Recently Air France appointed a new CEO and we have straight away seen a few changes. He was able to strike a deal with unions, which has been a significant concern for Air France for a very long time. He also did a review of the entire fleet, where he figured the A380 was not something they needed. Air France will be trimming their A380 fleet by 50%.
Joon was launched as a subsidiary of Air France targeting millennials last year. Air France wanted to hire crew at a lower salary and without union troubles. So they came up with a solution: Joon, which was a brand new airline not dictated by the terms of the parent brand.
Since the day, new CEO took charge there was news that Joon’s existence is uncertain. He like many of us is not fond of Joon.
Source: Reuters
Joon and Air France are quite similar. There isn’t a clear difference between the two as Joon is a hybrid carrier. Joon mostly flies to leisure destinations apart from a few exceptions like Mumbai. The fares are also similar to that of a traditional FSC. If you compare Joon and Jet Airways on Mumbai-Paris route, the fares are similar. Joon introduced cosy seats for families with small kids a few days back. Will we see those on the mainline Air France aircraft too?
Source: Reuters
Joon might be seeing the exit door now. All operations may be merged with Air France in future. It may be used as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with unions. As per Le Figaro, a French newspaper, the decision has already been made.
Bottomline
Another low-cost offering will cease to exist. It is always clear that things don’t work out when an FSC launches a cheap secondary unit especially a hybrid one. For now, waiting for Mumbai to be served by mainline Air France again.
Have you travelled on Joon? Was it different from your previous Air France travel?
It was one of the worst experiences I have ever had for a CDG-BOM sector flight. Being a Bombay-born Paris resident since 6 years, I have been flying this route frequently, and it makes no sense to me to pay the same price as a FSC like Jet Airways and then be treated to this low-cost BS. USB outlets exist on most long-haul flights, so having the flight crew wear “trendy” t-shirts really adds nothing to the experience. On top of this, I was told the “free” beverages were out of stock 45 minutes in, in a flight that was 9 + hours long. On insisting, the steward has the audacity to offer a beer and asking if I was then happy.