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.
businessclass 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 ...Business travelers: five pre-flight rituals
Jun 19th, 2009 at 9:00AM: When you take that early Monday morning flight, you know you're kicking off a marathon. If you're a business traveler, you'll have five days of meetings, late nights and team dinners that deprive you of sleep, push your personal relationships to the periphery and generally dominate every ounce of your life. This is the path the business traveler has chosen. So, any measures that reduce anxiety and ...The top 5 myths about getting upgraded
Jun 1st, 2009 at 9:30AM: Business class. The promised land in the front of the aircraft with wider seats, free drinks, meals and checked bags. Who wouldn't want to take the opportunity for a free upgrade once in a while? Yes, it is possible to purchase a coach ticket, work the system and get upgraded to the front of the airplane. Is it easy? No. Is there an inexpensive shortcut? Not really. Contrary to many empowering ...British Airways scrapping first class on new planes
May 24th, 2009 at 5:00PM: It's official, we're in trouble. British Airways has decided to remove first-class seating on four of its new flights, The Guardian newspaper has reported. The carrier is also considering removing the service from other flights. The move comes after a fall in demand for first-class seating, brought on by the economic downturn, which apparently is even affecting people who will pay three to ten ...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 ...Galley Gossip: The passenger seated in 11J
Mar 4th, 2009 at 9:30AM: "Did you see 11J?" asked Shirley as she walked into the galley in coach and chucked a wadded up bag of fast food into the trash. We were in the process of boarding and I had my eyes on the bins and bags, not 11J, and as usual the bins were filling up fast.
"No, why?" I said, not at all interested because celebrities sit in first class, not business class, and the day before we had Carol Burnett ...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, ...Galley Gossip: Where did the service go?
Dec 30th, 2008 at 10:30AM:
Recently I read an interesting article in the New York Times, Up, Up, and Go Away, about an ex flight attendant who worked for TWA in the 1970's when flight attendants were known as stewardesses and stewardesses were as glamorous as movie stars and passengers were treated like royalty and flying was..well...just better - in every way possible! The stewardess featured in the article above wrote ...Get $250 back with a booking on OpenSkies
Dec 13th, 2008 at 10:00AM: With the economy down and whatnot, it's not hard to fathom that airlines like OpenSkies and even the Virgin Atlantic and BA business products might be suffering. And what do you do when demand drops? Inspire with a fare sale. Just this past week, OpenSkies announced a $250 coupon on any premium flight that that the airline flies. All that you have to do is sign up for their e-newsletter and the ...Galley Gossip: A question about moving from coach to first class when there are open seats
Nov 13th, 2008 at 10:30AM: Dear Heather,
I love your blog, I always wanted to be a flight attendant but was told by many I'm probably too short so now I'm going for an Air Traffic Controller job. But I do have a question for you. On the past 4 flights I was on I was stuck in the middle seat because no window seats were available and I can't sit in the aisle. But I was stuck in between to large passengers that had to keep ...Galley Gossip: Why business class is the most junior position on the airplane (Plus a chance to win the book The Go-Giver)
Nov 10th, 2008 at 10:30AM:
I like working in business class. What I like even more are the other flight attendants who enjoy working in business. Call me crazy, but I even like business class passengers. I do!
What I find interesting about business class passengers is that the majority of them find it hard to believe that the cabin they prefer to sit in is the cabin that goes the most junior when it comes to company ...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 ...Ten annoying First Class passenger habits
Nov 5th, 2008 at 1:30PM: I've been lucky enough to sit up front on the plane more than I deserve, and in those flights I have come across some pretty bad behavior from my fellow passengers. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Top_Ten_annoying_First_Class_Passenger_Habits'; Don't think the worst offenders are the ones in the back of the plane, because it's the ones up front that really can't behave themselves! "Do ...AirTran will Sell Upgrades after Take-Off
Oct 21st, 2008 at 11:00AM: Low-cost carrier AirTran has found a novel approach to the whole a la carte pricing scheme that some airlines seem to be intent on imposing on passengers. No, they won't be charging you extra for using the lavatory or being fat. The airline recently announced plans to sell upgrades after boarding. Passengers who are seduced by business class during the boarding march to economy can purchase an ...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, ...British Airways buys L'avion, transatlantic business class market successfully monopolized
Jul 2nd, 2008 at 1:30PM: British Airways just announced that it was buying L'avion, the struggling business-class-only carrier that has recently been operating flights between New York's JFK airport and Paris's Orly. We here at Gadling have been speculating on the future of the small, proud airline recently. Considering the price of fuel and the trouble that niche, business-class-only carriers have had in the recent ...Ryanair's CEO says new airline will give free oral sex
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 8:00PM: Ryanair has been flirting around with the idea of starting a new transatlantic airline ever since the Open Skies Agreement took effect earlier this year. They have yet to make an official announcement or reveal any details, but that isn't preventing them from stoking the media a little bit. If you've ever seen any of Ryanair's marketing, you know what I'm talking about. Last year they launched a ...
Galley Gossip: Italy: Prepare for takeoff.
Jun 19th, 2008 at 11:00AM:
"Want to go to Italy?" The husband asked.
"Umm...I don't know...Yes. As in YES YES YES!" I exclaimed. And then I added, "But I'm not flying standby." Because I wasn't. And I was ready to stand my ground.
"Yeah, well me neither," he said, and that was that.
When The Husband and I decided to go to Italy on our vacation last month, we actually purchased our tickets, even though I can fly standby ...MSNBC's Chris Elliot judges you and your Platinum Card
Jun 16th, 2008 at 3:45PM: One of our favorite airline columnists over at MSNBC.com and from Elliott.org published an interesting article today on the separation between coach and first class called "Frequent Criers: Elite Fliers are Ruining Air Travel". In it, he points to the increasingly childlike behavior among top tier passengers that has recently been giving first class passengers a bad name -- and asks whether this ...Silverjet ceases operations
May 31st, 2008 at 10:00AM: As expected, Silverjet ceased all operations on Friday, marooning more believers in the "business-class-only" model and completing the hat trick of airlines in that niche to go bankrupt in the last six months. At root of the issue are the same old villains, high oil prices and lack of demand in the business-class-only market. It's just too hard to get started as a niche carrier these days. On ...
