As the dust settles on Maxjet’s recent demise, it’s not surprising that the other players in the all-business class market are seeking to shore up their customer base with a mixture of new services, loyalty promotions and seat sales.
First up is Eos, which has announced free helicopter transfers between New York city centre and JFK airport for those passengers on unrestricted fares. The carrier is using US Helicopters, the same firm offering free helicopter transfers to premium customers with Continental (see online news September 26, 2007). The service is available on the New York-London leg only, with a choice of downtown Manhattan or East 34th Street as pick-up points.
The carrier is also offering bonus Club 48 loyalty points or Bose equipment with return tickets booked before January 18, 2008. Passengers get 15,000 points or a pair of Bose in-ear headphones for tickets costing less than £2,000, while tickets over this amount will earn members 30,000 points or a Bose Wave Radio II.
Meanwhile, Luton-based Silverjet and French carrier L’Avion, are both running January sales on their New York routes. Silverjet’s “very sivilised sale” runs until January 31 (for flights until October 31, 2008) and has return flights from £879, with no minimum-stay restrictions, while rival L’Avion is currently offering discounted return fares from £725. Silverjet’s offer can be combined with the carrier’s recently introduced loyalty scheme, the Silverjet Set, offering a further 10 per cent discount on sale prices.
Even unlucky Maxjet ticket holders can take advantage of a British Airways promotion this week. The airline is offering return Club World tickets for just £1,000 London-New York, or £1,250 London-Los Angeles, for those passengers holding Maxjet tickets on these routes for departures after December 24, 2007 (the date Maxjet went into receivership). You’ll need to be quick to act though, as the olive branch is only valid for bookings made before January 11 (for travel throughout 2008).
For more information visit eosairlines.com, flysilverjet.com, lavion.com, ba.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
