Jun 23rd, 2009 at 4:30PM: OpenSkies, the all-business-class subsidiary of British Airways has always been fighting an uphill battle. At only one year old, the airline has always struggled to earn and maintain a customer base. Now with demand on the wane and airlines cutting back, OpenSkies might soon be on the chopping block. The model, it seemed, was valid. A smaller plane with all business and first class seats could ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
OpenSkies posts
The fall of OpenSkies?
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 4:30PM: OpenSkies, the all-business-class subsidiary of British Airways has always been fighting an uphill battle. At only one year old, the airline has always struggled to earn and maintain a customer base. Now with demand on the wane and airlines cutting back, OpenSkies might soon be on the chopping block. The model, it seemed, was valid. A smaller plane with all business and first class seats could ...OpenSkies offers two for one tickets to Amsterdam and Paris
May 5th, 2009 at 1:00PM: With demand for airline tickets quickly shrinking, premium carriers like OpenSkies are scrambling to incentive passengers to continue flying Business and First class products overseas. OpenSkies' latest promotion is aimed at goosing that first class demographic. Passengers interested in traveling in their "Biz Bed" class (effectively their lie flat, premium product) can now get a free companion ...Fly OpenSkies in the new year on new sale rates
Jan 10th, 2009 at 5:00PM: If you're still itching to get in on the new premium airline, OpenSkies but have so far been a little gun shy at the cost of tickets, you now have a new excuse to indulge: with the new year, the airline put their Prem+ cabin on sale, cutting the fare down to only $1,000 round trip. Through January 26th and for travel through the spring you can take advantage of the offer, which puts you in plush, ...OpenSkies and L'Avion announce codeshare, merge closer
Nov 28th, 2008 at 11:00AM: OpenSkies and L'Avion, two of the last remaining all-premium carriers (arguably, THE last remaining carrier as OpenSkies acquired their competitor earlier this year) just announced a codeshare agreement between the two airlines, effectively increasing the number of available flights serachable from each carrier at any particular time. The step brings them ever-so-closer to a complete merger of the ...British Airways CEO Sees Little To Be Excited about in the US
Nov 11th, 2008 at 1:30PM: After the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Party majority in the house and senate, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh sees little to be optimistic about as far as stateside operations go. Many European carriers would like to see additions to the Open Skies Agreement, which provided greater rights for foreign-owned airlines to operate within the US. Walsh is worried about Obama's support of ...OpenSkies Announces Post Election Fare Deals
Nov 6th, 2008 at 4:00PM: British Airways-backed upscale carrier currently flies two trans-Atlantic routes, JFK to Amsterdam and JFK to Paris Orly. A one-way BIZ class ticket on the Amsterdam route will cost $1050 if it is booked by November 21st. Fares to Orly will start at $1100 if booked by the same date. PREM+ (premium economy class) tickets start at $550 one-way. Is this a good deal? It depends on how much you value ...Favorites from Gadling's birthday giveaway
Oct 17th, 2008 at 2:00PM: As I'm sure you're well aware at this point, we've been hosting a birthday giveaway for a free pair of tickets to Amsterdam. Nice tickets. And we've been asking commenters to tell us "what they would do" in Amsterdam as their form of entry. Obviously we'll be picking the winner out of a random number generator and can't give any special preference to friends or witty comments. But sorting through ...OpenSkies launches NYC - Amsterdam route today -- extends fare sale
Oct 15th, 2008 at 5:00PM: Today is the first day that OpenSkies' new route between JFK and Amsterdam. As of 4PM this afternoon, the inaugural flight from Amsterdam should have landed, and the return flight departs in just a few hours. In light of their new route (and perhaps a little bit because of the economy), the airline has also announced that they're extending their fare sale for Prem + seats to an additional 1,000 ...10 reasons why first class air travel is the best way to fly
Oct 9th, 2008 at 3:30PM: Call me a snob, but when it comes to flying abroad, there is nothing like sitting up front in the first class cabin. Sure, it may still be the same metal tube the rest of the passengers are traveling in, but there is something to be said for three course cuisine over a bad sandwich, or 1 flight attendant for 6 passengers instead of one per 50. Unlike the 50's and 60's, when flying in first class ...OpenSkies releases sale fares on new routes to Amsterdam and Paris
Oct 7th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Been eyeballing those super fancy fares on OpenSkies for the last few months but too afraid to jump on the tickets? Now's your time to take the bull by the horns and pull the trigger on that vacation to Paris or Amsterdam. OpenSkies just announced that they put their Prem+ cabin on sale for the first 1,000 passengers on each route. For now, tickets will be $499 one way to Amsterdam, their newest ...Why does Gadling seem so fond of Virgin, OpenSkies and Southwest?
Sep 29th, 2008 at 2:00PM: If you've been around the blog for more than a few weeks, you may have noticed that we seem to cover some of the newer and edgier carriers a bit more often. Virgin America and Atlantic, Southwest and OpenSkies seem to edge into our network fairly often and it seems like there's always a Gadling blogger close at hand (usually with a vodka tonic) to report on the hijinks. Why is this? Are these ...Expansions in the business-class-only service
Aug 19th, 2008 at 1:20PM: The all-business-class model for airline carriers has been a touchy subject over the last few months. With all but two of the airlines now out of business (OpenSkies and Singapore Airlines' select flights), many wonder if the original approach was a good idea. Yet OpenSkies (EC, owned by British Airways) and Singapore Airlines (SQ) continue to press on -- and even expand. Earlier this month, ...How much are those Heathrow landing slots worth?
Jul 16th, 2008 at 2:30PM: Now that Open Skies is in full effect, carriers left and right are scrambling to take advantage of all of the sweet landing slots in the EU's congested airports. Case in point, London's Heathrow Airport. Most travelers flying into the United Kingdom prefer landing at Heathrow because of better connections and proximity to London via the Tube. But landing slots at LHR are all full, so whenever one ...A conversation with OpenSkies' Dale Moss
Jul 14th, 2008 at 1:00PM: Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dale Moss, the managing director of OpenSkies, the planet's newest airline flying between New York City and Paris. After test driving his airline out last week, I had a few questions about the airline and Mr. Moss was kind enough to call me personally. Here's what he had to say. Gadling: For the lay person who's getting into the transatlantic ...Open Skies: Planning, booking and the concierge service
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Since Open Skies only operates one aircraft and flies one route, planning your itinerary is fairly easy. You're going to be leaving from JFK at 5:30PM and returning from Orly at 10:55 AM. With the recent acquisition of L'avion, the airline plans to increase the frequency of those routes, but for now you only have one option in each direction.
Purchasing a ticket on Open Skies is remarkably easy, ...Open Skies: Online check in
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Twenty four hours before departure, I got an email from Open Skies telling me that online check-in was open. I took a quick gander over to the website, plugged in my confirmation number and last name then clicked "Manage my booking". In turn, the site asked for my passport information then took me to the seat selection website. This is where things got a little tricky. Things may have been ...Open Skies: In flight Economy
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Looking at the economy configuration, you don't immediately see many differences between the Open Skies product and any other transoceanic carrier. But a closer look at the product reveals the perks. Seats are new, all-leather and surprisingly comfortable. With only about thirty seats in the cabin, there is a quieter, personal feel in the area, which means that if the baby three rows ahead of you ...Open Skies: In flight Prem +
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: What you are paying for in Prem + is for comfort and leg room. The biggest difference between the Economy and Prem + cabins is the sheer volume of space alloted to each passenger. Seats in Prem + are much more pleasant at 20" wide with a 140 degree recline and a 52" seat pitch, resulting in four seats per row instead of six. A generous armrest containing two brackets for your IFE system is between ...Open Skies: In flight Biz
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: The first thing that you notice when you reach the Biz seats is that all window seats face aft. Seats are laid out in a head-to-toe orientation so that they fit comfortably together and so that you can compartmentalize your seat easier. I chose a window because I like watching as the aircraft ascends out of New York City and because I don't like the aisle traffic. While your seat has to be in an ...Open Skies: Transfer in from Orly
Jul 8th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Several people that I have spoken with have expressed concern that Open Skies doesn't fly into Charles De Gaulle, the main airport in Paris. Is Orly further out and harder to get to than CDG? No, it's not. It actually might be closer. To transfer in from ORY, you can use several options which I'll run through in order of risk/cost ratio – lowest risk, highest cost first. Parisian cabs can ...
