Young people travel in a different way from previous generations, apparently. A report last year found that millennials and Generation Z are guided by a #YOLO philosophy, with both groups preferring to spend less on accommodation and more on being able to tick standout destinations off their bucket lists, and millennials also take more travel days than anyone else.
So it was only a matter of time before airlines tapped into this generation of hungry travellers. Last summer, Air France announced that it was launching Joon, an airline geared towards millennials that promises to be "punchy, energetic and dynamic". While some publications rubbished the idea, dubbing it "bizarre" and cringeworthy, it could be semi-decent.
According to The Telegraph, at this week's Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg, Joon revealed what passengers can expect on a flight with a millennially minded airline. “We want to be an airline with a DNA based on digitisation, simplification, personalisation and a tailor-made travel journey,” the company's head of partnership and advertising, Michael Ruet, told the publication. Here's what this means in practice for travellers.
Cheap fares
Joon isn't marketing itself as a budget airline but its fares would put it in that category, with flights to European cities starting at €39 (£34) and long-haul journeys from €249 (£218).
🔵Une journée pleine d'émotions ! Départ avec succès de nos premiers vols pour Barcelone, Berlin et Lisbonne 🔵 #weflyjoon
— JOON (@weflyjoon) December 1, 2017
📷 Photo par @AeropuertoBCN pic.twitter.com/zdEHPrOtIh
The airline currently flies to various in-demand short-haul destinations including Berlin, Barcelona, Porto, Lisbon, Oslo, Rome, Naples and Istanbul, and earlier this year ran its first flight to Cape Town. Other long-haul destinations available include Cairo and Tehran, as well as Brazil and the Seychelles from May and Mumbai from June.
A nod towards fashion and the environment
Flight attendants' uniforms, which come in an electric blue hue, are made from 60% recycled plastic and with box-fresh white trainers, even made a reference to the persistent athleisure trend.
Ils sont prêts, et ils ont hâte de vous accueillir ! Plus que 2 semaines avant le grand départ... RDV le 1/12 pour nos tout premiers vols ✈️ pic.twitter.com/tz8I6rBLqP
— JOON (@weflyjoon) November 17, 2017
Craft beer and "experimental" cocktails
Millennials stereotypically love fancy coffee, craft beer and unusual cocktails and Joon is catering to this, offering passengers cocktails created with the Experimental Cocktail Club company, free organic coffee, French craft beer (Le Parisienne) and other local French products in economy, premium economy and business class cabins, although meals aren’t free in economy class, The Telegraph writes. (We'll bet there's avocado on the menu somewhere.)
High-definition and VR entertainment
Passengers can watch their favourite romcom and other in-flight entertainment on high-definition screens or they can stream the content for free on their own devices. And for the technologically savviest among us, there will soon even be the option to pay to rent a VR headset to watch films and TV in 2D, 3D or VR.
Découvrez sans attendre nos consignes de sécurité, à retrouver à bord de tous nos vols longs-courriers : https://t.co/QIL3jxxqqA#safetyvideo #weflyjoon 🔵
— JOON (@weflyjoon) April 3, 2018
The airline says it's had positive feedback from passengers, particularly on the free drinks, although the paid-for meals have been less well received. It has also taken pains to point out that, yes, generation X and baby boomers are welcome to travel with them. “We have both young staff as well as older crew from various backgrounds, so it’s a good mix,” Célia Geslin, Joon's head of product and customer experience, told fares.
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