Air France KLM and FlySafair have entered into an interline agreement – a first for FlySafair and one that comes in addition to the legacy carrier’s existing interline with SAA and a codeshare agreement with kulula.com.

Kirby Gordon, Head of Sales and Distribution at FlySafair, said the agreement was a very significant milestone for the airline. “AF KLM is one of the most highly regarded legacy airlines in the world, with a formidable global network,” said Gordon.

“With their excellent punctuality and routes linked to our network, this is a great improvement to our offering for customers flying to and from South Africa,” said Wouter Vermeulen, GM of Air France KLM Southern Africa.

Pieter Bootsma, Executive VP Strategy of Air France KLM, told Tourism Update that the agreement would offer its customers more options to connect through Johannesburg and Cape Town, which both Air France and KLM service. He added that KLM’s Cape Town route was one of its best performing, with 91,4% load factors year-round.

The agreement allows travel agents to issue just one ticket with both FA and AF-KL sectors. The ability to purchase both tickets together is also a major benefit for travellers who no longer have to worry about forfeiting their domestic flight booking in the event that their inbound flight is delayed. The agreement also means that travellers can connect from FlySafair’s domestic flights on to Air France and KLM flights into Europe and onwards without having to gather their luggage and check in again.

“It makes a travel agent’s life a lot easier,” says Wally Gaynor, Club Travel MD. “Issuing on one ticket is always a benefit for the client because if you have separate tickets and anything goes wrong, the client is going to have a problem.”