Air France slips as LCCs intensify – now long haul challenges

Air France remains the biggest airline in Paris by some distance, but low cost airlines have grown their share of seats in recent years. Air France's in-house LCC, Transavia France, has only slowed the tide, while competitors such as easyJet and Vueling have taken market share. Norwegian has also been part of this low cost onslaught, initially on medium haul and now on long haul routes to the US.

To make things more difficult for Air France, other low cost operators are also entering long haul markets from Paris, particularly on the Atlantic, including Level, WestJet, French Bee and WOW air, with Primera Air also planning to enter.

Air France has not fully been able to defend its Paris share against LCC competition by the use of Transavia, a genuine low cost operator focused on medium haul and based in Orly. As long haul low cost competition grows, it will hardly be any easier for Air France to defend its position with its new CDG-based subsidiary Joon, which operates both medium haul and long haul and does not even set out to be a low cost airline.