Was just reading the thread on the widely divergent views if whether Air France's L Éspace business class is better or not than KLM's World Business Class.

Started me thinking... after the merger, is one supposed to be more "premium" or upscale than the other? Is Air France supposed to go head-to-head with the BAs, LHs, AAs, and SQs of the world, while KLM is supposed to battle it out with the likes of SAS, Swiss, Iberia, Thai, MAS etc as the more mass market "value"airline?

Or is it the other way around? Can KLM really aspire to be a premium airline like BA or SQ or Cathay given the limits of its home market (Amsterdam being much less of a financial centre than London, Singapore, or Hong Kong?) Would Air France stand a better chance with France / Paris as its home base?

Thoughts?