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French startup airline L’Avion, formerly known as Elysair, is offering 999 tickets between New York (Newark, actually) and Paris for $999 round trip. The first 999 buyers get the fare, so this is obviously limited.

And remember, this isn’t in coach. This is on board their all-business-class Boeing 757s. Travel much be completed by March 31, 2007, and there are no refunds.

Click here to book.

Upgraded: French-sounding names
All-business class startup airline Elysair, who will fly from Newark to Paris-Orly, decided at the last minute to change its name to “L’Avion.” (”The airplane” in French.) Why the change? It sounded more French. I guess this explains why, as recently as last week, their website was so… comment dit-on… crappy. Service, in the same vein as Maxjet, Eos, and Silverjet, allegedly begins December 27, but the newly-minted website isn’t ready to accept reservations yet…

Downgraded: British Airways
The apparent murder of a former Russian spy with polonium 210 has been big news. (FYI, though fingers are pointing toward Russia, the element isn’t necessarily weaponized. While small amounts are found in cigarettes, you can, in fact, buy some for $69 on the internet.) On top of it all, three British Airways planes have tested positive for the radioactive element. Affected: 221 flights, carrying 33,000 passengers and coming into contact with 3,000 airline employees on the ground or in the air. British health authorities say there’s no health risk, but I sure wouldn’t be thrilled to find my flight on the list. Click here to see if you flew on one of the flights, from the BA site.
UPDATE: BA has pulled the flight information from its website, stating that there was no health risk, so presumably there’s no longer a need to let people know if they were among the 30,000. Tsk tsk. No worries: The Seattle Times has the list.

Downgraded: Kids on Alaska Airlines
As of November 1, Alaska Airlines has stopped selling children’s fares at a 33% discount.

Upgraded: Competition between Chicago and New York
Delta is increasing service between New York area airports and Chicago, in a big way, including a “shuttle-style” service from LaGuardia. This comes as jetBlue starts up JFK-O’Hare service in the new year. That means American, United, Delta, jetBlue, and ATA all fly between the two cities. Viva competition!

Upgraded: Fake boarding pass guy’s freedom
The Indiana University graduate student who posted a fake boarding pass generator for Northwest Airlines (to prove a point about how easy it is to create such a pass, and how the boarding pass/id checks at airport security are pointless) is freed.

Upgraded: Shorter waits for toilets onboard China Southern Airlines
Pee first, fly later. The airline is asking passengers to use the bathrooms before takeoff, since each inflight flush burns as much as a liter of fuel. Yikes!

Silverjet, the latest entrant in the all-business class segment of travel between New York and London, has done something no other airline has ever dared: imposed mandatory fees to cover the environmental effects of the trip.

Silverjet, which is working with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management, said the exact cost of the carbon charge had yet to be calculated, but was likely to be between £10 and £20 for each passenger.

Expedia and Travelocity recently partnered with third-party organizations like TerraPass to give customers the option of buying so-called carbon offsets — monies that go toward planting trees and other carbon dioxide-reducing environmental projects. (If you want to go beyond offsetting your flights, you could also opt for the 8-week “carbon diet.”)

But Silverjet, which just began taking bookings for its service between Newark and London-Luton (flights start on January 25, 2007), is the first airline to require such a charge.

The move isn’t purely charitable. CEO Lawrence Hunt puts it succinctly: “If the airline industry does not do something about [emissions] then it will get regulated to hell by the European and UK governments.”

This might be the start of a trend among European airlines, but don’t expect Asian or American airlines to follow suit anytime soon.

Related:
- Reduced-guilt flying now readily available for online purchase
- Do we really need ANOTHER all-business class airline to London?
- Silverjet IPO enables third London-New York all-business-class airline
- Are open skies dirty skies?

Reader Julie writes:

I’m looking to buy tickets from Newark to San Francisco for the holidays, and Expedia has the lowest price for tickets on United. (Even lower than united.com) Can I upgrade these tickets if I buy them from Expedia? Thanks!

You’re in luck! For travel within the United States, most every airline allows upgrades if the tickets were purchased from online agencies like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, CheapTickets, etc. As long as the booking class is legally upgradable, it doesn’t matter where you buy it.

(The exception: If you bought “opaque” tickets from Hotwire or Priceline, i.e., you didn’t select the airline and/or flight times when you made your purchase, then you can’t upgrade.)

For international tickets, upgrades are generally a little more complicated. Not all booking classes are upgradable, either with miles or certificates. But again, as long as the ticket you buy conforms to the upgrade rules of the airline, then it shouldn’t matter where you buy the ticket. As long as you are buying a “published” fare, you should be fine. (And even then: I’ve upgraded a ticket purchased from a consolidator. But it’s up to each airline to set such rules.)

Buy the ticket from Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, or wherever it’s cheapest. And good luck getting the upgrade!

P.S. In theory, you could buy the ticket from United and invoke their low fare guarantee by pointing to the lower fare on Expedia to get $50 in credit, but it’s probably not worth the trouble…
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It seems that every other week yields another report of an improved business class seat. This week, it’s British Airways’ turn.

The carrier is beefing up its ClubWorld offering by widening the lie-flat seats by 5 inches, improving catering and video entertainment, and adding features like standard-plug power ports, electronically-powered privacy screens, and storage units. The seat rollout begins this month and is scheduled to be completed across the fleet in 18 months. The new menu hits the skies in January 2007.

Interestingly, the airline is increasing the number of business class seats on each plane. But since each seat is 25% wider than its predecessor, this presumably means that the business class section will take a bite out of the first and/or economy class sections. (Compare to Singapore Airlines’ new premium cabins, which are even 5 inches wider.)

The website for the new service is pretty, but short on real images. It’s all a virtual tour, so it’s hard to see what the layout will really look like.

Singapore Airlines is rolling out new seats in all three cabins — first, business, and economy. The economy seat improvements are nice, but the premium cabin improvements, especially in business, are game-changing.

The photo above shows the forthcoming seating in business class on a Boeing 777. This isn’t a private jet. It’s a 1-2-1 configuration with 30-inch wide seats, WAY more generous than anything else out there. On other airlines’ comparable aircraft, you’re lucky if you get 2-2-2 seating. (2-3-2 is more common.) And a 30-inch wide seat is a huge leap from the 20 to 22 inches that most business class seats offer.

This isn’t just raising the bar, it’s grabbing the bar and throwing it like a javelin. (I guess that makes the other airlines the equivalent of the track-and-field judge who “caught” a javelin with her foot.)

Part of me wonders (however briefly) who really needs that much width in the seat. It’s nice, sure, but are we all getting that fat and wide that we need 30 inch-wide seat? (Oh, wait, we ARE getting that wide.) The new first class is even wider: 35 inches wide. Practically a meter wide!

The revisions to the Krisworld inflight entertainment system are also impressive, though I’m not sure why it’s necessary to have a word processor and spreadsheet. Won’t people who need to create a spreadsheet be firing up their laptop? And how do you transfer a file from the onboard system to your own system, especially since Boeing’s Connexion isn’t operational after January 1? (And why the heck is it called Krisworld anyway? I’ve never understood that.)

This comes after a slew of business-class news. It’s been a big couple of weeks: Delta announced it was installing flat beds by 2008. Upstart Silverjet made it official and announced it would start flying all-business class Boeing 767s between London-Luton and Newark on January 25, 2007. Similarly, all-biz French newcomer Elysair announced that it was planning to fly between Paris-Orly and Newark beginning in December. And Fortune Magazine ran through their favorite business class seats.

But Singapore’s news blows all that out of the water. Delta going lie-flat by 2008? Puh-leeze. I mean, sure, it’s nice to go lie-flat, and it’s great that Delta is doing it, but Singapore is basically a decade ahead of anyone else. It reminds you how pathetic the premium offerings of U.S.-based carriers really are right now.

Hats off to Singapore. I’m left wondering what this will cost. And if any seats in the improved business class cabin will ever be available for frequent flyer mile redemptions…

Related:
- Singapore Airlines (aff)

Upgraded: First class meals on American Airlines
If your upgrade clears, your inflight meal may improve. Artisan breads, Ghirardelli chocolates, and the option of an antipasto/cheese snack in lieu of the ramekin of mixed nuts. Alternatives to the hot nuts? Blasphemy!
(Thanks, Benet!)

Downgraded: Gay travelers …also on American Airlines
Accusations of homophobia on board AA flight 45 from Paris to New York are percolating through the internet after the New Yorker’s article on a gay couple whose cuddles and smooches were met with flight attendant intervention. An attendant with “Texas hair, like from the nineteen-sixties,” demanded that the couple cease and desist. Ruckus ensued.
(Thanks, Stephen and John!)

Upgraded: Business class seats on bmi
Britain’s Star Alliance member, bmi, which operates a Manchester, UK hub for its international flights, is going fully lie-flat with its business-class seats.

Upgraded: Hotel bathrooms
Beds are better, furnishings nicer, and now, nicer hotel bathrooms, too. And missing? Tubs!

Upgraded: Passport photos
Downgraded: British security
A British man used his two-year old daughter’s passport to travel to the Netherlands. I guess he’s a young-looking fella.

Upgraded, maybe: Connexion inflight internet
Intercontinental internet junkies can hold out some hope: Panasonic is trying to step in and take over as provider of airplane broadband, after Boeing announced the forthcoming shutdown of its Connexion service. But it won’t just transition seamlessly, and will run on a different network, so don’t celebrate yet. As long as it works. Wonk out on the details here, if that’s your fancy.

Downgraded: Wine bars in Portland Airport
I love wine bars in airports, like the Vino Volo at Washington-Dulles. But if you’re going to have one, put it AFTER security… Portland, Oregon’s airport wine bar has been put on the deathwatch.

(image of hot nuts: ejpm99)
tags: travel

All-business class startup carrier Maxjet is running another fare sale. The deal:

$999 INCLUDING all taxes and fees for travel between London-Stansted and Washington-Dulles or New York-JFK, in business class. That’s a great deal.

Book before midnight on October 1, 2006 for travel between November 1, 2006 and February 28, 2007.
Use Promo code: ANNV06

Related:
- Another all-business class airline…
- All-biz airlines filling planes… and knife-wielding passengers’ stomachs
- Do we really need ANOTHER all-business class airline to London?
- MaxJet’s fatal flaw?

The business class deals keep rolling in. Up next: Continental.

The cheapest:
Newark to London-Gatwick, $1141 roundtrip including all taxes. Great fare for business class.

But Continental has also upped the ante for leisure travelers by offering these fares during the peak holiday travel season, and including a range of other cities besides London. See here for the broader sale details. Purchase by October 25, travel must be completed by January 11.

(thanks to reader Craig!)

Related:
- Attention Atlanta: British Airways joins business class fare sale
- Delta: New York-London in business class for $1141 ROUND TRIP including taxes
- First class for less than coach?

tags: travel | business class | low fares | British Airways

British Airways, apparently offended by Delta’s crazy-low business class airfares from New York to London, is matching the fare from Delta’s Atlanta hub. Atlanta to London-Gatwick in BA’s excellent business class is available on select dates for as low as $1271 round trip, including all taxes. (I found this fare on Orbitz with the arbitrary dates January 22 and 31.) The coach fares are similar to Delta’s New York fares, too.

One quirk of BA’s business class (”Club World“) is that half the seats face forward, while half face backward. See the layout here.

(thanks to reader Tom!)
tags: travel | business class | low fares | British Airways

When is a free ticket not free? When it’s in India.

The government of India has started bilking first class and business class passengers, INCLUDING those who upgrade or buy a ticket with miles, on all flights departing their country.

The finance ministry has now decided to levy 12.25% service tax from all passengers who occupy the Business and First Class seats in international airlines. And these would also include Economy Class ticket holders who are upgraded to the upper class free of charge. […] Roughly, travellers need to pay a extra Rs 15,000-20,000 for travelling in Business Class, and around Rs 25,000-40,000 more for First Class to Europe. For US, such upgrades to Business Class would cost Rs 33,000-40,000, and Rs 60,000-80,000 for upgrades to First Class.

How do you tax a free ticket, you ask? By assuming the full fare were paid. Like charging rack rate taxes on a free hotel room (which is also done). Terrific.

That comes to anywhere between $300 and $1700 in taxes, payable at the check-in counter.

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tags: travel | India

I don’t give a lot of specific fare deals on this site, since others (here and here) are more closely watching fares than I ever could, but this introductory Delta fare is just too good not to mention.

Commemorating their new New York-London route (which they recently purchased from United Airlines), Delta has great deals across the pond.

For travel between New York-JFK and London-Gatwick:
$199 ($303 with taxes) for roundtrip economy-class
$999 ($1141 with taxes) for roundtrip business-class

$1141 roundtrip is cheaper than anyone else in business class, including Maxjet, for the dates I checked.

The fine print: Buy tickets by September 7. Travel may begin November 15, 2006 through March 21, 2007. All travel must be completed by April 20, 2007. Blackout Dates: December 15, 2006-January 7, 2007. Saturday night stay required and 30-day maximum stay.

Of course, seats are limited, etc., etc., etc., and this will require a bit of hunting to find dates that work, especially for the business class fares.

Also, Delta has branded these flights Delta 001 and Delta 002. I guess that makes this the new flagship service?

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tags: travel | Delta Airlines | business class | low fares