Subscribe
Login
Airlines

Air France-KLM Chief Welcomes Coming Surge in Transatlantic Travel

Madhu Unnikrishnan
Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith at Skift Global Forum

Photo Credit: Air France KLM CEO Benjamin Smith (right) in discussion with Airline Weekly Airlines Reporter Edward Russel at Skift Global Forum, Sept. 22, 2021. Skift

Skift Take

It's too early to tell if travelers will flock to the U.S. after the Biden administration eased entry requirements for European visitors to the U.S., Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith said. Instead, next summer could be when travel across the Atlantic resurges.

When the Biden administration last week announced it would relax stringent requirements for Europeans to come to the U.S., it took Air France-KLM Group CEO Ben Smith by surprise. "It was a pleasant shock to get that news," Smith said Wednesday at the Skift Global Forum in New York. The U.S. is far and away Air France-KLM's largest market, generating 40 percent of the group's revenue. Before the pandemic, Air France and KLM together flew 64 flights per day to the U.S.; during the depths of the crisis, that fell to four daily flights, all carrying cargo. "We are still far away from our peak," he said. But it wasn't unqualified good news for Smith. "We were hoping this type of announcement would come

Get unlimited access with Skift Pro.

Subscribe now for complete access to Skift.com's trusted coverage of the travel industry.

Apple Pay, Google Pay, Paypal, VISA, Mastercard, Discover, American Express

Already a subscriber? Login