Open Skies — Different Type of Airline

The last thing I wanted to do was take a flight from Washington, DC, to New York and then another plane to Paris. I try to avoid connecting at all costs. But now that’s past tense.
 
When I was asked to fly Open Skies , a wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways, I wanted to experience what I’d been reading about on the travel biz sites.
 
The 64-seat flight from Kennedy to Orly (so much closer to where I live in Paris and a quick RER ride) recently received FAA approval. Flights between JFK in New York and Paris began on June 19th. October 15th was the launch date for Open Skies’ New York-to-Amsterdam route.  There will be additional routes in 2009. But this is more than just increased competition in the number of routes and gates
 
From the moment I entered the Open Skies lounge, they made me feel like a princess.  It was the same sensation I had when I was young and had to dress up—that meant wearing white cotton gloves and black patent Mary Janes—to fly between Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Everything in those days was so glamorous, including the stewardesses. The food was wonderful and I would stay up the entire night fantasizing about joining their ranks or becoming a ballerina. I guess I’m dating myself, but you’ll see why I was dazzled and remembered the excitement and glamour of travel the way it used to be.
 
Before the glamour, there was the planning. Finding a ticket from Reagan National to Kennedy cost less than $150 and was easy—easy because I didn’t have to pay $60 and spend 40 minutes getting to Dulles for an international flight. So far, so good.
 
Upon arriving at Kennedy, I took the efficient and free air train between the two terminals. That was less than a ten-minute ride and after having my suitcase screened, up I went to the BA/Open Skies lounge.  This is where things began to become enchanting

Spending time in lounges is nothing new to me. But being greeted by smiling personnel who don’t act as if they are doing me a favor is rare in U.S. airports. I found a place in the enormous sun-filled lounge and immediately went into a vacation mode. So instead of letting myself get stressed, I passed on the free WiFi in the lounger and in the dedicated business area and headed for the Elemis Travel Spa for a 15-minute treatment. I’d call it decadent, but it’s free—and how can anything free be anything but good for you?
 
Feeling relaxed, I ordered a glass of champagne.  The waiter presented me with a flute Charles Heidseick Brut Réserve, also free, and a lovely companion for the tea sandwiches.
 
There was also a first-rate buffet for passengers who like to eat before boarding flights so they can immediately go to sleep—and it was complimentary. When I asked the man at the serving station if he had actually cooked all this lovely food, he told me he had. And I believe him because it tasted homemade. Imagine that: airport food that has never known a microwave.  I was planning to eat on the flight, but did sample the mushroom soup anyway and figured Michelin would give it a star.
 
Chris Vukelich, an executive with Open Skies and I were able to steal a few minutes for some insider talk.  Chris explained the business model was to diminish the complexity in flying. “We’re a point-to-point airline. If you change airlines, it’s up to you to transport your suitcases.”  What I understand from that is Open Skies wants to put its energy and resources into the passengers’ comfort on the flight, not into logistics.
 
The Open Skies plan is to make travelers feel the trip itself is part of the experience and not a means of getting from here to there.  Its business class has only 24 seats and all recline 180 degrees. The head-to-toe beds, separated by collapsible fabric fans, enable people to have privacy or, if they prefer, share a bottle of wine. There’s a sense of tranquility throughout the flight that’s echoed in the plane’s interior design, in the navy uniforms the flight crew wears, and in the presentation of the food.  
 
 
In both Biz Class and prem+ (business class comfort without the business class cost, but including grey leather seats with a 52” pitch and all seats have multi-standard electrical plugs) are excellent. The menu selections in both are really very good and then there are nice touches you don’t expect, but pleasantly surprise you, e.g., you’ll never see a plastic glass or anything less than bottles of wine or champagne.

Business class is heaven for people who want to sleep on their way across the Atlantic. There are a couple of glitches. Not being mechanically minded, I couldn’t figure out how to make my seat fully recline and wished there’d been more comprehensive instructions—but not to worry, since there’s always help on the way. Christophe, who’d been a head purser with Air France, was in charge of me.  He made the seat into a bed within seconds and then wrapped me in a duvet cover with white, high- count cotton thread.  But an imperfection did sneak in. I had a choice of about 150 movies and other channels, but the classical music wasn’t coming through.  I’ll bet they fixed the problem by the time I cleared immigration. Another bonus of flying Biz Class is that there’s a local number if you need any type of concierge service from transportation to hotel and restaurant reservations.
 
The prem+ service is a great deal—anyway you look at it.  The service, the seats, and the food are as good as it gets.  But unless you have a BA frequent flier gold or silver card, you don’t have access to the lounge at Kennedy. Nor can you buy your way in with a day pass.  Even an airline as good as this has a little room for improvement, and I hope they figure out a way to make their lounge open to all their passengers.  Even for a fee for a day pass, it would be a terrific deal—and an incredible service for travelers who want to begin their trips feeling relaxed.
 
At Orly, there’s a shared departure lounge, courtesy of Icare, accessible to all Open Skies passengers.  You can’t compare it to the Open Skies Biz class lounge in New York, but you can get a coffee, tea or a drink and enough to eat to hold you over until the departure hour.

The best thing about the flight was the personnel. They were gracious and accommodating. All of them had been employees of MaxJet or Eos Airlines—the all business-class airlines that would frequently be chartered by the rich and famous and, perhaps, the spoiled.
 
If you see me on another Open Skies flight, don’t be surprised. There’s only one time when I definitely won’t fly with them and that’s when I traveling with Kitty, the jet-setting pussycat.  Even though she has an EU passport and thinks nothing of flying, Open Skies won’t allow her to become a frequent flier.  They’re owned by BA, and it’s against their rules and regs. When Kitty accompanies me, we’re going to be forced to find another airline.  It’s a good thing I really love Kitty.  But I really love Open Skies, too, and look forward to my next trip.

Come to think of it, Kitty may have to stay put.  At the end of the Paris - New York flight, passangers were given a pink box pique-nique box of goodies from Laduree. That's definitely upping competition quotient. 

© Paris New Media, LLC
Karen@BonjourParis.com