With the economy as it is, we plan to hold steady right there—so no new additions to the fleet and no new routes for now. Not for a lack of wanting to add aircraft and destinations, but we believe it’s only the smart thing to do in this tough financial climate.

Recently, British Airways announced a sale of its remaining 757s. Since OpenSkies is built around the 757 configuration, it’s natural to think that British Airways has lost confidence in our viability. Cranky Flier poses this point very directly. We can’t blame him or others for the speculation, but it simply isn’t the case. BA’s decision to sell the 757s has nothing to do with OpenSkies’ strength as a business.

If the British Airways planes aren’t in the air generating revenue, now is the time to sell them to the highest bidder and get them off the balance sheets. And this is OK by us. We have assessed the market for 757s and believe that there are plenty available with the proper configuration when we decide to grow in the future.

I believe our little airline is ripe for opportunity, especially in this market. OpenSkies offers the kind of value that other airlines can’t: A premium flying experience without prohibitive costs.

I hope you agree. And even if you don’t, please tell us why by commenting on this post.

Dale

Deatra and Connor posed some questions (and a couple suggestions) about adding new routes.

We’ve no plans as of right now for new routes. The economic conditions are a big reason why we’re not expanding routes in the near term. We’re keeping our focus on what we’ve got, doing the most with our current routes, and completing the integration of L’Avion. But we always have an eye toward the future and closely consider expansion opportunities when they come up.

The flight range of our Boeing 757s also plays a role when reviewing possible new routes. Ideal for connecting the US East coast to Western Europe, some longer routes just aren’t feasible with our current fleet. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ll definitely share the news when new routes are decided on.

We had a couple different takes on our point-to-point (direct flight) structure from Doron and Henry.

I touched on this a bit in a post a few month backs, but it’s definitely worth going over again. One of the big benefits about being strictly a point-to-point carrier is that it frees us from the intricacies and cost of connecting flights and transferring luggage—which means savings for you. It also means Henry gets to visit NYC for the first time! We look forward to seeing you in May—and reading about your trip on your blog.

That leads us right into George’s question as to whether we’re planning on joining the OneWorld Alliance.

We’re not. Joining OneWorld would add operational complications and costs—something we strive to avoid. But we are partner airlines in British Airways Executive Club (as is L’Avion), so you can earn Executive Club miles when you fly.

As for George’s other question—how many additional B757s is British Airways going to transfer to us—the answer is none. BA has decided to sell the remainder of their fleet (sorry Luke, we aren’t the unnamed airline who bought them!). That said, the fleet we have perfectly fits needs.

We had a question regarding our in-flight entertainment system from Ann. While she thought the Archos 705 personal players is a great add-on, she commented on the battery life of the unit and wanted to know if we are considering installing standard in seat entertainment systems.

We aren’t planning on installing standard in-seat entertainment system. It’d also be a significant investment to make the change, and we’re out to provide good value—and keeping cost down is a big part of that. As for the battery life, the Archos system can always be recharged from the in-seat power supply.

The economy—and how it’s affecting us—is another question frequently asked. Loric says, “It terrifies me to think the airline I departed on might go out of business and leave me stuck in Europe on a student budget.”

We have every intention of being around for a long time. And we’re taking every measure necessary—including keeping costs down—to ensure it. Like all airlines (all companies for that matter), this economy is a challenge. But I truly believe we are the perfect airline for these times—real value and exceptional comfort. And having the strength of the BA family definitely helps.

You’ve all posted great comments, questions, and suggestions. I really enjoy reading through them—and getting a chance to answer them directly. So keep writing. I’ll keep reading.

Dale

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I enjoy reading all your comments. I’ve decided to make answering your questions a regular feature on the blog, so if you haven’t gotten around to leaving a comment, now’s the time.

Keith and Henry start us off with a couple great questions that touch on the same topic. “How is OpenSkies coping with the global downturn in air travel?” Keith asks.  “Are you buoyant and will my bookings for the future be a safe investment?”

You’re right, Keith. Economic turbulence has slowed the industry. But let me assure you that your booking made on OpenSkies is a safe investment, and dare I say the best investment at this time. As you may know, we have the full backing and support of one of the world’s finest airlines, British Airways. With BA behind us, we are in a great position for success even in tough economic times. And I want to make a point that PREM+ is, in my opinion, the best value flying, with absolutely no compromise on comfort. Of course you’d expect me to say that.  But it’s also is the opinion of the critics. I like how Joe Brancatelli of Portfolio.com puts it.   PREM+, he says, is an “entirely new class of international airline service.” Value and business class comfort—now those are two terms not often associated with each other!

In the post on our in flight entertainment systems, Lee commented on how great the Archos 705 portable media player is (I agree!). He asks, “How often is your AVOD [entertainment system] updated?”

We update half of our movies every month and rotate in new TV shows every other month. In January, we have some great films like RocknRolla and the thriller Eagle Eye.  And being international, we offer international entertainment, next month features movies like the French drama Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie and the Dutch drama Het Zusje van Katia. Whenever possible, we’ll have French and Dutch soundtracks and subtitles on the movies and TV shows.

A couple of you had questions about whether we were going to extend out routes to new cities.  Hadassah asks, “How big does the vision go for other US cities to be included, namely where I’m at in Los Angeles?” Isadora had a similar question, “When are you flying from Stockholm (Sweden)?”

We put a lot of thought into our routes by considering the business opportunity and the aircraft flying range. As of right now, neither L.A. nor Stockholm are in our plans. Future expansion opportunities are always being considered and as soon as I have any news about upcoming routes I’ll be sure to let you know right here.

Stephen also had a question about routes. He says, “Why don’t you add [London] STANSTED as your next OpenSkies base.”

Stansted may be a unique opportunity, though we have no plans to operate out of the UK.  Our parent company, British Airways, has those flights covered. I’ll definitely pass on the suggestion to them.

And we had a question from Orlan asking about in flight reading. He asks, “Are you planning any inflight magazines specific to OpenSkies?”

We’ve decided not to have an in flight magazine. But we do offer local and international newspapers and publications that you can pick up as you board the plane. Depending on your route, you’ll find Dutch titles like Telegraph or Elsevier, French titles such as Le Figaro or Paris Match, or English titles like The Wall Street Journal or Golf Digest.

That’s all for now. I check the blog a lot to read the new comments. Keep leaving them. I promise to do my best to answer them.  And let me know what you think about our airline, our routes, our blog— anything, really.

Here’s to a great 2009, Happy New Year!

Dale

The good news is OpenSkies.

When we launched last spring with the full support of British Airways, our mission was to bring something unique to the marketplace. OpenSkies is built on the idea of providing exceptional comfort and service at a great price. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing. We use our resources wisely. And by carefully expanding one route at a time, we’re able to stick to our principle of providing you value. That’s a big deal, especially now that travel budgets are tightening.

Travelers hesitant to pay the high price of flying international business class don’t have to give up flatbed seats or amenities just to save money. OpenSkies BIZ is a great option. And for around the same price as a full fare flight in economy on a competing airline, you can fly PREM+, where you’ll enjoy business class comfort for a lot less money.

There is one thing we can’t offer you that other airlines can—a middle seat. None of the 64 seats in our newly reconfigured planes—24 BIZ and 40 PREM+—are middle ones, which is great news for people like me who hate getting trapped between two other passengers.

So if you’re reevaluating your travel expenses, keep us in mind. Great value and exception service—OpenSkies is an airline whose time has come.

If you have an idea on how we can improve, or something you’d like to see us start doing, post your thoughts in our comment section. Your questions and suggestions are important to us.

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 like to think that OpenSkies is full of creative problem solvers. And when circumstances are beyond our control, that’s when we truly shine. You may be asking,  how does an airline with only one aircraft handle disruption? It’s a good question, and one we knew we’d have to support. As part of the British Airways family, we have the resources and reach to handle most any situation on the spot.

For example, when those summer thunderstorms diverted our Paris-New York flight to Boston, the storms lingered over JFK long enough that the flight crew had to be relieved of duty by law. The flight was canceled, and that cancellation caused a domino effect of other cancellations. But that doesn’t mean our travelers were left stranded.

We were able to connect directly with our British Airways teams in Boston, London and Paris to provide all the assistance to our travelers to ensure they arrived at their destination safely, and as quickly as possible.

I like to think of us as a little airline with a lot of support, and that we can call on our BA colleagues when we need to. But that doesn’t happen very often. Our operational record is quite good. If a flight arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled time it’s within the industry standard. Since launch, we’ve been hitting this mark over 92% of the time. Even better, over 80% of our flights have arrived within 3 minutes.

You’ve heard me say that we’re dedicated to a great flying experience, but we’re also dedicated a reliable one.

Dale

As mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve increased the fuel efficiency of our planes upwards of 4% by adding winglets. Less fuel burned means cleaner skies. And being that we’re part of the British Airways family, carbon trading is part of our operating procedures. We also offer a carbon offsetting program which allows you to balance out the CO2 emissions of flying. Look out for it the next time you book a flight.

Every bit counts when it comes to refuse reduction and rethinking onboard amenities is a good example. Instead of just handing you a kit filled with items—items you might not want or need—our flight attendants ask what you’d like. Toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, eye mask, a USB drive, power adapter, and even skin tonics, lip balm, or eye gels from Elemis—you can take what you need and leave what you don’t. We also provide you with a strong, clear toiletries pouch that’s approved by airport security for carrying liquids and can be used time and again. If you’re a frequent traveler like me, I think you’ll find the reusable pouch and take-what-you-need amenities a great way to avoid cluttering up your bathroom with dozens of airline amenity kits, or worse, adding them to a landfill.

We take this same thoughtful, less-waste approach to our meal service. That entails serving wine from a full-sized bottle (so we’re not tossing a bunch of little bottles!). And our meals are brought to you on china, with linen tablecloths and napkins that can be washed and reused. No needless packaging.

Continuously finding ways to improve our services and be greener is a big part of our commitment. That’s why we’ve set the goal to recycle half the waste we dispose of by 2010 and are working directly with our suppliers to explore ways to cut packaging and food waste.

Being conscious custodians of the planet is all part of the OpenSkies spirit. Let us know your thoughts on how we’re doing, and if you’ve got any ideas on ways to reduce waste or mitigate our carbon footprint. We’d love to hear your suggestions.

Dale

Some of you, like Simon and Interested Traveller have asked about the planes themselves and the seating configuration. How are they going to be different? For starters, we’re removing the plane’s current 180 seats to make way for our new Biz, Prem+, and Economy class seats. We’re also working with Boeing to get sign-off from them on our new 82-seat configuration with more interior room for each guest.

The seats aren’t the only things we’re replacing—we’re adding new carpet, stylish interior décor, and refurbishing the overhead luggage bins. As our guest, you’ll definitely note the attention to detail we’ve paid.

But the makeover isn’t just in the interior. The plane itself is having a full engineering overhaul and a “C” check—which is an in-depth examination of every aspect of the plane’s airframe, engines, electronics, and functions—all done by British Airways Engineering at Heathrow.

What else are we doing? Adding winglets! Aside from giving the plane a really stylish look, the winglets will increase the fuel efficiency up to 5% (which is right in line with our mission to eliminate waste).

And once the plane meets our high criteria, we’ll dress it in the OpenSkies look and colors with a fresh new paint job—and we plan to share pictures of our plane as soon as we can.

As you can tell, I’m really excited about our first plane. I hope you share my enthusiasm—and I’ll update you with more news as it happens.

Dale

We intend to take our very first flight from New York to either Paris or Brussels in June of this year. We couldn’t be more elated. Witnessing this idea slowly become reality has been a thrilling journey.

As a British Airways enterprise, this truly is history in the making. Open Skies is the moniker for the new agreement between the United States and European Union liberalising aviation. We are now able to fly freely to and from the United States to virtually any destination in the EU—the skies have literally opened over the Atlantic.

Our plan is to operate six aircraft by the end of 2009, originating in the New York area and flying to a range of destinations throughout Europe. The planes will be efficient and proven 757s with a redesigned, traveller-friendly cabin configured in 3 classes: business, premium economy, and economy.

The business class cabin will have 24 seats that convert into 6’ flat beds. And when we say flat, we mean completely horizontal. This makes OpenSkies one of the only airlines in the market offering this feature. We will also offer 28 premium economy seats with a 52” seat pitch. This is also unique, redefining the premium economy class. Plus the comfortable 30 economy seats mean no more than 82 passengers will be on any given aircraft. It’s all part of our vision for a more personal flying experience.

But beyond the specs, I’d like to say that OpenSkies is dedicated to elevated customer care. We will take the lead from British Airways and try new, inventive ways to improve service at all levels. We’d also like for you to tell us your thoughts, your ideas, and—once we take off— tell us how we’re doing. You can start right here with this blog.

Cheers for now,

Dale Moss
Managing Director