DID KLM SNOOKER AIR FRANCE?
Call it what you will, as the spin doctors are out in full force to get the deal done by next April, that Air France/KLM alliance is really Air France acquires rival KLM, a move creating one of the worlds largest airlines. Air France and KLM, Europes second- and fourth-largest all by themselves, unite as part of the same corporation, replacing British Airways as Europes biggest airline, and in fact, when the dust settles and the deal is done, AF/KLM will be the worlds third largest carrier behind American and Delta. But if AF stock will make KLM stockholders rich, why stop short of a full merger? The thinking is that sooner or later when bi-lateral agreements between the Netherlands and international destinations are worked out, (which is the best reason to keep a separate KLM), the carriers might, go all the way. A French union boss named Yvon Touil, who sits on Air Frances board, told reporters he voted against the merger echoing a sentiment that goes: Who needs KLM? He said essentia
