Air France formally launches new Joon airline in bid for younger passengers

[PARIS] Air France formally launched on Monday its new "Joon" lower-cost airline, which the company hopes will attract a younger clientele and restore some routes to profitability.

Air France said on Monday that Joon would start off by flying to six destinations.

Starting from December 1, Joon will fly to four cities in Europe - Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon and Porto. It will then fly to Fortaleza in Brazil and the Seychelles in summer 2018.

Joon, which is targeting Millennials, will be run by Jean-Michel Mathieu, who has been involved with the project since the start and has held various positions in sales, digital and revenue management within the Air France-KLM group.

Air France wants to bring down costs in order to compete better against Gulf carriers on long-haul routes, and against budget carriers on short-haul routes. REUTERS