Cutting the ribbon: Fabien Pelous of Air France, Maria Sacconi of Alitalia and Delta's John Caldwell
Charles Oliver-Defaud of Air France with Luciana Spagna of Alitalia
Delta's Michael White-Duarte with guest Norman Lee of Jade Tours
It was a lovely get together in mid-town YTO last week as a group of industry movers and shakers got together at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The occasion was the official opening of the joint offices of DL, AF, KL and AZ. Seen toasting the event were folks from tourist boards, tour operators and retailers.
The office could have been any mid-town, highrise place of work, except for the wonderful posters including a Madmen era shot of Princess Grace of Monaco descending aircraft steps into the sunshine and a computer with nostalgic screen saver images of airline advertising in the glamour days (pre-body scanning, pre-shoe removal and pre “What do you mean you have a bottle of shampoo in your hand luggage? Step over here!”)
On hand was Fabien Pelous, the newly-appointed Vice President of AF/KL. The group, he explained, carried over 17 million pax last year. This summer they will represent 26% of the total transatlantic capacity, with an impressive 69 flights per week between Canada and Europe. “We are a global force, and a real alternative to Air Canada,” he proudly said. He also pointed out the cosmopolitan nature of the some 15 staffers in the YTO office, explaining that between them they speak French, Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese, and… “a bit of English!” He also graciously thanked the members of the staff who were instrumental in making the move, and smilingly promising them a different team building exercise next year.
The attendees were clearly appreciative of the hospitality, sipping on bubbly, enjoying paté sliders (oh! those Europeans!) and schmoozing with reps from that powerhouse known as Skyteam.
