On Sunday 25 October 2009, Geneva-based airline Baboo will commence a twice daily service from London City Airport to Geneva in a codeshare agreement with Air France in cooperation with fully-owned subsidiary CityJet. In addition to the direct service to Geneva, passengers can travel on to the Italian city of Venice. Says Henri Hourcade, General Manager, AIR FRANCE KLM UK & Ireland, �We are delighted to be renewing our direct links with Geneva. By adding Geneva to our London City network today, AIR FRANCE KLM has further strengthened its position in the UK, one of the most important markets in the extensive network of AIR FRANCE KLM. Offering Geneva simply gives customers greater choice of destinations, products and frequencies. Moreover strengthening our partnership with Cityjet out of London City Airport is a key asset.�
Geoffrey O�Byrne White, CEO, CityJet affirms �The codeshare agreement to Geneva complements the superb network CityJet has built at London City Airport, serving all of Europe�s top financial and business capitals with excellent schedules and frequencies. In addition the route will appeal to the weekend ski market looking for convenient access to the slopes this winter.�
�We are proud to serve London, which is the number one destination from Geneva and in particular to operate out of London City Airport that is the most user friendly airport in Europe� commented Jacques Bankir, CEO of Baboo. �These flights also reinforce our partnerships and will be part of the near 600 weekly flight system offered by Cityjet, the London City specialist airlines of AIR FRANCE KLM.�
Richard Gooding, chief executive of London City Airport said: �We welcome Baboo�s first scheduled flights aimed at the business market into Geneva. The timing of the departures are perfectly scheduled for London City�s passengers to maximise their day in Geneva. The on-board product of the airline is excellent and we know it will be well-received by our passengers who demand a high level of service.�
The codeshare also operates on the London City-Geneva-Venice routing. The new service will using Baboo�s 74-seat Q400 aircraft, with fares starting from �59 one way including taxes. Flights commence on Sunday 25 October 2009 as follows: Monday to Friday AF 8163 AF8162 Depart GVA 0740 arrive LCY 0830 Depart LCY 0900 arrive GVA 1155 Sunday to Friday AF8165 AF8164 Depart GVA 1710 arrive LCY 1800 Depart LCY 1830 arrive GVA 2125 Connecting to Venice, Monday to Friday: Depart LCY 0900 arrive VCE 1345 Depart VCE 1455 arrive LCY 1800 Flights can be booked as from today on the website and on www.airfrance.co.uk, www.klm.com and www.cityjet.com.
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For further information about Air France please contact Elise Biensan or Estelle Crouigneau on +44 (0)20 8584 4406; email: elbiensan@airfrance.fr For further information about CityJet please contact Claire Honey or Rocky Husain at Consolidated PR on 0207 781 2300; email: cityjet@consolidatedpr.com For further information about Baboo please contact Nilufer Gumus, Public Relations Manager on +41.(0)22.717.84.93 ngumus@flybaboo.com
About AIR FRANCE KLM Air France was founded in 1933 and merged with KLM in May 2004. Together they fly to over 244 destinations worldwide from their hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. Air France currently flies to/from a total of 11 UK & Irish airports; London Heathrow, London City, Bristol, Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Dundee, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dublin & Shannon. Together with its partner airline KLM, Air France operates from a total of 21 airports in the UK & Ireland with over 1000 frequencies per week to their respective hubs. For more information, reservations and to check in online, visit www.airfrance.co.uk and www.klm.com
About CityJet CityJet, a 100% subsidiary of the Air France KLM Group, is the largest carrier operating at London City Airport. It offers a choice of 600 flights a week from this conveniently-located airport.
The airline operates non-stop services from London City to Amsterdam, Antwerp, Dublin, Dundee, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Jersey, Luxembourg, Nantes, Paris Orly, Rotterdam and Strasbourg. It also flies non-stop from Manchester to both Antwerp and Rotterdam, and from Rotterdam to Hamburg. CityJet is renowned for providing convenient, hassle-free travel, combined with award-winning service, on high-frequency routes in the UK and Europe. Its extensive network offers a multitude of choice for business and leisure travellers, with a host of convenient timings.
At London City, the closest airport to Central London, passengers can check in just 15 minutes prior to departure (20 minutes with hold baggage). Once on board, passengers can enjoy complimentary beverages and light meals.
For more information, reservations and to check in online, visit www.cityjet.com
About Baboo Established in Genevain 2003, Baboo serves 18 destinations (excluding charter flights) from Genevaand has carried more than 1,000,000 passengers. The airline delivers a wide range of services aimed at business and leisure customers with a distinctive product offering. Operating a fleet of up-to-date Dash 8-Q400s and Embraer 190s; the airline employs 200 people throughout the Baboo network. Further information on www.flybaboo.com