Air France & KLM Introduce Basic Fare Without Large Carry-On (and Without XP) on Select Routes

After the first hints a few weeks ago, Air France and KLM are now making it official: Startind today, the airlines are selling tickets for a new Basic fare on select short- and medium-haul routes. It only includes a personal item measuring 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Large carry-on luggage (e.g. a cabin trolley) will cost extra, and in this cheapest fare you also no longer earn any XP (status points) with Flying Blue.

Air France and KLM are thus the next network airlines to follow in the footsteps of low-cost carriers. Similar fares already exist not only with Ryanair and the like but also with SAS, Finnair, Condor, and TUIfly.

The New Air France & KLM Basic Fare

According to the airlines, this is initially a test phase. The basic fare will only be offered on direct flights from Amsterdam / Paris to the following destinations, and vice versa:

• 🇬🇷 Athens
• 🇮🇪 Dublin
• 🇮🇹 Florence
• 🇫🇮 Helsinki
• 🇩🇪 Munich
• 🇨🇿 Prague
• 🇸🇪 Stockholm
• 🇹🇳 Tunis
• 🇮🇹 Turin
• 🇦🇹 Vienna

The fare is available for booking immediately for flights from September 9, 2025 onwards. It includes:

• one personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm
• no large carry-on (55 x 35 x 25 cm)
• no status points (XP) with Flying Blue
• regular award miles with Flying Blue (4 to 9 miles per euro)
• snack & drink (though this will likely soon be limited under the new buy-on-board offering)

Flying Blue Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Ultimate status members will still receive a free carry-on and at least one checked bag, even in the basic fare. Whether a large carry-on will also be included for SkyTeam elite members from other programs is unclear. However, one checked bag should be included for them, too.

Light Fare Often More Expensive than Before

We compared sample prices before and after the introduction of the basic fare. In most cases, the usual Light fare is now more expensive than it used to be. So anyone travelling with more than a personal item will pay more than before:

• One-way Amsterdam – Dublin (example):
  • before: €52 in Light fare
  • now: €47 in Basic, €62 in Light
• One-way Paris – Athens (example):
  • before: €92 in Light fare
  • now: €92 in Basic, €112 in Light
• One-way Paris – Munich (example):
  • before: €117 in Light fare
  • now: €109 in Basic, €123 in Light
• One-way Vienna – Amsterdam (example):
  • before: €141 in Light fare
  • now: €131 in Basic, €141 in Light

Conclusion

Even the major airlines are increasingly behaving like low-cost carriers. After checked baggage was eliminated a few years ago, now it’s carry-on luggage under threat. The same downward spiral affects other aspects too, such as seat pitch, which at KLM is sometimes only 71 cm.

The airlines call it a test phase. However, it seems highly unlikely that this change will be reversed. Only the EU might be able to intervene. The EU Parliament recently voted in favour of always allowing a personal item (40 x 30 x 15 cm) plus one carry-on (up to 100 cm combined dimensions, e.g. 50 x 30 x 20 cm). Although this wouldn’t be enough for a standard trolley, it would still be a significant improvement.

Translated by Ditmar

Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange