At 11am on Thursday 15 May, a new British airline is due to make its maiden flight. A giant Airbus A380 plane in the colours of Global Airlines will lift off from Glasgow Airport in Scotland, destination New York JFK.
The founder, businessman James Asquith, has pledged to “take passengers back to the Golden Age of Travel, reinvigorating the onboard experience with elevated service” between the UK and US.
Asquith, 36, promises a new era of flying, saying: “People are sick and tired of the service they get on current airlines. We will be better.” Passengers on his airline will enjoy “the best experience in the sky” and get “fast relief from the aches and pains associated with commercial air travel”.
But not everyone agrees that a newcomer flying a very large aircraft in a very crowded market is what the world needs. Global Airlines owns the double-deck A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane – across the North Atlantic.
Initially return economy fares were set at nearly £800 – but with slow sales, prices have been more than halved. Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent at The Independent, bought a ticket for the inaugural departure (at the higher price) and will be reporting from Glasgow airport.
Check-in opens for Global Airlines
Passengers are now checking in for the first transatlantic flight by a Global Airlines aircraft – from Glasgow airport to New York JFK.
Dozens of passengers are lined up for Hi Fly flight HFM 380. An arch made of red, white and blue balloons has been set up, and cupcakes to celebrate the event are being handed out.
There is a single desk for each class: economy (“Global Traveller”), business and first – just along from the Aer Lingus check-in desk for Cork.
Throwback Thursday
Looking back two years to when Global Airlines bought its first Airbus A380, the chief executive and founder, James Asquith, said: “The purchase of our first aircraft demonstrates that we are well on the way to launching Global. The next step is to overhaul and refit the aircraft to our high specification, providing our customers with the best experience in the sky today.”
At the time I wrote: “I wish Global Airlines well, but I fear the operation will simply burn through tens of millions of investors’ funds without getting off the ground. I hope I am wrong.”
How do Global Airlines’ finances and flight arrangements stack up?
The founding principle of the carrier appears to be this: passengers love the Airbus A380, and you can pick up secondhand “SuperJumbo” aircraft really cheaply. Put those two facts together, add an “onboard experience with elevated service” and you’re in business.
Global Airlines is majority owned by an online accommodation platform called Holiday Swap, which itself has James Asquith – the founder and chief executive of the carrier – as the main shareholder. There are other backers. So far Global Airlines has incurred tens of millions of pounds in costs, and the transatlantic flights this month are certain to cost hundreds of thousands – if not millions – more.
Global Airlines owns the first operational aircraft, 9H-GLOBL, but is paying the Maltese subsidiary of the Portuguese airline, Hi Fly, to operate the transatlantic trips. Tickets are being sold by a Slough-based travel agent, Travelopedia. The carrier cannot offer ordinary scheduled tickets; these are strictly charter seats, covered by an Atol.
A senior aviation insider with many years at a leading “legacy carrier” said: “The price of pre-owned A380s are simply what the market thinks they’re worth. If it’s low, then there’s I good reason! I don’t think James has discovered some magic hack. Emirates owns most of them, and the value of old A380s now is really as parts. Even if he bought them ‘cheap’ there’s still maintenance. Old aircraft need expensive time-consuming maintenance.
“Presumably this month’s charter ops are just for show – to demonstrate to investors that something is happening – but it would be challenging to actually make any money off charter flights in this manner and at this time. James may think he’s found the magic money tree. He’s yet to demonstrate it.”
What’s the plane?
Global Airlines owns two European-built Airbus A380s. The one that is serviceable is 12 years old, with one previous operator, China Southern. The other, a 16-year-old SuperJumbo formerly flown by Singapore Airlines, is still stored at Lourdes in southwest France.
The launch aircraft has the registration 9H-GLOBL. It has the same three-class seating configuration as it did when China Southern flew it between Guangzhou and Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Sydney.In its “LOPA” (layout of passenger accommodation). Global Airlines is more economy-heavy than British Airways, and can therefore accommodate more passengers.
Compare Global Airlines with the BA A380 LOPA:
First: 8 (14 on BA)
Business: 70 (97 on BA)
Premium economy: nil (55 on BA)
Economy (“Global Traveller”): 428 (303 on BA)
Total: 506 (469 on BA)
“Gamer class”, which was to be located and priced between business and premium economy, does not now feature on the Global Airlines aircraft.
As with British Airways, some economy passengers are able to travel on the upper deck of the Airbus A380; 76 cheap seats are up top, with 352 on the main (lower) deck.
Is Global Airlines’ founder James Asquith the new Richard Branson?
The founder of Global Airlines, James Asquith, has been compared to Richard Branson when he launched Virgin Atlantic four decades ago.
There certainly are some similarities. Like Richard Branson in the 1980s, Global Airlines’ founder is a rich and successful young man in his mid-30s vowing to improve the passenger experience on transatlantic flights to New York using the largest available secondhand plane.
But there are some important differences. Virgin Atlantic flights were for sale direct from the airline by phone, through travel agents and even at Virgin Records stores (they were big in the 20th century). From day one, Virgin Atlantic had a scheduled operation between London Gatwick and New York Newark. You could stay in the US for a day or a month, or simply fly one way.
Global Airlines has only four transatlantic flights planned. These are fixed-duration charters, operated by the Maltese subsidiary of a Portuguese airline, Hi Fly, and bookable through a Slough-based travel agent called Travelopedia. The new carrier does not have the necessary permits or slots for scheduled service to the US.
Virgin Atlantic was launched at a time when the appeal of America to British travellers was soaring. But currently existing transatlantic airlines including British Airways are reporting “soft” bookings for holiday flights to the US – following President Trump’s demand that all arriving “aliens seeking admission to the United States” should be “vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.
Four decades on, Virgin Atlantic is still going. It remains to be seen if Global Airlines will be around for the next 40 years.
‘Why give people a hard time for trying something?’
“We should allow Global Airlines’ founder James Asquith his moment in the sun”: so says Rob Burgess, founder of the Head for Points frequent-flyer website.
He told The Independent: “A lot of start ups never actually make it to first flight, so credit for that.
“It is all private money, no crowdfunding, so why give people a hard time for trying something? There are many logical reasons why they are doomed to failure.”
Global Airlines is the topic of a post on Head for Points today, in which Mr Burgess writes: “Global has no Plan B, I suspect. If the A380 has a mechanical issue, there is no spare aircraft and the maintenance businesses at Glasgow are unlikely to be well stocked with A380 parts.
“Whilst it’s easy to pick holes in their project, the truth is that the majority of start-up airlines never even make it to their first flight. Who remembers our coverage of Hans Airways, which wanted to fly from Birmingham to India, or Fly Atlantic, which planned transatlantic services from Belfast?
“Whilst there is a heck of a long way to go to turn two test flights into a regular scheduled service, the Global Airlines project is still moving.
“We wish James and his team good luck.”
What is Global Airlines promising that other airlines aren’t offering?
The founder, James Asquith, promises it will be: “The best experience in the sky today.” Global Airlines’ promotional pitch is: “We’ve all suffered for far too long with long security queues, late flights, lost luggage, inedible food and constant poor customer service”.
Instead, passengers today can look forward to “joy at every interaction and delight at every touch point”.
In addition, no other airline will fly you from the UK to New York on an Airbus A380 – a passenger favourite. Many prefer the double-decker jet because of the sense of space. And Global Airlines believes travellers will pay a premium for the privilege.
Having said that, what’s on offer today is rather different from what was originally proposed. That includes a new cabin called “Gamer Class” to allow people to play computer games on board.
There is no wifi. The inflight entertainment involves passengers using their devices rather than the seatback screens. And don’t get used to flights from Glasgow or indeed Manchester, where the next departure will be going on 21 May six days’ time – if and when a scheduled service gets going, it will be from London Gatwick to New York rather than Manchester or Glasgow.
Source: independent.co.uk
