Fly OpenSkies in the new year on new sale rates

If you’re still itching to get in on the new premium airline, OpenSkies but have so far been a little gun shy at the cost of tickets, you now have a new excuse to indulge: with the new year, the airline put their Prem+ cabin on sale, cutting the fare down to only $1,000 round trip.

Through January 26th and for travel through the spring you can take advantage of the offer, which puts you in plush, leather seats and a quiet, personal cabin with superior service on your transatlantic journey.

Why pay a few hundred bucks more than the competition to fly on OpenSkies? Quality. Overnight economy flights on other carriers leave you uncomfortable, tired and unhappy when you touch the ground in the EU. With these tickets you can hit the ground running, refreshed, happy and well taken care of. It’s an easy call if you have sensitive work to do the next day.

Check out their homepage at flyopenskies.com to book tickets.

OpenSkies and L’Avion announce codeshare, merge closer

OpenSkies and L’Avion, two of the last remaining all-premium carriers (arguably, THE last remaining carrier as OpenSkies acquired their competitor earlier this year) just announced a codeshare agreement between the two airlines, effectively increasing the number of available flights serachable from each carrier at any particular time.

The step brings them ever-so-closer to a complete merger of the two entities, although there is still no word on when/if the L’Avion planes will be rebadged and integrated into the OpenSkies fleet.

The codeshare agreement also means that those flying on L’Avion can now earn British Airways Executive Club miles, a huge benefit for business travelers and frankly a former concern from many prospective passengers.

Note that this still doesn’t mean that one can earn OneWorld miles. On the phone with one of OpenSkies PR reps last week, I asked about when or if they would be looking into this. The rep said that she’d look into it.

British Airways CEO Sees Little To Be Excited about in the US

After the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Party majority in the house and senate, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh sees little to be optimistic about as far as stateside operations go. Many European carriers would like to see additions to the Open Skies Agreement, which provided greater rights for foreign-owned airlines to operate within the US. Walsh is worried about Obama’s support of US labor groups. “I think it’s very clear Obama has taken a strong line in relation to any change in the ownership and control regulations. So at this point I would not be expecting any major progress to be made.”

Right now, foreign companies can have no more than a 25% share in US-based airlines. That is not likely to change, especially considering the weak state many airlines are currently in. With a rumored merger with American Airlines now seemingly out of the question, BA is focusing on partnering with AA to offer better trans-Atlantic service. Before going ahead with that, though, they must receive approval from US antitrust investigators.

[Via Airwise]

OpenSkies Announces Post Election Fare Deals

British Airways-backed upscale carrier currently flies two trans-Atlantic routes, JFK to Amsterdam and JFK to Paris Orly. A one-way BIZ class ticket on the Amsterdam route will cost $1050 if it is booked by November 21st. Fares to Orly will start at $1100 if booked by the same date. PREM+ (premium economy class) tickets start at $550 one-way.

Is this a good deal? It depends on how much you value your comfort. The PREM+ class seats are akin to business class seats on other carriers. They recline 140 degrees and offer 52 inches of leg room. Seats in the BIZ class recline a full 180 degrees. OpenSkies also offers full service including a concierge, food and drink, and in-flight entertainment.

Fliers who put more of a premium on price than comfort should be happy with the recent announcement that low-cost carrier Ryanair will be charging as little as 8£ once its trans-Atlantic service gets off the ground. Still, for what you get, you have to admit the the OpenSkies deal is a good value.

Favorites from Gadling’s birthday giveaway

As I’m sure you’re well aware at this point, we’ve been hosting a birthday giveaway for a free pair of tickets to Amsterdam. Nice tickets. And we’ve been asking commenters to tell us “what they would do” in Amsterdam as their form of entry.

Obviously we’ll be picking the winner out of a random number generator and can’t give any special preference to friends or witty comments. But sorting through some of the comments today in preparation for contest closure, I did find a few that gave me a tickle.

Excerpts:

” If I won these tickets I’ll spend all my time in the red-light district staying at a dingy hostle. I’ll stroll the streets, collar turned up against the cold, looking at the women of ill-repute and wondering what it is in me that would never let me even consider paying for sex? Is there some gene that didn’t get turned on? Is there some gene that did? I’m sure to be attracted to the red-light women, assuming I’m walking down a “good” street, but this won’t play into my decision to walk on by; it’s as if I was born with a sexual desire firewall in place that even I can’t hack. I guess this is a good thing though. Besides, this’ll only give me more time and money to spend in the coffee houses enjoying the different varieties of coffee. I’ll pass the chilly afternoons in a gray haze considering history and philosophy, as well as numerous deep questions: does God exist? Do we really have freewill? Who invented liquid soap and why? I’ll also focus on the 4 spectacular years of Gadlingosity that have led me to this place in time – tears will fill my eyes – and for one brief moment all will be right with the world. “
“Gadling I sent this email and never recieved confirmation. Please look for it thanks. Flying Gadling is always a happy experience, so I hope your 5th Birthday is as happy as you make all your passengers. I would love to use the tickets to take my husband to amsterdam, on our 45th wedding aniversary. This is the place of his anscestry, He always wanted to go. Life is about coming full circle, and what better of a way than to have life come full circle from California to Amsterdam than with Gadling. Thank you so much for making life worthwhile for so many. “
“If I won 2 first-class tickets on Open Skies, I would definitely ponder what “Gadling” actually means. Maybe it would be best to eat a slice of “space cake” at one of those Amsterdam bars again and plan how to best explore the new wonders of Europe. “

Gadling’s OpenSkies contest wraps up at 5PM today. If you haven’t entered yet, now’s your chance.