Leading international airline alliance offers businesses in France air fares worldwide at up to half price or less

Small and medium-sized companies in France will be able to cut their business travel costs substantially from next week, with oneworld™, the world's leading international airline alliance, offering them flights worldwide with discounts on some routes of more than 50 per cent.

From Monday (3 May), French companies will be able to use these specially discounted businessflyer tickets to fly with eight of the world's biggest and best airlines to more than 250 destinations in Europe, North America, South American, Asia and Australiasia.

Departures are available from across France from the oneworld partner airlines' ten French gateways - Paris, Bastia, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse. In many cases, connections are available from ten further French airports (Angers, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Le Mans, Lille, Nimes, Poitiers, Rennes, Tours and Valence) and a further 12 railway stations throughout the republic.

Flights on all oneworld carriers are included:

• American Airlines, the biggest airline in the world.
• British Airways, the leading international airline.
• Qantas, one of the world's top long distance airlines whose oneworld membership makes it the only alliance to offer a full network within Australia.
• Cathay Pacific Airways, one of the most highly regarded Asian airlines.
• Iberia, the top carrier between Europe and Latin America.
• LAN, as one magazine described it, "the lone star in the South American skies".
• Finnair, the major Nordic European airline with its Helsinki hub growing in importance as a European gateway to Asia.
• Aer Lingus, the highly focused carrier from Ireland.
  
  oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri said: "French businesses now have a real choice for their worldwide travel needs. By working together in this market, oneworld's eight member airlines can offer a highly attractive alternative to the national carrier for travel right around the globe – flights on some of the highest quality airlines in the world, across an unrivalled international route network, with great flexibility and substantial savings on prices."
  
  businessflyer was originally launched in Germany, initially on a trial basis, in June 2003. On the basis of its success, oneworld intends to extend it to other European countries in the near future.
  
  These businessflyer fares are available in business or economy class, enabling companies to benefit whatever their travel policy requirements. They provide maximum flexibility, so itineraries or date can be changed until just before departure.
  
  oneworld is supporting the launch of businessflyer in France with a massive direct mail campaign, posting details to more than 20,000 small to medium French businesses and organisations.
  
  To participate in the programme, customers in France simply register online at www.oneworld.com/france. The website, in French and English, gives full details on how to make reservations, which routes are available from each French gateway, and the special fare levels applicable under the scheme.
  
  Through just one point of contact, customers can select flights by the alliance's eight carriers from French cities to more than 250 of the most popular destinations worldwide for French business travellers. Once they have identified their choice of destination, flight and class of travel, they will be able to make their final reservations either through their usual travel agency or directly through one of the oneworld carriers.
  
  Members of any oneworld airline's frequent flyer programme are eligible to earn mileage rewards and points when flying on businessflyer fares.
  
  Between them, oneworld's eight member airlines serve more countries than any global airline alliance, with flights to more than 570 destinations in 135 countries. Members of any oneworld airline's frequent flyer programme can earn awards and points on eligible fares and redeem them throughout this network. The eight airlines and their affiliates carried more than 220 million passengers last year on a combined fleet of almost 2,000 aircraft, earning revenues of some US$50 billion. oneworld was recently named the World's Leading Airline Alliance in the World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by 80,000 travel agency professionals from more than 200 countries. Swiss International Air Lines has been voted on board as a member elect.
  
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