INTERVIEW
MEET ANNE-PASCALE GUEDON ,
Executive Vice President of Blade Europe
ВСТРЕЧАЙТЕ АНН-ПАСКАЛЬ ГЕДОН , исполнительного вице-президента Blade Europe
By Helena Litvak / Автор : Елена Литвак
© Blade Europe
Anne-Pascale Guedon Анн-Паскаль Гедон
In September , it was announced that the leading American air mobility platform Blade acquired the commercial and marketing passenger activities of the three European helicopter operators Monacair , Héli Sécurité and Azur Hélicoptère . Today , HelloMonaco magazine had the unique opportunity to speak with Executive Vice President of Blade Europe , Anne- Pascale Guedon about Blade ’ s concurrent acquisition .
В сентябре было объявлено , что ведущая американская платформа воздушного транспорта Blade приобрела коммерческую и маркетинговую дея - тельность трех европейских вертолетных операторов — Monacair , Héli Sécurité и Azur Hélicoptère . Журналисты HelloMonaco воспользо ва лись уникальной возможностью обсудить с исполнительным вице-президентом Blade Euro pe Анн- Паскаль Гедон столь впечатляющее расши рение бренда .
: What was the main interest for Blade in buying Monacair commercial activities ?
Anne-Pascale Guedon : We decided to buy the commercial division of Monacair Group because it ’ s exactly the same business model with respect to the seat booking tech that we have developed in the US . In Manhattan , we have shuttle services to JFK , Newark and LaGuardia airports or the Hamptons . We felt Monaco was the best place to bring that business model overseas . There is a huge demand for helicopter services , so for us , it is the perfect gateway to grow our footprint in Europe and improve customer experience .
: What are the major challenges with this acquisition ? What are Blade ’ s overall goals for this upcoming year ?
Anne-Pascale Guedon : Our main challenge today is to integrate the activities in one Blade company and leverage the Blade brand awareness across Europe . So , we are developing a marketing strategy to re-launch the Nice-Monaco line , which was suspended for two years because of COVID restrictions . That will include attractive marketing incentives and special combined packages with new partners .
: Does Blade have plans to add new destinations , to expand your helicopter routes ?
Anne-Pascale Guedon : Yes , routes will be expanded . Packages will be added . And we will do it with competitive pricing . But our business model will remain , first and foremost , as a tourism agency and premium customer experience .
62 / Hello Monaco Winter 2022 – 2023 www . hellomonaco . com