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It’s been 2 months since I last wrote and apologies for this. I have felt like I have been behind the moon for a while…it’s great to be back. The time was spent working on a possible investor front and in today’s world I am sure you can appreciate how important that was for our company. It was intense and time consuming but very rewarding.
British Airways as part of their overall strategic review asked that OpenSkies go to the financial markets and try to solicit proposals from investors who might be interested in a becoming part shareholder. Very proudly I can say there was significant interest. Obviously some proposals were better than others but all were valid and worthy of serious consideration. BA then spent some time considering the options and they have reached a conclusion. I am delighted to report BA has chosen to remain the sole shareholder. This was a huge vote of confidence for our company and I know I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in OpenSkies when I say we’re thrilled. BA is such a great brand. But the work never ends…
We are now well positioned to return to our plan to grow as we look to new markets and new opportunities. However we know much of our future is in our hands. It starts with a game winning combination of daring to be different, a better product at a better price and of course great customer service. As we move forward, we must remember our recipe and always be mindful that the customer needs to be at the center of all we do. I can promise we will do our best…we aspire to make our customers always happy, our shareholder fairly rewarded and our teammates proud to be part of OpenSkies. When you are a new business, just being good is not good enough…
In conclusion, this financial commitment comes on the heels of seeing a nice recovery for our brand and products. Our load factors and market share continue to rise as people become aware of us. While the flights are filling up we will always do our best to have your seat ready when you need it. Do let me know your thoughts on any of the above; I enjoy reading your comments.
All the best,
Dale
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Congratulations on the great news from BA! I am excited to hear that things are going so well and that BA is committed to OpenSkies and its plans for growth.
I just traveled from JFK to Paris on OpenSkies and it was a wonderful flight. I traveled on the day after the major snowstorms so there were some delays but the entire crew (on the ground and in the air) handled it so much better than I’ve ever seen an airline handle any sort of delay. The plane was completely full and we even had some extra crew that were repositioning themselves after the storm. The flight attendants still made each of us feel like we were the only passenger on the plane; they were fantastic!
I missed traveling to Europe during 2009 but that will change in 2010. So, while in Germany, I went to set up my next trip from JFK to Orly and could not bring up the JFK flights. Did I do something wrong?
I live in Vermont and traveling in and out of JFK on JetBlue makes flying on OpenSkies the easy and right choice for getting to Paris. I hope there is an easy fix for me to find the JFK flights so that I can continue to fly with ease from Vermont to Paris.
Thank you for all you folks are doing and good luck with the future!
December 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Great to hear that you are gearing up for a recovery. Hope you can continue to survive the shenanigans that are going on at BA. The next route should be JFK – MAD, a flat bed would be a novelty on that route!
December 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Although I’m currently only a regular flyer because of a 6 months assignment in NY, I’m very glad Openskies will continue to operate. With my 6′5″ flying economy is physically painful and regular business class is out of my budget. Currently I’m on holiday in The Netherlands, and chose to pay a little extra with OpenSkies in combination with Thalys, over a non-stop economy flight. Although there were some hick-ups with flight changes, your customer service did way more then it had too, not only solving my problems, but also offered an upgrade. You don’t know what flying can be, untill you’ve flown OpenSkies Biz Bed… It was simply amazing. Although it was less “polished” then a recent Business Class flight with KLM, the comfort was enormous and the cabine personnel amazingly friendly. I almost had the feeling I was visiting friends… (A feeling with starts at the excellent service during check-in, at which the lady who did the checkin remembered my name during boarding… makes you feel special…
)
Only suggestion I can come up with; Offer Biz Seat to Biz Bed upgrade at OLCI when available. I’m flying back with my original Biz Seat, and although I have no doubt it will be excellent, I fell in love with the Biz Bed cabine…
December 31st, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Hey Dale, nice to hear back from you after a long pause
I really do hope you keep this boat afloat and eventually expand. God knows you have the moxy and the potential!
Best wishes for 2010!
Jerome.
January 1st, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Dear Dale,
It’s great news about BA not selling OpenSkies and further that you’re consolidating your position at Newark. One of the unique features of OpenSkies is that it really represents the ‘birth’ of US-EU Open Skies and has innovated through use of crews and products.
It would be interesting if you or someone from your team could discuss and/or do a photo blog of the OpenSkies product, such as actual photos of the interior from one of your 757s or follow the crew through a flight, etc. Also, perhaps it could be done through a New York and then a Paris-based cabin crew, to get a sense of the different cultures, perspectives, etc. It would be interesting to know how many New York and Paris based cabin crew you have and if your expansion will call for further growth, will they be recruited from one base over the other?
All the best in 2010,
James
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Dear Mr. Moss,
First of all I would like to wish you and the entire OpenSkies team a very happy and successful new year. It was also with great pleasure that I read your latest post on the OS blog. To have again the full support and confidence of BA in this unique and exciting project says it all. Indications of recovery show up more than once and I am convinced that years of growth are ahead, opening up the skies to other destinations.
My congratulations for managing in excellence through this incredibly difficult year. But honestly I’ve always had faith in a good outcome, this airline is just too unique, its concept too strong to just let it disappear. And I continue to be thrilled about becoming part of your team.
To be part of such an everyday challenge and stimulating environment gives me a greater professional and personal satisfaction. Finding myself in your company’s philosophy it would be great to become part of this exciting adventure and new challenge.
Sincerely,
Capt. David De Ridder
Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium
January 12th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
This is my first message to OS, have been following your alerts for flights to Paris, etc. I’m hoping, hoping, hoping OS will offer a JFK-VIE (NYC to Vienna, Wien-Schwechat) route in the not-too-distant future. It’s a route I take and to have OS available would be wonderful. All the best in 2010!
February 9th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
great news