Air France is putting this summer more emphasis in the Malay/Indonesian world with increased capacities to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and its come back to Jakarta after decades of absence.
SINGAPORE – Larger aircraft, more frequencies and the inaugural of a service to Jakarta marks Air France activity in Southeast Asia over the summer time. With larger capacity aircraft and increased flight capacity during the 2014 summer season, Air France is increasing its service to Kuala Lumpur.
Spurred by the successful launch of this destination in April 2013, the company is increasing its service to the Malaysian capital. In January, Air France already increased by 25% its capacity to Kuala Lumpur. This destination is now served by a Boeing 777-200 equipped with a new “leisure” configuration offering additional seats for customers. The aircraft offers a seat capacity of 309 seats (35 in Business class, 24 in Premium Economy and 250 in Economy) compared with 246 when this frequency was first launched.
Then, on June 16, Air France introduced an additional frequency between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Kuala Lumpur. The company offers now customers four weekly flights, providing them with greater flexibility to organize their trip.This service is in addition to KLM’s 14 weekly frequencies to the Malaysian capital, including seven code-shared flights with Malaysia Airlines.
Throughout the 2014 summer season, Air France is also increasing its flight capacity to Singapore-Changi airport. From 17 June to 30 August 2014, the company operates 10 weekly flights and two different flight times for its customers. In addition to the daily Air France flight between Paris and Singapore, additional flights are now operated by a Boeing 777-200, with a capacity of 247 seats, including 4 in La Premiere, 49 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy and 170 in Economy. The additional three weekly frequencies take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until the end of August 2014.
Starting July 2014, Air France’s daily flight to Singapore will also continue on to Jakarta. Flights are operated by a Boeing 777-300 equipped with 303 seats, including 8 in the La Premiere cabin, 67 in Business, 28 in Premium Economy and 200 in Economy.The new destination will complement the flight schedule offered by KLM, which serves Jakarta on a daily basis from Amsterdam-Schiphol.
On both the outbound and inbound flights, all Air France flights to Singapore and Jakarta leave in the evening, enabling passengers to rest during the night. Moreover, in Singapore, Air France customers wishing to travel to Bali can also easily take a connecting flight on the daily KLM Singapore-Denpasar service.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.