Air France and KLM in UAE celebrate official inauguration of new joint ticketing office in Dubai

The new Air France KLM Dubai office is situated at Ground Floor, Al Shoala Complex, Al Maktoum Street with dedicated staff in ticketing and sales.

The new Air France and KLM sales and ticketing office was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum President of the Department of Civil Aviation, together with their Excellencies, Mr. Alain Azouaou, the Ambassador of France to the United Arab Emirates and Mr. Gilles Beschoor Plug, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Abdullah Mohammed Al Naboodah, Vice Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, Mr. Majed Al Mulla, Vice President Dnata Travel Services, Mr. Erik Varwijk, Executive Vice President International & The Netherlands Air France KLM, in presence of Mr. Etienne Rachou, Senior Vice President Africa & Middle East Air France KLM and Mr. Pierre de Saint-Albin, General Manager Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan Air France KLM.

"We are honoured to celebrate the opening of our joint sales and ticketing office in Dubai. We are confident that our clients will benefit hugely from the strategic location of this new office as well as from the combination of Air France and KLM networks from the UAE to Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle hubs. Our joint dedicated team will offer our expanded range of services to business and leisure travellers as well as travel agents, in particular to our European and North American destinations," said Pierre de Saint-Albin, General Manager Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan Air France KLM, during the ceremony.

Gulf Summer Programme 2009-2010 (MAR - OCT)

The Air France-KLM group offers up to 22 weekly frequencies out of the United Arab Emirates to Europe. In Saudi Arabia, both companies combined routes provide 17 weekly flights. KLM also offers opportunities from Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat and Tehran with a total of 27 weekly flights.

Air France and KLM reinforce their presence in the Gulf region:
• Abu Dhabi 6 weekly non stop flights to Amsterdam operated by KLM in codeshare with Air France
• Kuwait from 5 to 7 weekly flights to Amsterdam operated by KLM
• Muscat from 5 to 6 weekly flights to Amsterdam operated by KLM
• Dubai 12 weekly flights to Paris operated by Air France and 10 to Amsterdam operated by KLM.

In partnership with Europcar, a limousine service is offered to Air France customers from / to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to Dubai International airport. The complementary networks allow a wider choice as well as numerous connections from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol hubs to reach cities in Europe, Africa and The Americas.

Air France KLM a global leader in air transport

For each of its three businesses - passenger transportation, cargo and aircraft maintenance - Air France-KLM is a world leader today.

1. Passenger transport: with 74, 8 million passengers carried in 2007-2008, Air France-KLM is Europe's leading airline group.
2. Cargo transport: in line with their ambition to be a cargo leader, Air France and KLM set up the Joint Cargo Team (JCT) in 2005, a single division of sales, distribution, marketing and networks, thus offering customers a single contact for the Group.
3. Maintenance: Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance merged to offer a wide range of services. Thanks to complementary areas of expertise, Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance have boosted the Group's capacity to meet the needs not just of their own fleets, but of those of 150 customer airlines.

Air France-KLM Group key figures (2007-2008)

• Leading airline group worldwide in terms of revenue (€24,11bn in 2007/08, +4,5%)
• 74,8 million passengers, +1,8%
• 607 aircrafts in operation (as of 31 March 2008)
• 253 destinations (summer 2008).
• 104,659 employees

Breakdown by sector of activity (fiscal 2007/08)

• Passengers 79.5%,
• Cargo 12.1%,
• Maintenance 4.0%
• Other activities: 4.4%

Breakdown of capital as of 30 September 2008:

• French State : 15,7%
• Treasury: 1,8%
• Float: 82,5% (including 11,2% employee shareholders)

A strategy of complementarity, generating synergies

The merger of two complementary carriers, Air France and KLM, forming the Air France-KLM Group, has reduced costs and boosted revenues, in other words generated substantial synergies thanks to:
• the optimization of networks based on two powerful hubs,
• a more effective redeployment of passenger and cargo activities,
• an expanded offering of aircraft maintenance services,
• cost savings in purchasing, sales distribution and IT applications.

These synergies, which are vital to Air France-KLM's good operating results, should gain momentum, and further improve the Group's financial performance.

A merger of benefit to customers

Air France and KLM have pursued a joint international commercial strategy since the Group was founded in April 2004. This strategy sets out to strengthen the presence of both airlines on all international markets and meet customers' expectations as far as possible.

The combination of Air France and KLM has allowed the Group to offer customers great benefits:
• Two complementary networks and combinable fares
• The joint frequent flyer program Flying Blue
• An offer tailored to business and trade needs
• A joint sales structure with added benefits for customers.

Two complementary networks and combinable fares
Air France and KLM have combined their networks to provide customers with a wider
choice of routes.

A large number of destinations are served by one carrier only (known as 'unique' destinations). 53 out of the 123 long-haul destinations are served only by Air France, 37 by KLM and 33 by both airlines. Similarly, 54 out of the 130 medium-haul destinations are served by Air France, 24 by KLM and 52 by both airlines. (Summer schedule 08). This asset gives Air France-KLM a significant commercial advantage over the competition. Together, both carriers serve more long-haul destinations than other European carriers.

Air France and KLM customers also have access to a wider choice of schedules thanks to the Group's unique global network structured around the hubs at Paris-CDG and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Since the Group's merger, customers benefit from more connecting opportunities and more frequencies, enabling the most demanding customers to plan their trips perfectly around their time constraints. On the destinations served by the two airlines, combinable fares allow customers to choose to travel one-way with either KLM via Amsterdam or with Air France via Paris, based on the addition of two half return flights.

Customers can also benefit from connecting flights via either hub, both on outbound and inbound flights at the most attractive fares available.

Flying Blue, a powerful frequent flyer programme

With 15 million members, Flying Blue intends to become Europe's leading frequent flyer programme in terms of customer satisfaction. It offers customers the chance of earning and spending Miles not only on the entire Air France-KLM Group's network, but also on flights of SkyTeam member airlines and 30 other airline partners.

In all, this represents a worldwide network of 18,000 flights and 900 destinations on which passengers can benefit from all the Flying Blue advantages. In addition, over 130 partners have joined Flying Blue, which further extends the possibilities of earning and spending Miles: hotel nights, car rental, excess baggage vouchers, etc.

Divided into four levels (Ivory, Silver, Gold, Platinum), the Flying Blue programme enables the Group to recognize the pace of travel of each customer, and to offer them the corresponding Miles. Each trip on the eleven SkyTeam airline members, Kenya Airways, Air Europa and Air Calin speeds up their access to the higher level.

With Flying Blue, Platinum members keep their status and benefits for life, as long as they have completed ten consecutive years at Platinum level. The Flying Blue programme offers Chinese members the possibility of accessing their account at all times and in total independence on www.airfrance.com and to benefit from advantages exclusively designed for Internet surfers.

SkyTeam alliance

SkyTeam offers its 462 million annual passengers a worldwide system of 16,787 daily flights covering 905 destinations in 169 countries. A key element of the SkyTeam global network is the hub-and-spoke system, which provides unparalleled connectivity and an easy way for customers to travel using members of the same alliance from their departure city to any location in the world.

• Seamless connections with single check-in.
• Access to more than 2,100 ticket offices worldwide.
• Access to more than 400 airport lounges worldwide.
• Priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling, as well as preferred seating and reciprocal lounge access for Elite passengers.

Members of the alliance have agreements in place that allow passengers to earn miles toward Elite status, as well as redeem miles, with every SkyTeam airline. Frequent flyers are able to obtain Multi-Carrier Awards, enabling them to use SkyTeam carriers with one single award ticket, and offering travel opportunities for fewer miles than before to many destinations.