With airlines folding like a loser's poker 
hand, OpenSkies, a new British Airways subsidiary, is set to inaugurate flights between New York's JFK International Airport and Paris's Orly Airport beginning on June 19. Not only is this remarkable in light of the currently ailing airline industry (all-business-class, transatlantic MaxJet being among the recent casualties), but because an airline's legal ability to fly between two foreign countries without stopping in its own country is a relatively recent development in the global transportation industry. The agreement permitting this type of routing is known as Open Skies -- hence the name of the new airline.
hand, OpenSkies, a new British Airways subsidiary, is set to inaugurate flights between New York's JFK International Airport and Paris's Orly Airport beginning on June 19. Not only is this remarkable in light of the currently ailing airline industry (all-business-class, transatlantic MaxJet being among the recent casualties), but because an airline's legal ability to fly between two foreign countries without stopping in its own country is a relatively recent development in the global transportation industry. The agreement permitting this type of routing is known as Open Skies -- hence the name of the new airline.OpenSkies fuel-efficient Boeing 757 aircraft are configured with three classes of service but only 82 seats total -- remarkable because most airlines cram as many as 200 passengers into this type of plane. That in turn might make it a tad more fuel-efficient, though I'm not sure what weighs more -- an average passenger plus his or her baggage or one of those fancy seats -- and OpenSkies are fancy indeed. The top class, called "biz" (trademarked and lower-case theirs), has 24 seats that offer 78 inches of legroom, enough for an NBA star, and convert into 180-inch flat beds. Meal and beverage service will be personalized, a lot like hotel room service -- or so it seems.
The 28-seat mid-level cabin, called "prem plus" (and sometimes written "prem+"), features comfortable reclining seats with footrests and 12 inches more legroom than most airlines offer premium-economy passengers. Both offer universal plug-ins for laptops and other electronic devices. The economy cabin, called "economy," has just 30 leather seats, coat hooks and, like the costlier cabins, a personal entertainment system with more than 50 hours of audio and video programing. Biz and prem plus passengers can check three pieces of luggage free, while economy flyers can check in two.
One thing that the airline's website neglects to mention (or at least I couldn't find it) is whether OpenSkies passengers can accumulate or redeem British Airways frequent-flyer miles. Fares reportedly begin at $554 one-way in economy and $1,746 one-way biz. When BA president Willie Walsh announced OpenSkies in January, industry observers speculated that other airlines would follow with similar-format spin-offs flying between the US and the UK. Now, who knows?
OpenSkies' toll-free number is 866-581-3596.
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