BY MIKE OCHONMA  

• No lounge, no seat reservation, limited baggage allowance

  French and Dutch flag carriers Air France and KLM have launched their “Business Light” fares, which allow passengers to book business class tickets without the usual ground services. These new fares are a response to the trend of “unbundling” in the airline industry, which was initiated by Gulf airlines such as Qatar Airways and followed by smaller European airlines like Finnair. However, this trend seems to be on the decline, as Qatar Airways has already reverted to offering access to premium lounges with its Business Classic fares. Other European airlines, such as Lufthansa Group and IAG, continue to include lounge access in their Light fares. The consequences for passengers booking the Business Light fare on Air France and KLM are that they will need to pay separately for services such as checked baggage, seat selection before check-in opens, and access to the pre-flight lounge. However, SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers will still have access to these benefits. The reason behind this deployment is to generate new sources of revenue from the sale of Business tickets and to better position the airlines in terms of pricing.