A third all-Business Class transatlantic airline took to the skies at the end of last month with the launch of Silverjet’s daily services between London Luton and New York Newark Liberty. The British-owned carrier, which claims to be the world’s first carbon neutral airline, is offering special introductory round-trip fares from £799 (US$1,542) until June, when the standard return ,will be from £999 (US$1,928). Meanwhile, that fare is currently available with two nights’ accommodation at the Millennium Hotel UN Plaza included in the price. Incorporated within ticket prices will be a mandatory carbon offset contribution, giving customers the opportunity to reinvest ‘Carbon Points’, into a number of climate-friendly projects around the world. The scheme is being set up in partnership with leading climate change business, the CarbonNeutral Company, and has been developed in accordance with the CarbonNeutral protocol. Flights are operated by 100-seat Boeing 767s, with flat-bed seats extending to 6ft 3in. Meals are cooked to order – with the option of requesting something from an online specials menu in advance – and served as and when required. Other features of the service include separate washrooms for men and women. Using its own dedicated terminal at Luton airport, Silverjet offers a 30-minute check-in facility, with ,seat selection available in advance. On night ,flights, lights remain out from take-off to landing, overhead lights and irritating call bells have been removed, and optional breakfast is served “on ,tiptoes”. There are minimal in-flight announcements ,and trolleys have been eliminated to ensure, maximum quietness. And for those who do not wish to be disturbed prior to ,landing, a ‘Breakfast Express’ option, including a cup of coffee, will be, offered to passengers as they leave the aircraft. BMI to drop London-Paris With Eurostar’s high-speed cross-Channel rail link creaming off a larger share of the business travel market, BMI is dropping its London Heathrow- Paris CDG service from February 25. According to the airline’s chief executive, Nigel Turner, there are now ,eight airlines operating 72 flights a day between London and Paris. “With a 37% reduction in the overall air market in the past four, years, ,there simply aren’t enough passengers to fill them.” BMI’s decision is also based on the fact that in November, Eurostar’s new, faster link between St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord will have an economic impact on airline services. “Unfortunately, the route is unlikely to sustain an acceptable level of profitability,” says Turner. The ,carrier, which currently operates up to five flights a day on the route, is also planning to suspend its Leeds Bradford-Paris service at the same time.
New long-haul budget airline AirAsia X, a new Malaysian-owned airline, is planning ,low-cost long-haul services to popular destinations in China and Europe. A joint venture between AirAsia and Fly Asian Express, the budget carrier will fly initially to Tianjin and Hangzhou, and to either London Stansted or Manchester. Tickets, which go on sale this month, are expected to be around half the price of full ,service airlines. The new carrier is planning to ,carry some 500,000 passengers during its first year.
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