It is an old project that has been postponed for too long. French bee, the company of the Dubreuil group, sister of Air Caraïbes, will finally launch on the legendary Paris – New York line. The Tourist Echo interviewed Muriel Assouline, the general manager of the company.
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L’Écho Touristique: The opening of this Paris – New York line is an old project that is being carried out for French bee…
Muriel Assouline, General Manager of French bee: Yes, this is a line that we were originally scheduled to open in June 2020, but had to postpone due to the pandemic. Now the traffic is on the move. We can therefore launch the Paris (Orly) – New York (Newark) from July 14th. We are counting on three weekly frequencies in July, then 4 in August, to arrive at daily flights before Christmas.
Traffic is picking up yet there are still uncertainties. Europeans are still not allowed to travel to the United States.
Muriel Assouline: The United States are now considered as a country in green by France and the European Union. Vaccinated Americans can travel to France without a PCR test. And for the others, it is necessary to present a negative PCR test. And we are optimistic that travel will open for Europeans by July 14. If there is great reluctance concerning Great Britain, the signals concerning France are positive. In any case, the planes will depart on July 14. Even though the planes should be filled only with American tourists. We can no longer give up. This line is part of a long-term project for French Bee and it is part of the future of the company that is being played out. If it weren’t for this American travel ban, we would have started off stronger.
Norwegian, Level, Wow Air… many low cost airlines have broken their teeth on the long haul. In particular the transatlantic. What do you think will allow French bee to succeed?
Muriel Assouline: First of all, we are not a low cost. We are a company with a simple model that allows customers to adapt their products according to their needs, their desires and their budgets / Our model is as simple as possible. Some companies may not necessarily have chosen the right routes. We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin. We offer a two-class aircraft. We can also rely on the right device with our A 350-900 which consumes less fuel. And which has important bunkers. We know that freight is important on this route.
You have chosen to land at Newark Airport. Is it a disadvantage not to be at John F. Kennedy Airport?
Muriel Assouline: No, it’s a smaller airport and therefore simpler in terms of formalities. In the United States, it can take a long time to go through customs, so it’s more of an advantage. It is just as close to Manhattan and is very well connected to the city. It also allows us to offer connected flights with Alaska Airlines, our partner, which is the fourth largest domestic company in the United States. In addition, it is a very connected airport at home, in particular thanks to United Airlines. Customers will therefore be able to auto-connect.
What are your goals on this line?
Muriel Assouline: The primary objective, with this period, is not to lose any more money on the line. We hope to do it before the end of the year. For now, French bee has four A 350-900s. Two planes are positioned on Reunion. Another on Papeete via Vancouver as long as there is the American travel ban. Otherwise it’s via San Francisco. And the last is positioned in New York therefore. But in the winter of 2021 we will receive another device, as well as in the summer of 2022. These will be the A 350-1000, the last models of the A 350 series, that we will position on Reunion Island. This will free us two devices that we can use, no doubt to strengthen our presence on the North American axis.
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