Meanwhile, Air France is playing it cheap

While some French airlines have had a more than chaotic summer, it seems that Air France is taking it seriously enough to start preparing for a disappointing future.

The first signs came from Flying Blue.

Flying blue : “Deceiving by nature” ?

The program that was meant to be “Generous By Nature” a long time ago is getting more and more stingy.

Last week it was announced that from now on silver members will no longer be able to buy La Première tickets with their miles, this possibility being offered only to Gold and Platinum members. Moreover, the amount to pay for this purchase will increase.

However, the amount of the premium for upgrading to La Première does not change.

I understand the desire to “rarefy” a product to which they want to give an exclusive and premium image. Nevertheless, the cabin installed on the A380s, which constitutes the majority of the inventory, is totally undignified, and the latest news shows a general deterioration of the in-flight service, whatever the aircraft. The product on the 777 is beautiful, the experience on the ground may be the best in the world, but they should be careful not to see themselves more beautiful than they are.

In addition, the end of the Petroleum Club, a “sub-program” reserved for travelers in the energy sector, was announced. It was no longer possible to join since 2019 so it is finally not surprising to learn that it will disappear in 2021. I don’t think it will change much: the specific network for these travelers remains and since most of them are frequent flyers I think they are all capable of having a Flying Blue status without going through this “fast track”.

But when you cut into the “niches” it always means something.

Densification in sight on long-haul routes

A news from the serious and credible Air Transport World. Aware of the threat of long-haul low-cost carriers, Air France is looking to “comfortably increase the density” of its long-haul economy class.

A decision that apparently only concerns the A350 and B787 on order, not the aircrafts already in service. This would mean that KLM is also concerned since there are no more 787s awaiting delivery at Air France since the decision to rationalize the fleet.

At least Air France has a sense of humor because making a cabin denser (putting more people in the same space) has never, ever been synonymous with comfort for passengers!

How do you densify a cabin?

1°) By removing business class seats to put more economy seats. Unthinkable when Ben Smith intends to reposition Air France on the Premium segment.

2°) By cutting back on the Galleys, the working areas of the flight attendants, toilets, etc. by a few centimeters here and there. In addition to degrading the working conditions of the staff (and therefore the customer service in fine) we can’t imagine that this would not raise the discontent of the staff concerned which, as most often at Air France, would end up in a strike notice. They are already being asked to sort their waste on board! so…

3°) By reducing the legroom and/or installing thinner seats to add a few rows of seats.

4°) By adding a seat in the width thus decreasing the width of the seats.

Today the 787 of Air France have rows of 9 seats in economy class, as well as the (so far) 350. For the record, the 777 has rows of 10 but is wider.

It is also 9 on the A350s of Lufthansa, Emirates or the 787s of American Airlines.

However, Airbus seems to be “pushing” the airlines, at least the low-cost ones, to adopt a 10-seat configuration on their A350s.

But no matter which option is chosen, you can be sure that the passengers will not say thank you.

Is the real reason the fear of long haul low costs ?

For many US media who commented on the subject, the cause of this questioning on the densification of the long haul (I say questioning because nothing is decided, we are only in the exploratory stage) is the fear of long-distance low-cost airlines which led to the disappearance of Aigle Azur and XL Airways recently.

This does not make sense.

XL Airways was a long-haul low-cost airline, Aigle Azur a little less so, but it did. Level has not proven its profitability, Norwegian is worrisome. After a turnaround of its parent airline (Lufthansa) Eurowings is going to be operating in this niche but without many guarantees. Let’s be clear: today it’s the long-haul low-cost carriers that are struggling and the model has still not proven itself. I see no reason to panic Air France in this way.

I mentioned above the desire to reposition Air France clearly on the premium, which would seem incompatible with such an option. Although… An option that would consist in investing in the front classes while densifying the rear without however falling into extremes would make it possible to attract a clientele with a high contribution in front and to reinforce the profitability behind. Why not as long as it is assumed.

For me the reason is less exogenous than endogenous. Air France must indeed strengthen its premium business but also, and this is non-negotiable, improve its margins if it does not want to find itself in a bad position soon.

In addition, the capacity lost with the planned withdrawal of the A380 will clearly not be compensated in the long term. Fewer aircrafts but more seats? It’s a logic that makes sense.

Between two directions that are a priori opposed, the solution can only be found through the art of the big gap. But it should not be forgotten that the airline is still paying the price of the densification policy instigated by Bruno Matheu in his time and we hope that they have learned from the past.

In the meantime, it is shaving, shaving in all directions.

Photo : B777 Air France by Rebius via Shutterstock