Air France-KLM, Europe’s second-largest network carrier, is enjoying its best summer in Korea with its drive to beef up online presence here.


 

“This morning, we celebrated that we’ve reached the highest number of passengers in July and August. The Korean market is strongly growing and leisure demand to Europe keeps on increasing,” said Celine Balmelle, newly-appointed head of the Franco-Dutch group’s Korean operation in an interview with The Korea Herald at her office in central Seoul on Sept. 2.

She said the group’s passenger traffic in July and August soared to over 27,500, up 12 percent from a year earlier and the best figure for the period since its French arm Air France first entered Korean market in 1984. The surge in passenger numbers on routes to Korea, it’s third biggest Asian market, may quench the airline group’s thirst for revenue as it struggles to turn a profit amid increasing competition with Gulf carriers and lower cost competitors.

“We are confident that our strategy is on the right track, which focuses on developing innovative services dedicated to Korean consumers to make their journey easier,” Balmelle said.

As part of its efforts, the Dutch unit KLM launched a 24/7 social media service in June via KakaoTalk, Korea’s largest mobile messenger, to assist customers with queries ranging from seat selection and ticket rebooking to cancellations and excess baggage.

Balmelle said now Air France has decided to launch its own KakaoTalk customer service by the end of the year after seeing positive responses from Korean customers to its Dutch sister firm’s move.

“The launch of KakaoTalk service for KLM is a success so far,” she said, adding that it already attracted more than 2,500 fans in three months. Another service on KakaoStory, where it posts carrier-related news, promotions, and photos of destinations in Europe to inspire travelers, has 3,000 subscribers.

“Digital technologies constitute a key lever for Air France-KLM in our ability to maintain a close relationship with customers and meet their needs anytime by being direct, rapid and efficient.”

A growing number of Korean consumers are opting for European tourist attractions, including the group’s main bases Paris and Amsterdam, where it offers 14 and 11 flights per week, respectively,

The number of passengers for flights between Korea and European destinations jumped 11.6 percent to 2 million during the first half of 2015, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

“In order to respond to the growing demand of the Korean market, Air France removed first class on the Paris-Seoul route from May this year. By doing that we could increase seat capacity by 25 percent,” she said.

With more than 15 years of experience in the aviation industry under her belt, Balmelle took office in July after serving as Air France-KLM general manager for Cuba for four years.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.cm)