Air France is following the lead of British Airways and Lufthansa in launching a stand-alone subsidiary to fight to hold on to market share—but so far, it's sending mixed, or blank, messages about how it will operate.
The new line, to be called Joon (after the French word 'jeune,' for young) says it will aim at the 'millenial' market of 18-35 year-old flyers.
It's aimed at holding territory deeply invaded by discounters such as Ryanair and Easyjet, but Air France says “Joon will not be a low-cost airline as it will offer original products and services that reflect those of Air France,” and “Joon is a lifestyle brand and a state of mind. Short, punchy and international, the name Joon is designed to address a worldwide audience.”
At first glance, then, it appears that Air France thinks young singles and families looking for a vacation flight are shopping for ambience rather than price. Gumbo doubts it. Is this an idea whose time is yet to come, or is it already too late for Air France to capture that market?
But it's too soon to tell all, because so far, Air France has announced only that it will start medium haul flights in the fall with 6 A320s and add 4 A340A350s for long-haul service next year. Where? They won't say yet. Prices? Not released yet. Even the sketch above is not guaranteed to be what shows up on the planes.
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