Air France A380 takes off for Shanghai

Air France will start three weekly services to Shanghai-Pudong on September 2, becoming the first European airline to serve the Chinese economic capital with the super jumbo Airbus A380.
The aircraft has four cabin classes (La Première, Business, Premium Economy and Economy) and several new features, such as 6 bars, 5 decibels less noise in the cabin compared with industry standards, and a gallery dedicated to art and culture.
“By serving Shanghai by Airbus A380, we are pursuing our development strategy on growth markets. On board, we aim to provide all our customers with the levels of comfort, serenity and French-style service that distinguishes Air France worldwide,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Chairman and CEO of Air France.
The airline has created a range of services tailored to accommodate its Chinese passengers. Announcements are made in Mandarin on flights to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan and in Cantonese for Hong Kong flights. Chinese interpreters are present on board all Air France flights to and from China. Air France also has a team of multilingual agents at Paris-Charles de Gaulle who speak Mandarin and Cantonese.
The chefs at Air France subsidiary Servair, the on-board foodservices specialist, have developed a range of Chinese dishes served in Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. In addition, jasmine tea is offered in all cabins.
Air France also offers on board a frequently renewed selection of international films subtitled in Chinese, a selection of Chinese newspapers and magazines, and a dedicated corporate website for its Chinese customers, http://corporate.airfrance.cn.
Air France and KLM operate 93 weekly flights from their hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol to 9 destinations in Greater China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen and Taipei. With its partners China Southern and China Eastern, Air France-KLM offers up to 126 weekly flights to China.
In summer 2013, Air France will serve Shanghai-Pudong from Paris-Charles de Gaulle with 27 weekly flights, 13 of which are operated on a code-share basis with China Eastern Airlines, a member of SkyTeam.