rates, good frequent flier schemes, convenient connectivity and timetable, topped by nice service, say loyalists.
“When I first heard the tragic news I couldn’t believe it was an Air France flight,” said city-based businessman Vikram Jairath, an Air France regular since 1993.
“The airline has a well connected network in Europe. You arrive in Paris from Delhi early in the morning and get immediate connectivity to all European destinations,” added Jairath, who has often flown the Paris-Rio de Janeiro route that proved fatal for 228 people on Monday.
According to the city’s travel trade, nearly 10 per cent of the international fliers from the city book tickets on Air France.
“The airline is extremely popular among corporate travellers from the city primarily because it has one of the best connectivities to Europe and South America along with the US,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India.
03/06/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegrph

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Categories: Foreign Jun 2009, Safety Jun 2009