Air France corporate : Men and women of Air France

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Air France’s most important resource is its men and women whose first priority every day is to make the airline successful.

Throughout the complex history of Air France, its industrial relations policy has been guided by a will to cultivate harmonious labour relations that are a precondition for the development of a strong company.

To take one example post 9/11 2001, contrary to what has been common in the air transport industry in times of crisis and chronic overcapacity, Air France has never initiated a planned redundancy scheme. Today, on the other hand, though its operations are thriving, the airline is careful to control the staff count.

Moreover, because a company’s performance is shaped by the skills of its personnel, Air France invests continuously and significantly in training.

As a global carrier and a leader in the air transport world, Air France relies on a wide array of professions, from the most spectacular, like the airline pilot, to the less known, like the flight manager on whose shoulders rests the profitability of a route.

Major investments in training

Air France has devoted 200 million euros to training its personnel. That represents 8.7% of the payroll, considerably more than is mandated by law.

Controlling the staff count

This has meant giving priority to in-house resources and promoting professional and geographical mobility.

A broad range of professions

Professions in the airline are very schematically divided between ground personnel and flight crews.

Among the ground staff, there are 12 professional families, related to operations (mechanics, airport staff, flight coordinators, etc.), sales or administration (head office and regional managements).

Flight crews include the cockpit crews (pilots) and the cabin crews (flight attendants).

Air France and KLM teams

Although the Air France and KLM teams are being brought together through joint training programmes and dialogue between management and unions, each airline follows its own human resources policy, given the differing legislative frameworks in France and the Netherlands.

Air France and KLM strive to share best practices while respecting the principle of coordination, as opposed to integration.