Because Air France fly from Heathrow to the USA with their own metal and people, BA fly from Paris to the USA with a subsidiary firm on cheaper wages / terms / conditions. That's the difference. I repeat myself but it's what QANTAS did with Jetstar. They screwed their own staff over.

It really is amazing that BA didn't take the same approach as Air France. How much easier and less painful would it have been. There's absolutely no doubt what's going on, and people who doubt it need to open their eyes.

......because being the same gives you a clear competitive advantage? :rolleyes:

pacamack,

Look at the trouble BA had to go through to start OS. Starting a new airline not to mention the disputes with the workforce is a lot of effort when BA could use their already well known brand in other countries. All Air France had to do was timetable a few 777s through Heathrow to operate their US services from there. Clearly they (BA) don't want their image to 'contaminate' Openskies' success. Much like they didn't want the BA mainline pilots to 'contaminate' it.

Unless BA aren't confident that they are a world brand, then surely doing the same as Air France would give them a competitive advantage?

The plane was full!
 

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...perations.html

So clearly those saying that the plane only has 32 passengers have got it wrong!

Congratulations Willie, Dale and the whole team - a lot of hard work has been marked by this first flight and I wish you all a successful business in the future.

(to be creating jobs in the curent climate is another reason for congratulations)

Yes, time4parties, clearly. I mean, who would ever imagine a BA spokesman might be lying?

FICO (BA's own flight ops software) clearly states that there are 32 passengers on board.

Or at least there were when it took off.

While I don't know how that system works / accounts for people - might it be that the remaining passengers are non-rev, or were sold through L'Avion?

No. FICO tells you what time doors closed, ac pushed back, load etc. Doesn't care where the tickets were bought. 32 it is. Sorry.

What will be the next routes for Openskies? I' ve read about BRU, AMS and MXP, when will start?

Depends how much money they lose with cut throat competition and incredibly high oil prices....

OpenSkies
 

Given that the rules do not allow advertising or sales in advance of receiving all of the US and EU approvals and this was only achieved at the end of May, the bookings look pretty good. Forward bookings are also strong. OpenSkies is a truly different experience and a great credit to everyone in the small group of airline professionals that built it in such a short period of time.

AIRBOSS OpenSkies is a truly different experience and a great credit to everyone in the small group of airline professionals that built it in such a short period of time. With the might of BA behind them Mickey Mouse could have set this up. The proof of the pudding is a few months down the road but Silverjet failed and that was was in the main run by a group of ex BA so called professionals. I wish OpenSkies well .

To be more accurate having been to the Maidenhead HQ of OS I left there mildly depressed at the group of hasbeens that had been brought out of retirement or left BA some years ago. It is run as a gentlemens club for the past great and good. The majority I saw there never did much when they were directly employed for BA but I am usually wrong so it will probably be ok, if it fails it will be BA's fault for launching at the wrong time.

HZ123
 

Have they drafted in DE of ex BAR, BACX and Lastly BACON fame?

I'm slightly confused who, on a site for aviation professionals, wants this airline to succeed?

I will place my month's salary on the fact that of the (pitiful) 32 passengers on board, most would have flown with BA through LHR rather than a 'competitor'.

So we now have a BA marketed and financed plane, flying BA passengers, with US cabin crew, TCX operations, local engineering, and non-mainline pilots on crap pay.

This is not job creation. It is outsourcing at it's most blatant.

Except for a handful of Waterside managers and retired BA pilots cashing in, openskies benefits no one in the industry.

HZ123,

Whereabouts in Maidenhead is their HQ?

err.....it isn't in Maidenhead?!!!

packamack,

HZ123 seems to think otherwise.

I appreciate that, but it still doesn't put the HQ in Maidenhead!