THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Air France has launched Joon, a new carrier that will start operating medium-haul flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle this autumn, followed by long-haul flights in summer 2018.
The name Joon, which echoes the word “jeune” for “young” in French, is aimed at young working adults aged 18 to 35 year, whose lifestyles revolve around digital technology, Air France said in a statement, without elaborating on what new technology would be deployed. The name was chosen “to illustrate a positive state of mind”, it added.
The French carrier unveiled details of its new service on Thursday (20 July) after resolving a lengthy dispute between the management and pilots over the establishment of the subsidiary.
Joon is aimed at helping Air France deal with the increasingly intense competition from budget European carriers such as Easyjet and Gulf airlines such as Emirates.
However, the airline said: “Joon will not be a low-cost airline as it will offer original products and services that reflect those of Air France.”
While Air France’s pilots have agreed to support the new subsidiary on condition they will receive the same pay and conditions as on the main airline, the hiring of stewards, hostesses and part of the ground personnel for the new service will be outsourced.
The pilots were initially hostile to the plan, fearing they would be forced to accept lower wages.
More details on Joon’s content, products, services, destinations and range of fares will be provided in September, according to Dominique Wood, executive vice president brand and communications at Air France.
Austin Ohaegbu
