Cheap(er) Business Class Flights

machtzu

Hi

I read in the news last week of a low-cost business carrier to the states(eg £350 return in business class), but I can't remember who it was, does anyone know? Also do you know of any other cheap business class carriers?

pin

There are a couple of new airlines that have started running from Stanstead to NYC offering business class only seats. There was an article in the Times or FT about them, will have a look later and post a link if I can.

pin

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9077-1811516,00.html

http://www.eosairlines.com/

http://www.maxjet.com/

pin

Article from the Times on 5 November:

Launch of luxury New York flightsWhich has the most legroom? Which offers the best goodies? Tom Chesshyre tests the new luxury-only transatlantic airlines, Eos and Maxjet, plus a look at private jet options

"Seats the size of a small Japanese hotel room": Tom Chesshyre en route to New York with eos. Photograph: Doug McKinlay

THIS may be a tale of two cities — but it’s a case of the best of times being followed by even better times. I’m at Stansted, lounging on a comfortable sofa, nibbling smoked salmon canapés, flicking through Vanity Fair, and drinking crisp, chilled Lanson Black Label brut champagne.
It’s 9.30am on a Wednesday, perhaps a little early to be starting on the free fizzy stuff? Doug, the Times photographer, thinks not: “It’s gotta be 6pm somewhere in the world.” Welcome to the new world of Britain’s first business-class-only transatlantic flights.

We’re testing eos, which has return seats starting at £2,500, and MAXjet, at £854. Both have started flights from London Stansted to New York JFK, hoping to put a dent in the business-fare sales of established transatlantic airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in the same way Ryanair and easyJet have hit them at the economy end of the market.

On paper they look good. Eos’s flat-bed seats have a 78in pitch and are about £1,300 less than BA’s Club World offering at 73in. MAXjet’s seats are 60in, compared with BA’s Premier Economy’s 38in, and about £500 less. But are they really going to “do a Stelios” to the business traveller market?

There was only one way to find out. Champagne glasses drained in the lounge, we head to our Boeing 757, 48 seats where normal flight configurations have 200, and lay eyes on the cabins. Our seats are the size of small Japanese hotel rooms, long enough when fully extended for a 6ft 6incher to stretch out (and I’m just 5ft 8in). Gentle classical music is playing in the background.



Charming Valeria — it says so on the label of her Armani-style all-black outfit (all very NYC hip-hotel, with a neat string of pearls completing her look) — brings champagne bellini cocktails, and hands me some by-the-pool-in-the-Hamptons white slippers, along with a vanity case containing L’Occitane en Provence lip balm and moisturiser, Evian vaporiser, ear-plugs, toothbrush and eye mask.

We’re soon up, purring 30,000ft over the Irish Sea. Farrah, another smiler, brings me a Personal Entertainment Appliance, a slick little laptop television with Bose noise- cancelling headphones.

And then comes lunch. Parma ham, mozzarella and roasted sweet peppers, followed by fillet of salmon and sole, and a chocolate soufflé, the latter deemed “damn good” by Doug. David Spurlock, a former British Airways senior executive and founder of eos, is a few rows back. I join him, sitting on the horseshoe-shaped chair that faces each seat (part of the flat bed when the seat is raised). The purpose of this arrangement is, he says, so that colleagues can talk face to face, or pull out the 3ft by 2ft table to share a meal.

“We’ve got 21 sq ft per seat, BA has just 15 on Club World,” says Spurlock, going for the jugular; before sketching a Virgin Atlantic seat on my notepad and explaining how his are “much better”. Whatever. It’s certainly comfortable enough as I lie back; more space than I can remember on BA’s Club World. I’m asleep in moments, tucked into my cashmere blanket.

Another day, another swanky flight. MAXjet is a different proposition. Its owners are taking on traditional airlines’ premium economy sections, not the top business seats. It has 100 comfortable blue leather seats on its Boeing 767. And it beats eos hands down for value; if not for ridiculous luxury. The MAXjet lounge is better than eos’s though — bigger, with sweeping views of all those horrible easyJets and Ryanairs.

Champagne in the lounge is followed by more of the same on board, plus tasty crayfish hors d’oeuvres. Dara, our flight attendant — from East Brunswick, New Jersey, her badge says — takes our glasses and brings entertainment units; no posh Bose headphones though, and the screen’s smaller than eos’s.

Tom Otley, editor of Business Traveller magazine, is sitting next to me. He likes the MAXjet concept, but is upset about one thing: there’s no socket to recharge the battery on his laptop, which means he can’t work more than three hours. “I’m sorry. They’re coming in soon,” says the apologetic purser. But we agree that the menu is clearer than eos’s, which was on a cheap piece of card. And so is the view, which means we get to see the icy wastes of Greenland.

For lunch it’s sun-dried tomato and roasted artichoke salad, chilli-spiced prawns and sesame noodles, and a good marmalade bread and butter pudding. Dara brings more champagne — she seems to have a sixth sense (or maybe she’s simply worked us out).

Mark, who works for an international cargo company and is a frequent business-class traveller, joins us: “This plane is superb. And I saved a lot of money.” Richard, an architect on the eos flight, was also positive: “It’s the best business-class I’ve tried.”

And who were we to disagree? BA and Virgin had better watch out: Stansted has got two classy new airlines — and we’ve drunk the bubbly to prove it.

Page 2: How about a private jet to New York?

How about a private jet to New York?

PRIVATE jets don’t come cheap — about £5,500 for a six-seater to pop to Paris for lunch or £50,000 for a return on a 14-seat transatlantic jet — but that’s not stopping the post-Concorde, I-want-to-be-alone crowd.

The biggest market for private jet flights is in Europe, but more people than ever are going long-haul to the States, where a full 14-seater can work out at around £3,570 per person — just £70 more than eos’s lead-in rate after its promotional period of £2,800 fares ends in January.

Christian Rooney, managing director of Bookajet.com, which began in September 2003 and has been used by the Beckhams, the Osbournes and Dido, estimates that door-to-door transatlantic journey times with private jets are two hours less than on normal scheduled journeys owing to shorter before-flight check-ins and faster speeds at higher altitudes.

He believes that business-class services offered by BA, Virgin and — now — eos will continue to be popular with smaller groups of business travellers as they work out more cost-effective.

Since Concorde flew its last commercial flight in October 2003 companies such as Jeffersons, Marquis Jet, NetJets, Flights of Fantasy, Captain’s Choice, ITC Classics, Kuoni World Class and Aspire Holidays have reported booming interest in private jet travel.

Flights of Fantasy, which began last May, offers a £105,000 per person, 45-day “World Air Cruise” on an A319, which has seating for 28. This includes a suite with a washroom, reclining swivel chairs, a dining table and a three-seater sofa that converts into a double bed.

Meanwhile, Jeffersons has exclusive-use jets for flights to Paris, with lunch at the three Michelin star Grand Vefour and champagne on board from £1,759 per person.


Tom Chesshyre

alison74

Best get my lottery ticket on so I can hire myself a private jet !


How the other half live...............

cougar_3

An interesting article, pin, way out of anyones budget, but interesting none the less!

chriz1000

I flew with monarch with my girlfriend to Orlando a month or so ago and we upgraded to premium I think it worked out at about £430 each, which isn’t bad when you consider what a better seat and service you get compared to economy.

pin

I've done long haul business class a few times now, and I'm afraid I'm hooked!! The product is amazing from the minute you arrive to the airport to when you leave the airport at the other end (flown BA and CX). I've also done a fair few short hop business class, while good I don't think they are worth the money.

However saying that business class is an expensive product, but with with certain airlines I reckon you get what you pay for. There are ways to make business class cheaper, but its still more expensive then bagging that £200 flight to New York. I guess it comes down to the choice of how you wish to spend your money.

mcgi6ah2

I'm flying with Eos on Sunday (work paying). I will report back on the findings, but it looks very promising. Eos have a buy one get one free and £1500 airfare for certain dates at the moment. If you can combine those you have two first class tickets at £750 a piece - pretty good going, as its about £500 less than a 38" BA premium economy seat!!!

awayfly

You could fly on one of the minor carriers like Air India, Pakistan Airlines, Iceland Air. They have some very good biz class trans-Atlantic deals. Ok the product is not as good as the major carriers but for not much more than economy class you get a decent service.

From article Reducing your business class airfare

mcgi6ah2

Just got back from flying with EOS, this is by far and away the best flight experience I have ever had.

The Maxjet product is equivalent to a tier 2 airline business class seat (i.e. not lie flat, like continental). EOS on the other hand, in my opinion, is better than BA first class but at a price significantly undercutting the BA business class fare.

Excellent food, amazing seat, superb service, very good attention to detail and now with a VERY good frequent flyer programme. Great Emirates departure lounge at JFK and escort through security etc to the lounge and off again at other end.

Downsides - limited movie selection at moment, noisier 757 aircraft, 2 flights a day only (from jan), basic stansted departure lounge - although can use Radisson next door to freshen up etc.