Another business class only service: Silverjet
 

Interesting interview in the Financial Times today with the CEO of Silverjet.
There is similarity of EOS and MAXJet flying business class only from London to US East coast. A few novel features:

• Dedicated checkin lounge/security
• Ladies only toilets
• Transfer via helicopter from Battersea
• Minimal announcements
• No overhead lights
• No trolleys

Start next month to Newark from Luton

Sorry, but unless they've got disgraceful amounts of dosh to throw away, I give them 6 months max. I hope I'm proved wrong!

There is a long running thread about these folks in the Airports, Airlines & Routes forum. They have been preparing for some time and the thread consensus is that they stand a reasonable chance. IIRC they are now doing route proving, the first a/c was out of the paint shop last week.

Is there room for another one?
Well, BA on its own sends at least 9 big jets back and forth daily to NY alone.
EOS and MAXJet may still be in the investment phase, but tell the travel press about reasonable load factors.

Message for the Mods
 

Mods - Posts #5 to #19 on here all relate to Maxjet. As this thread relates to Silverjet could the posts be moved to the Maxjet thread please.

Done...

Seems that SJ have got their marketing relationships up and running and seem to know whta they are doing.

I had a mag and insert from Kuoni last week offering a very reasonable 4 nights in NY in a 4* with Silverjet flights included.

Carbon offset
 

Today's FT reveals that SilverJet (which BTW launches its service today) charges a mandatory carbon offset contribution fee of about £10.

On the face of it may be OK, but what about the initial flights which are unlikely to sell out?

I haven't seen the prices from SilverJet but Maxjet are cheaper than BA CW and offer a better product. The only downside I can see from a business perspective is Stanstead rather than Heathrow.

London-New York - out Mon Feb 5, back Thu Feb 8

BA £3,960
Virgin £3,980
Eos £3,210
American £2,880
Maxjet £1,670
Silverjet £999

Very sensibly, SilverJet are buying market share to get folks on board to spread the word. This kind of discount for the start-up period is standard practice.

My guess is that the people who will use Silver/Max/EOS are those who live closer ot them and do not want ot have to go to cronky old LHR. Although they may not get FFMs, there will be many benefits. If, say, someone is in Northampton, then LTN is well placed.

I expect that they will get some good package deals with cruise liners too bu thte dyed in the wool corporates will not move.

CEO states that SilverLink will break even at 65% load and if it gets 20,000 passengers per annum or half a per cent of the market per aircraft.
However it (and MaxJet/EOS) clearly aims for the BA/VS premium travellers.

Some time ago I sat on an EOS flight at JFK(-LHR) which went tech. As soon as we were back at the gate, the city types made mobile calls and de-boarded to grab a flat bed on one of the fleet of BA/VS planes going across every night.

Question is: how does the reliability of the new small premium players stack up?
How important is it to the well heeled not to have to mix w. Y class travellers?

why only NY ??
 

There's one thing I don't quite get with MAX/EOS/Silver - why only NY ? OK, it's certainly the biggest market, but it's also the route where C class makes least sense due to short duration of flight. Also the one probably (I have no figures to back this up) most travelled by corporates who are on a travel policy with BA/VS/UA whoever. I'm sure (or would at least hope) these guys have done their homework, but would destinations like LAX, SFO, MIA where the flying time in cattle class really becomes a pain not make more sense ??

I guess the 767's that Maxjet use & the 757's EOS use wouldn't make LAX non-stop with an average flight time of around 11hrs.

:) :)

New York is the busiest business route accross the pond so it makes sense to start on that route...

With only 100 pax the 767 should have quite a long range so dont rule out routes that would normally be a stretch with 300 pax + Baggage!

By the end of the year as they get more aircraft Silverjet should have a few different routes and higher frequency that suit the business traveller

Goodluck Silverjet!

teleportAll carriers start small. I recall that VS started with a single 747 (series 100 or 200) and when they went tech, everyone shouted them down. But 21 years later?

If you book with one of this new generation you accept that there may be delays and upsets but you will gamble that for higher service and/or lower cost. Once in a while, the gamble will not pay off.

My guess is that the rest of the world will see more of these and then, in five years time, some consolidation. Good luck to all!

On the contrary, because of the short duration of the flight this is a route on which it makes a great deal of sense.

The majority of business class passengers are not people who are swanning around the world to enjoy the fine wines and gourmet cuisine on board their aircraft. They're people who are going to get on board the aircraft at (say) 8 pm, fly for just over 6 hours, arrive in London at 8 am - and then be expected to be at their desks in the office as soon as they can get there, or even be in a meeting by 11 am. Every minute of sleep is valuable. That's why BA and VS have products like the Sleeper Service on these short routes.

When you add to that the fact that it's not only a big market but a very rich market as well (the only profitable year-round Concorde route ever, for example), the targeting makes sense.

If confirmation were needed, look at the way that Maxjet has temporarily dropped Washington - but New York remains in place.

From a route economics point of view such a service will only be viable if it can be serviced by a single aircraft, or multiples thereof, meaning it is unlikely that any route over 9 hours or so would be launched.

Nice razor . . .
 

I've just received a promo mailshot from Silverjet -- a free Silverjet-branded tri-blade razor. "We shave £2500 off a flight to New York . . ."

I'll report on the razor later.