Old, cranky people need not apply if the first hints about Air France’s new youth-oriented airline are any indication.
The project, made possible through a recent union agreement and originally labelled Boost, will be known as “Joon” and will start operating medium-haul flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport from the northern autumn.
It will be headed by Jean-Michel Mathieu, a 48-year-old who has spent most of his career with Air France and Air France-KLM in areas including network, revenue management, digital services and customer relations.
With plans to go to long-haul services in mid-2018, the airline is part of Air France’s strategy to cope with pressure from Gulf carriers as well as the expansion in Europe of long-haul, low-cost carriers such as Norwegian Air Shuttle and IAG’s recently-launched LEVEL.
Initial indications are it will operate 10 long-haul and 18 short-haul aircraft with a graphic on its website showing Airbus A320, A340 and A350 aircraft in the Joon livery.
The were few details in the company’s breathless announcement but it says the new carrier will not be low-cost and will offer “original products and services that reflect those of Air France’’.
The missive stops short of revealing any deep meaning for the new name but says it is “short, powerful and international” and designed to “speak to people all round the world’’.
It describes Joon as “a lifestyle brand and state of mind’’.
“Joon is especially aimed at a young working clientele, the millennials (18 to 35- year-olds), whose lifestyles revolve around digital technology,’’ the Air France Website says “This new brand has been entirely designed to meet their requirements and aspirations, with an authentic and connected offering that stands out in the world of air transport.’’
Joon is also out to break the mold when it to cabin uniforms.
The announcement is accompanied by art work of Joon’s electric blue uniforms “symbolising the airline’s dynamic attitude as well as the sky, space and travel’’.
“We started with our target customer segment, the millennials, to create this new brand that means something to them,’’ Air France brand vice-president Caroline Fontaine said in a statement.
“Our brief was simple: to find a name to illustrate a positive state of mind.
“This generation has inspired us a lot: epicurean and connected, they are opportunistic in a positive sense of the word as they know how to enjoy every moment and are in search of quality experiences that they want to share with others. Joon is a brand that carries these values.’’
