News: New BA business airline takes off
Flights > News > # 1806 (19/06/2008)
The first flight from British Airways’ new subsidiary OpenSkies has taken off this morning (June 19).
OpenSkies will operate flights from Paris Orly to New York JFK in direct competition against French business specialist L’avion.
OpenSkies is the first airline created specifically to take advantage of the EU-US Open Skies aviation agreement that enables carriers to fly between any destinations in the EU and US. It will operate daily services between Paris and New York on a specially configured Boeing 757 with just 82 seats.
OpenSkies’ customers have three seating options, 24 flat-bed recliners, 28 recliners with a 52” seat pitch and 30 standard seats.
British Airways’ chief executive Willie Walsh said: “This is an exciting new chapter in our history as, for the first time, we will be flying directly between continental Europe and the US.
“We are confident that OpenSkies will have a successful future. It will benefit from British Airways’ experience in the transatlantic market and have the ability to be innovative and respond quickly to changing customer demands.”
He added that OpenSkies would become a test-bed for new customer services and onboard products that could be integrated into British Airways’ fleet.
The timing of OpenSkies’ launch may seem strange considering that three all-business class transatlantic airlines have gone bust in recent months, but Walsh is confident BA’s new project will be a success.
He said: “While the economic climate has worsened in recent months, we believe that OpenSkies can compete effectively. It has a low cost base and support from British Airways in key areas such as sales and marketing. This differentiates it from some new airlines that have failed recently which were operating in isolation without the backing of an established carrier.”
OpenSkies aims to operate a fleet of six aircraft by the end of next year, offering flights to New York from major European cities such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan.
Add to:
Related Airlines:
Related Airports:
