Article from BTNews 4 FEBRUARY 2019
HOP! rebrand by Air France
Streamlining within Air France begun by new Air France-KLM Group CEO Benjamin Smith late last year has now reached routes operated by the regional fleet with the airline announcing on Friday it was discarding the HOP! brand.
Commercial branding on the routes affected would now be marketed under the name Air France HOP, with no exclamation mark. The airline said this “makes it possible to link the regional flight offer more clearly to the Air France brand”.
A statement added the move also strengthened the offer by making it the sole point of reference for customers wishing to travel on the French flag carrier. "This is the next step in simplifying Air France-KLM's brand portfolio to provide greater clarity for customers and more consistency with the group's global commercial offer,” the airline said.
Smith added: “This is the next step towards consolidating the strength of our brands and increasing the clarity and overall consistency of the Air France-KLM Group's offer.
“The domestic network, including the regional market currently operated by HOP!, is fundamental to the Air France business model, securing its regional foothold and is an integral part of its history and DNA. In the face of competition in this market, we must make our offer clearer.”
HOP! Staff and flights are said to be unaffected by the move.
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Keith Wallis, Faversham
I can see a special section in the BTN Christmas quiz coming up in the next few years - matching the defunct/subsumed/forgotten low cost, "value", budget carriers with their more well known parents!