New Airline Ratings Resource: It’s All About You, Eventually

Pretend you had never been a passenger on one of today’s commercial airlines, but had the need to choose one. How would you do that? Look for airlines with a good safety record? One that is rated highly on service, a low cost leader or some other criteria that is important to you? A new, free airline rating service promises to cover all that and more.

Launched this week, AirlineRatings is poised to offer an in-depth, educated look at airlines from a number of perspectives. Developed by Australian Geoffrey Thomas and staffed by aviation editors, AirlineRatings has a comprehensive list of over 400 airlines, rated several ways.

In addition to forensic safety ratings based on the last two years of incidents, AirlineRatings sources actual passenger experience in a TripAdvisor sort of way, gathering reviews from its members. Like top-ten lists? AirlineRatings has top-ten lists for Travel Apps and Airports that are not really anything to get excited about. But they also have interesting top tens for long-haul economy-class cabins, premium economy, long-haul business-class cabins and first-class cabins, noting the best of each. Those alone are worth a click or two.

One really usable feature is AirlineRatings’ Aircraft reference, offering photos, history, manufacturing and construction details, passenger features and safety ratings. A “Future of the aircraft” feature taps the opinions of AirlineRatings’ experienced editors (AvGeeks), like this:

“To remain competitive with a new generation of jetliners, Airbus is developing the A320NEO (New Engine Option). Using latest-technology engines in the 30,000-lb.-thrust class, the NEO promises an estimated 15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, with 20 per cent lower maintenance costs, significant numbers in today’s highly competitive airline market.”

One hot feature that could bring some interesting reads is their Make A Difference page, that is collecting our suggestions, recommendations and/or comments on how to improve the global airline industry.Coming up, AirlineRatings will have a source for airline food reviews, which could be interesting as time goes on. Like other crowd sourced info sites and apps, right off the starting line AirlineRatings is in need of the crowd. Good things are possible here though; we’ll check in with them again in a few months to see how this promising site is working out.

Here’s more:


Open Skies: Planning, booking and the concierge service

Since Open Skies only operates one aircraft and flies one route, planning your itinerary is fairly easy. You’re going to be leaving from JFK at 5:30PM and returning from Orly at 10:55 AM. With the recent acquisition of L’avion, the airline plans to increase the frequency of those routes, but for now you only have one option in each direction.

Purchasing a ticket on Open Skies is remarkably easy, with one catch – you have to go to flyopenskies.com to book your ticket — they haven’t integrated their schedule into the Amadeus network yet so you won’t be able to find tickets on Kayak or Orbitz. Once at the homepage, you can easily pick your itinerary departing from either New York or Paris (with pictures, in case you get confused) and dates.

The best part about booking tickets on Open Skies is the concierge service. We’re at the point in the US where many travelers expect terrible service, off-shore customer support centers and general disdain among front-line employees. With respect to this airline, take all of those negative traits and reverse them.

Open Skies’ concierge service is in existence to make your travel experience fluid – not to make it frustrating. If you have any questions or concerns during your travel – at any point – you’re free to call them and get some help. This doesn’t apply to tickets either. In one of my several conversations with Sophia, one of the concierges, I asked if I could get a pizza delivered to the gate in Orly. “Of course,” she said, “what would I like on it?”

There are ten concierges based in Germany who are most friendly and apt. At the end of my journey I really felt as though they took care of me.

Continue onward to online check in or skip ahead to:

Arrival and check in
In flight: Economy
In flight: Prem +
In flight: Biz
Transfer in from Orly
Return trip logistics
The final word

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Gadling flies Open Skies

I feel small in these seats, a feeling that I am unaccustomed to when flying overseas. Christopher stops by to see if I’m okay because I’m shifting around awkwardly. I send him off with a cheerful wave and adjust my duvet for the tenth time.

How did I get here?

Open Skies is a new airline spawned from British Airways and the open skies agreement. Their service, kicked off on June 19th between New York’s JFK and Orly in Paris, is the most recent in a line of airlines catering to a new demographic – one who appreciates an enhanced business-class environment, treatment and experience overseas. For the extra one or two hundred dollars over the competition to fly in Economy, passengers can enjoy a smaller cabin, comfortable seats and superior In Flight Entertainment, food and service

Their only 757 aircraft features less than 100 seats, with three classes of service, Economy, Prem + and Biz. I’m told that in the future (and with their acquisition of L’avion), new cabins may only have Prem + and Biz.

With only about sixteen pilots and four times as many flight attendants, the community is small and tightly knit. On my outbound flight, I got to know a few of the flight attendants who filled me in on some of the details about the airline and gave me some tips for my stay in Paris. Each employee, hailing from a colorful past, brings a broad spectrum of experience to the table, the result of which is a multi-faceted group of individuals ready for any situation. As Antony Crucilla, the captain of the return flight told me, the airline has strict requirements in bringing experienced staff on board — and it shows in their service.

Today, I’m on one of the first flights between New York City and Paris, test driving the service and reporting on the experience. Follow along and indulge in the newest airline on the planet: Open Skies.

Continue onward to Planning, booking and the concierge service, or skip ahead to

Online check in
Arrival and check in
In flight: Economy
In flight: Prem +
In flight: Biz
Transfer in from Orly
Return trip logistics
The final word

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