Air France-KLM Launches Ludicrous New Airline To Attract Hipster Millennials

There’s a new budget airline serving Europe, and eventually long haul destinations from Paris, and its name is…Joon. That’s “riffing”, apparently, on the French word “jeune” which means young, and is meant to attract a clientele of millennials who can’t see past a very uncool airline conglomerate, Air France-KLM Group"s, attempt at rebranding. According to Bloomberg.

What corporate France lacks in cost-cutting potential, it makes up for in style. That at least appears to be the recipe at Joon, the latest aviation brainchild of Air France-KLM Group, which starts operating this week. The pitch goes like this: tech-savvy and fashion-conscious flight attendants serve de rigueur staples from baobab juice to organic quinoa salad as millennials jet from Paris to Barcelona and Brazil at discount rates, streaming videos above the clouds.

Apparently, Joon is born out of some “hard-heading thinking” at Europe’s biggest airline, which aims to boost the groups profits by cutting costs more than the air fares. For those who’ve been paying attention, Air France-KLM doesn’t have the greatest track record in developing budget airlines. Indeed, the expansion of Transavia, the group’s existing low-cost brand, led to a strike by Air France pilots which cost hundreds of millions of Euros in 2014. This time, instead of aiming at pilot costs, Air France- KLM is targeting cabin crew, as Bloomberg explains.

Where the Transavia plan sought significant concessions from pilots, Joon will pay them as much as Air France does -- instead securing savings of 40 percent on cabin crew costs versus the mainline brand. That will reduce expenses by up to 18 percent overall.

Ticket prices won’t be in the bargain-basement range, with a one-way trip to Lisbon on Jan. 8 priced from 50 euros ($59), according to Joon’s website. That’s cheaper than previously charged by Air France, which will vacate routes that Joon takes up, but still 8.74 euros more than the same journey with EasyJet Plc, Europe’s second-biggest discount carrier and a major force in the French market, and 11 euros higher than charged by Transavia, which will duplicate some of the new carrier’s services.

Reading that, you might be forgiven for thinking that Joon might compete a bit too aggressively with other parts of the group, although we’re probably mistaken.

However, from the customer’s perspective, it’s all about how “cool” the new airline is going to be, beginning with the underpaid cabin crew.

Hence the focus on cool (cabin crew will wear electric-blue polo shirts and white sneakers that resemble Adidas AG’s popular Stan Smiths) as Joon seeks to woo a clientele that’s price sensitive but which also, it hopes, puts a high value on technology and lifestyle requirements.

Passengers will be able to stream movies and shows on their own devices, playing to the always-connected crowd while saving on the cost of screens. All seats will feature USB ports for charging and, from next year, free Wi-Fi.

Here’s a photo of some of the cabin crew, not sure who the old guy is…

…ahh, he’s the CEO of the Air France-KLM group. Free WiFi aside, Bloomberg cautions that everything else is going to cost.

Other perks will come at a price, among them checked luggage, programs from the Viceland and RedBullTV channels viewed via virtual-reality headsets, and the baobab juice. Joon will also offer a business-class service featuring extra space, as well as a premium-economy class on long-haul routes.

We are already underwhelmed and our confidence isn’t helped when Air France’s CEO acknowledges the new airline is a marketing experiment. The response on social media hasn’t been great either, as Bloomberg informs us.

Franck Terner, who heads Air France, describes the new carrier as a laboratory for experiments in marketing and pricing, comparing its launch to that of Richard Branson’s mold-breaking Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. in the 1980s. Yet the response to an ad campaign that likens Joon to a trendy rooftop bar and fashion designer -- before adding that it’s “also an airline” -- has been less than positive. Critics on social media and elsewhere have accused it of patronizing younger travelers and misinterpreting their basic needs.

“What we care about are the same things that old people care about: cheap, reliable flights that have got no hidden costs,” humorist Paul Taylor said on “What’s Up France,” his Canal Plus TV show. “Maybe instead of trying to create a new condescending airline, try to fix the ones you already got.”

Good point.

Our favourite review is from the Gizmodo website of which this is an extract.

According to a release from Joon, flyers will get a taste of that boutique lifestyle because Joon isn’t just an airline, it’s “a fashion brand, a rooftop bar, an entertainment channel, a personal assistant … and Joon does flying too!”

Let’s break this down:

• Joon is a fashion brand because the flight attendants will wear an electric blue uniform that reflects a “chic sportswear look.” It’s kind of like the stylish and colorful uniforms worn by the attendants of PanAm in the 1960s.


• It’s a “rooftop bar” because it will offer some food (20 percent organic options) and beverages (some of them infused with vitamins). The bar does not seem to be on the roof of the airplane, but the plane itself will fly above all roofs.


• It’s an “entertainment channel” because you can stream movies and shows on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. It’s kind of like that weird screen in the back of the seat that airlines for old people usually have, but in this case, you bring your own screen. Don’t have your own screen? That’s where the AlloSky Virtual Reality Headset comes in.


• Last, but not least, Joon is a “personal assistant” because it offers services like the option to rent out your car to strangers while you’re gone through TravelCar, get tourism advice from Airbnb operators, be forced into traveling to a random destination through Waynabox, and crowdfunding your airfare through Paper Plane, a service that hasn’t debuted yet.

As a millennial, I can report that this is all fine. It’s fine. I’ll probably get nauseous using VR on a plane. I would never use most of these services—I don’t care. And I can’t afford to hit any of Joon’s destinations anyway. If an airline really wants to appeal to millennials, they should offer frequent flyer miles for racking up student loan debt.

As always, there are some analysts who view new corporate strategies in positive terms. Bloomberg managed to find one.

“Air France needs to improve its cost performance relative to competitors in order to thrive in an environment that may not be as benign as the one we have today,” said Andrew Lobbenberg, an aviation analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc in London. “That’s what Joon is about.”

While it will be fascinating to watch how the newly launched airline performs, we doubt that the highly competitive conditions in the budget air travel space will get any easier. Indeed, as Bloomber explains, Paris is the new hub for IAG’s long haul budget plans, a market which Joon has yet to enter.

The challenge facing Joon took on a new dimension on Tuesday, when British Airways owner IAG SA revealed that it had chosen Paris as the second base for its Level discount arm. The carrier, which focuses on long-haul routes, will offer flights between the French capital and New York for 129 euros each way, and to Montreal, Guadeloupe and Martinique for 99 euros. IAG CEO Willie Walsh said Joon was a “hybrid” rather than “a very low-cost operation,” adding: “I’m not sure what Air France is doing there.”

It Is Seven Times More Difficult To Get A Flight Attendant Job At Delta Than Enter Harvard

One of our preferred "off beat" economic indicators is how many workers apply at any one given moment in time for jobs that are hardly considered career-track. An example of this is the number of applicants for minimum wage line cook jobs at McDonalds, or flight attendant positions at Delta Airlines; conveniently, this is a series which we have tracked on and off for the past 7 years.

As regular readers may recall, back in October 2010, the Atlanta-based carrier received 100,000 applications for 1,000 jobs, an "acceptance ratio" of 1.0%. Things appeared to improve modestly in 2012 when Bloomberg reported that Delta had received 22,000 applicants for 300 flight attendant jobs: this pushed the acceptance ratio slightly higher to 1.3%, as by this point the job market had improved somewhat, and there were far better job career options available.

Fast forward to today when things have turned decidedly more grim for the US job market once again, at least based on this one particular indicator. According to CNN, Delta is once again on the hunt for new flight attendants, and has roughly 1,000 open positions for 2018, although this year the competition is virtually unprecedented: so far, Delta has received more than 125,000 applications for this hiring round, which all else equal would result in an acceptance ratio of 0.8%. Note, we said "virtually unprecedented" because this year ratio of applicants to open positions is identical to last year, when 150,000 people applied for 1,200 flight attendant jobs, resulting in an identical, 0.8% acceptance ratio.

So what makes it such a tough gig to land?

"You need to not only be a customer service professional, but also a safety expert," said Ashton Morrow, a Delta spokeswoman.

Political correctness aside, you have to be young, relatively good looking, preferably a female (sorry, sexism does exist)... oh and willing to accept next to minimum wage.

Even so, one would think one is trying to get into Harvard: applicants first submit an application, then chosen candidates submit a video of themselves answering a set of questions. Selected candidates are then asked to come in for an in-person interview. Last year, 35,000 people made it to the video interview part. The candidate pool was then whittled down to 6,000 people for in-person interviews.

The Delta "admissions committee" was happy to chime in:

"After making it through the highly competitive and exhaustive selection process, they put all their previous experience and skills to the test during our flight attendant initial training," said Allison Ausband, Delta"s senior vice president of in-flight service, in a release Monday.

Having made it so far through the process, in which the lucky candidate literally has to be better than 99 of their peers, the new hires go through an eight-week training program in Atlanta where they learn how to handle mid-flight emergencies like a fire or a sick passenger. The company describes the training program as "grueling" and that it will "stretch each trainee to the limit" in a video.

Finally, having reached the promised land, what untold wealth and riches await the lucky guy or gal? Well... nothing more than minimum wage: average entry-level flight attendants earn roughly $25,000 a year, according to the company. Wait, that"s it? Well, there are perks, such as the increasingly more unaffordable - for most - employee benefits which include health insurance coverage, 401(k) with a company match and a profit-sharing program. Workers also get travel privileges for themselves and family member.

Oh, and once hired, forget about having a personal life: "work-life balance can be tricky for flight attendants early in their careers since they don"t have a lot of control over their flight schedules."

For any reader contemplating applying, here are the minimum qualifications:

applicants must be at least 21 years old, have a high school degree or GED and be able to work in the U.S. Flight attendants cannot have any tattoos that are visible while in the company"s uniform. Visible body piercings and earlobe plugs are also not allowed.

Putting this entire farcical process, which among other things demonstrates the true state of the US job market, Harvard"s acceptance rate for the class of 2021 was 5.2%. In other words, it is 6.5x times (round it up) easier to enter Harvard than to get a job at Delta. As an attendant.  And there is your jobs supply-demand reality in one snapshot.

P.S. it is somewhat easier to get the desired job if one fits the following physical parameters.

United Airlines Forced Woman To Pee In Cup In Front Of Other Passengers

Via TheAntiMedia.org,

A month after video footage of a man being dragged off a United Airlines airplane went viral, the airline is facing heat yet again, this time for forcing a female passenger to urinate in a cup in front of other passengers.

Nicole Harper, an emergency room nurse in Kansas City, says flight attendants wouldn’t let her get up to use the restroom until the captain turned off the seatbelt belt sign. Harper says she explained she has an overactive bladder and was then handed the cup to relieve herself — while she sat in her seat.

“You would think peeing in a cup on an airplane in front of my family and strangers would be the worst part of this story,” Harper recounted on Facebook. “But the way I was treated by flight attendants afterwards was worse.”

The nurse says the flight crew “shamed her,” saying they would be filing a report on the incident and claiming a hazmat team would have to be called in for cleanup. Harper says she made no mess.

She also says her experience with United following the incident on the plane was just as frustrating. Claiming her efforts to contact United’s customer service department went ignored, she wrote on Facebook that this type of behavior wouldn’t fly in her profession:

“As an emergency room nurse I completely understand having a bad day on the job and having to deal with undesirable bodily fluids. What I don’t understand is ZERO customer service. If I treated a patient this poorly I would surely have consequences.”

United is really on a roll as of late.

Back in March, the airline made headlines for barring teenage girls from boarding a flight because of the leggings they were wearing. In early May, the company allowed a passenger to board the wrong plane, and the woman found herself in San Francisco instead of Paris. As recently as Tuesday, it was reported that passengers whose prized rabbit died on a United flight are now seeking a monetary settlement.

American Airlines Employee Suspended After Hitting Mother, Challenging Passenger To A Fight

For US airline Public Relations teams, April has been the cruelest month on record.

Less than two weeks after a 69-year-old doctor, David Dao, was hospitalized after Chicago aviation police dragged him from a United Airlines plane sparking international outrage and a public relations nightmare for the carrier, it is now American Airlines" turn to be in the spotlight after the airline suspended a male flight attendant when a video emerged showing him challenging a passenger to a fight after allegedly hitting a woman with a stroller during boarding.

The video filmed before Flight 591 departed from San Francisco on Friday afternoon, shows the airline staff member goading a passenger and saying, "hit me".

Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya who recorded the incident, said he started filming after the flight attendant "violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby." He added that "they just involuntarily escorted the mother and her kids off the flight and let the flight attendant back on, who tried to fight other passengers. The mom asked for an apology and the AA official declined."

In his video, the woman with the child can be heard asking flight attendants for the stroller. A male passenger then walks towards the front of the plane and demands from the airline crew the name of the employee who took the stroller before he returns to his seat. Moments later, another American employee, who Scott said was a flight attendant, enters the plane and the male passenger confronts him.

"You do that to me and I"ll knock you flat," the passenger can be heard saying to the flight attendant.

The staff member responds by pointing his finger at the man and telling him to "stay out of it." The male passenger then steps closer to the employee, who challenges him to a fight.

"Try it," the employee tells the customer. "Hit me. You don"t know what the story is." "You almost hurt a baby!" the man is heard replying. The passenger eventually returns to his seat and the flight attendant leaves the plane.

Adyanthaya posted another photo on his Facebook page showing the woman with two young children - believed to be twins - in her arms; she was reportedly removed from the plane and the AA employee was permitted back on the plane.

Reuters adds that American Airlines was investigating Friday"s incident, which happened on Flight 591 from San Francisco to Dallas before the plane took off, Leslie Scott, an airline spokeswoman said. The incident started over a dispute as to whether the woman could bring her stroller on the flight, Scott said. Witnesses said the male flight attendant told the woman she could not keep the stroller at her seat in the rear of the plane, Tribune Media reported. They said she was trying to find space for it when the initial incident occurred.

* * *

Understandably, American scrambled to intercept this latest PR fiasco before it got out of hand, although it may be too late.

"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident," the airline said in a statement late on Friday. The woman and her family were being upgraded to first class for the remainder of their international trip, it said. It is doubtful whether this attempt to mollify the general public, angrier by the day at being treated like cattle by US airlines (except for first class of course), will succeed.

American Airlines Employee Suspended After Hitting Mother, Challenging Passenger To A Fight

For US airline Public Relations teams, April has been the cruelest month on record.

Less than two weeks after a 69-year-old doctor, David Dao, was hospitalized after Chicago aviation police dragged him from a United Airlines plane sparking international outrage and a public relations nightmare for the carrier, it is now American Airlines" turn to be in the spotlight after the airline suspended a male flight attendant when a video emerged showing him challenging a passenger to a fight after allegedly hitting a woman with a stroller during boarding.

The video filmed before Flight 591 departed from San Francisco on Friday afternoon, shows the airline staff member goading a passenger and saying, "hit me".

Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya who recorded the incident, said he started filming after the flight attendant "violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby." He added that "they just involuntarily escorted the mother and her kids off the flight and let the flight attendant back on, who tried to fight other passengers. The mom asked for an apology and the AA official declined."

In his video, the woman with the child can be heard asking flight attendants for the stroller. A male passenger then walks towards the front of the plane and demands from the airline crew the name of the employee who took the stroller before he returns to his seat. Moments later, another American employee, who Scott said was a flight attendant, enters the plane and the male passenger confronts him.

"You do that to me and I"ll knock you flat," the passenger can be heard saying to the flight attendant.

The staff member responds by pointing his finger at the man and telling him to "stay out of it." The male passenger then steps closer to the employee, who challenges him to a fight.

"Try it," the employee tells the customer. "Hit me. You don"t know what the story is." "You almost hurt a baby!" the man is heard replying. The passenger eventually returns to his seat and the flight attendant leaves the plane.

Adyanthaya posted another photo on his Facebook page showing the woman with two young children - believed to be twins - in her arms; she was reportedly removed from the plane and the AA employee was permitted back on the plane.

Reuters adds that American Airlines was investigating Friday"s incident, which happened on Flight 591 from San Francisco to Dallas before the plane took off, Leslie Scott, an airline spokeswoman said. The incident started over a dispute as to whether the woman could bring her stroller on the flight, Scott said. Witnesses said the male flight attendant told the woman she could not keep the stroller at her seat in the rear of the plane, Tribune Media reported. They said she was trying to find space for it when the initial incident occurred.

* * *

Understandably, American scrambled to intercept this latest PR fiasco before it got out of hand, although it may be too late.

"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident," the airline said in a statement late on Friday. The woman and her family were being upgraded to first class for the remainder of their international trip, it said. It is doubtful whether this attempt to mollify the general public, angrier by the day at being treated like cattle by US airlines (except for first class of course), will succeed.

Watch: Bigoted Turtleneck-Wearing Liberal Gets Tossed Off Plane For Harassing Trump Supporter!

File this under Justice Porn...

A miserable seething bitch and her browbeaten husband are the stars of a new video making it"s way around the internet after the woman, a horrible human being, decided to berate a Trump supporter on an airplane. First, here"s what happened from the guy it happened to:

The first flight attendant to deal with his bigot isn"t having any of her shit:

Attendant #1: "Is there going to be a problem?"

Woman: "There will be, I would like for him to change seats with somebody who did not put us all in harm"s way"

Attendant #1: "Well, you don"t have that right!"

[mic drop, goes to get other flight attendant]

When the second flight attendant breaks the news of her impending ejection, this ivory tower liberal starts throwing her dead mother in law out to try and gain some sympathy:

Woman: "I"m going home now. My mother in law, his mother, died. And we had to be here. I"m going home now, there is no way I"m getting off this plane."

Attendant #2: "I"m terribly sorry for that, but that does not give you the right to treat people the way you"ve been treating them.

[indignancy intensifies]

Husband: "What if we trade seats and she quiets down? How would that be?"

Attendant #2: "Unfortunately the captain has already made the call..."

DENIED

Enjoy the show: 

 

And a potato quality recording of her actually getting tossed:

 

 

Note the applause...