Air France tests Basic fare: if you don't care about status and only travel with a backpack, you save money
The beauty of being part of a growing community is that it is like having tens of thousands of [...]
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The beauty of being part of an ever-growing community is. Is like having tens of thousands of correspondents scattered all over the world: thanks to the law of large numbers, if there is something new out there, it is very likely that someone will point it out to me.
In this article:
This is the case today and Marco's report in our group The Platinum Group Facebook.
Mark found that Air France has begun a test offering passengers a Basic fare That ranks below Light, the one that until now was the cheapest
Only a few airports are involved in this testing phase
It is a number of airports around Europe (and perhaps beyond) that are affected by the novelty. In Italy I understand there are only two: Turin and Florence, but not all routes served by these airports are affected by the test, so it is not certain that the new fare will be offered on all destinations.
The experiment is obviously aimed at making more money, or offering fewer services depending on your point of view. On the other hand, however, in the European market dominated by low-cost carriers more and more passengers are used to traveling light and not having anything included in the ticket, so you might as well offer a similar product even if you are a premium carrier.
Basic or Light what changes
If you opt for the absolute cheapest rate you give up almost everything, or perhaps it is more correct to say that everything is extra except the backpack to be stored under the seat. The Light fare, on the other hand, also has the carry on, or hat rack trolley.
There are also differences in treatment even at the Flying Blue level. Basic tariff allows you to accumulate points, but not XP. This means that the flight in this tariff will not be counted for the purpose of obtaining or renewing status. If you have elite status, however, your privileges are not affected, unlike, for example, other companies that penalize everyone even passengers with status when the cheapest fare is chosen.
As you can see in the image above, if I were to book this ticket because of my status I would have cabin baggage, 2 checked bags, free seat choice, lounge access, and all SkyPriority privileges, but no XP.
In conclusion
I understand the choice, and in some ways it is also correct, What I don't understand, however, is why there is only a flattening downward and not toward those who would be willing to pay more for better service. In the U.S. we have economy with IFE, free wifi on all flights, and true business class. In Europe, the only different "thing" that flies occasionally is ITA's A321 Airways and every time I board, the passengers look like they are entering a spaceship for the first time.
