October 15, 1:20pm at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam marked a tremendous day for us—our first commercial take off from the Netherlands. The flight was an unmitigated success, but you’d expect to hear that coming from me.

For good measure, we invited a few journalists and bloggers aboard our first NYC-AMS flight to give us a good, hard look. And they weren’t your ordinary pressmen, these guys are most-seasoned of travelers—tough, no-nonsense critics that aren’t easily impressed. Those are the kinds of folks we wanted kicking the tires.

Will Allen from Raleigh, North Carolina writes, “I think OpenSkies has broken the code on what international business class travelers want and need between the USA and Europe, and they offer it at a price that will satisfy even the strictest and stingiest corporate travel departments.”

And Joe Brancatelli writes, “The creature comforts of the OpenSkies PREM+ cabin are the latest and best-articulated developments in the nearly 20-year evolution of a fourth and entirely new class of international airline service.”

We’ve been hard at work putting together the best value flying. The seats, the meals, the entertainment system, the service and the small details in between—are all adding up to much larger experience.

But it’s not all strawberry shortcake. David Rowell enjoyed his flight and had some good things to say about the PREM+ cabin: “A business class experience for much less than a business class price.” He did note a few points about the service that we’ll focus our energies on improving. We are certainly grateful for David and critics like him for pointing out the small details that may get lost or forgotten. That’s an important way we’ll continue to get better.

Service, comfort, and legroom at a great price—if you can think of a better value, let me know. And the good news is that we’re always improving. So if you have something to say about our airline, service, seats, pillows, any detail will do—please say it! This airline was made for you. Our job is to keep you loving it.

Dale

When I first started out in this industry many moons ago, they’d write out your ticket by hand. A lot has changed since then—and for the better. We’ve set up our system so you can book your OpenSkies ticket online through our website or through British Airways’ (our parent company) site, or even via a travel agent.

Once you’ve booked your ticket, you can easily manage it online. Log in to your booking by typing in your confirmation number and last name and voilà! You can cancel your flight, select a meal option, input your passport information and pick the available window or aisle seat (no middle seats!) to your liking.  Joining us in BIZ class? Choose any available forward or rear facing flatbed seat you like.

It’s all online—so you can manage the entire process with your click finger.

Twenty-four hours prior to take-off, we’ll send you an email reminder. You can check-in online to speed things up or check in at the airport.  Either way, we have dedicated OpenSkies desks where you will pick up your boarding card.  At the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS-JFK flights start October 15!) it’s in Hall 3, rows 21 and 22.  In Paris Orly Airport, it’s at the Sud (South) terminal, desks 2, 3, and 4, just opposite the G gate.  And at New York JFK, it’s at terminal 7, next to the British Airways’ First Class check in.

So book a flight, experience the difference, and then let us know your thoughts.

Dale

I have to say that I’m really excited about our new route. And what better way to celebrate a fantastic new route than with a fantastic deal.

For four days only, from September 9 through September 12, 2008, a round trip BIZ ticket from New York to Amsterdam is only $1609*, all taxes included. And a round trip PREM+ ticket is only $1158*, all taxes included. Talk about a great deal.

So how did we come up with $1609*?  Besides being a great price for a roundtrip BIZ ticket, 1609 is significant for another reason. Let’s see if you know.

Is it:

A. The number of miles between New York City and Amsterdam.

B. The year Henry Hudson explored the New York waterways.

C. The number of paintings in the Van Gogh Museum.

If you guessed B, you’re right! Henry Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Trading Company in 1609 to explore the New York waterways in hopes of finding a passage to Asia.

I know I mentioned it in an earlier post, but it’s worth saying again—our flights to Amsterdam will feature our new duel cabin reconfiguration. We’re expanding PREM+ from 28 to 40 seats—which means more opportunity to enjoy business class comfort without the business class cost.

So why not plan to have Thanksgiving in New York City, or enjoy a cozy Christmas in Amsterdam? And why not tell your friends and family about this deal.  With prices like these, it’s hard to find a reason not to go.

But don’t wait too long to book. This offer is only good from September 9 through 12, 2008. (But we always have some great offers.  Check out our offers page of other deals we have.)

As they say in Amsterdam, Gauw tot ziens! (See you soon!)

Dale

Amsterdam will be the third great city to host OpenSkies. It’s an exciting step as we grow the airline, introduce our unique service to a whole new city and connect our friends in New York with another European destination. In fact, New York and Amsterdam have a long history as the Dutch were the first to settle Manhattan and originally named it “New Amsterdam”.

Why Amsterdam? Why not? It has Europe’s largest historic city center and is home to many great companies. It’s a major trading port and Schiphol is the 5th busiest passenger airport in Europe. A hub for commerce as well as a truly beautiful city with plenty to do: explore the city by bike like a local, cruise the historic canals, take in some fantastic museums and art galleries, and even do a bit of shopping.

We’ll be departing Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) at 1:20pm arriving in New York-JFK at 3:35pm. On the way back we’ll depart New York-JFK at 8:05pm arrive in Amsterdam-Schiphol at 9:40am the following morning. And that’ll be our schedule six days a week.

Flights will be available for booking from August 1, and we’ll kick it off with a special Amsterdam launch offer in PREM+. Check back soon!

Dale