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Old 10th Apr 2006, 13:35
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Cyrano
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Essentially what they are proposing is a Maxjet lookalike, but from Luton to Newark, with angled flat beds rather than cradle seats, and initially two flights a day (thus morning and afternoon departures from London). Like Maxjet, they propose to operate 767-200s with 100-odd seats.

Their analysis of available fares on websites over recent months apparently suggests that Maxjet is doing OK and Eos isn't (I summarise).

It seems to me that if you're Maxjet and you want to nip this in the bud, you simply have to announce a seat upgrade (I say "simply"; I know they're expensive, but I have to assume Maxjet had planned for this sooner or later - maybe BA would sell them their existing Club World flat-bed seats when they're taken out? ). Oh, and perhaps a second daily flight.

WHBM: my reading of the "low-cost airline model similar to that of other short-haul airlines" is that it's sloppy journalism - pretty much the only bit of that model that these guys are taking (unless you count a single aircraft type, though with a fleet of up to 10 that's not really a major innovation) is the time-driven pricing, i.e. book 2 months out and you'll get to New York for £99, book the day before and it'll be £1500. That's common by now for a lot of short-haul carriers, but - if I'm not mistaken - transatlantic business class hasn't got this kind of pricing model yet.
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