OpenSkies, the British Airways subsidiary operating all-Business Class configured 757s between Paris and New York City is no longer an all-Business Class carrier. The company has announced that, effective June 16, they will be adding “Eco Class” to go with their Biz Seat and Biz Bed products.
As part of this change the Biz Seat product will be renamed Prem Plus and see the recline of those seats reduced to 130 degrees from the current 140. There will also be a reduction in the number of seats in that section, to 22Â 28 from the current 40-72.
The total number number of passengers on the 757 will increase to 114, still far below the ~175 that most other carrier operate the aircraft with on transatlantic flights. And all passengers will receive personal in-flight entertainment via tablets. Plus, a bit of back-of napkin math suggests that the pitch in the Eco section will be about 33″ which is a step up from most coach products across the pond. No doubt that the experience will still be pretty good.
But it is a definite retreat from the all-premium product position that the company had previously embraced. Apparently the yields just aren’t there.
Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.
Why don’t they just call it BA? That extra brand marketing has to eat a significant portion of their profits if there aren’t any. And it doesn’t look like they are planning to scale up the operation in any way…
Back to how it was on Day 1
HAHAHAH That is what I said in my blog Oliver! It will only be a matter of time until BA takes over this route!
When Double-Wides Fly: OpenSkies No longer mean Business http://www.whendoublewidesfly.com/2012/02/openskies-no-longer-mean-business.html?spref=tw