Air France-KLM said to seek new approach to transform airline

Air France-KLM Group will overhaul its restructuring efforts, moving away from the previous chief executive’s strategy that strained relations with pilots, to a more conciliatory approach called “Trust Together,” said a person familiar with the plans.
Jean-Marc Janaillac, who became CEO in July, will unveil the program in November that seeks to lower costs as well as rebuild trust between management and labor, and between the group’s sister airlines, said the person, who asked for anonymity because the program isn’t public.
The airline has been torn by a series of costly strikes by pilots and flight attendants, and by mistrust between KLM and its French counterpart. The new plan was first reported Sept. 2 in newspaper La Tribune.
Janaillac will drop the Perform plan initiated by his predecessor Alexandre de Juniac, while still seeking to make the carrier competitive with rivals. said the person. De Juniac had failed to win pilot support for measures that would increase productivity.
Poor labor relations came to a head in late 2015 when workers clashed with management at a meeting, ripping the shirts worn by executives. Several of those workers have been fired, and the CGT union has called for protests later this month. Andrea Rothman, Bloomberg

Categories Business