OpenSkies Gets DOT Approval

British Airways subsidiary airline OpenSkies received United States Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to begin flights between Paris Orly Airport and New York’s JFK airport last month.

Bookings for the airline can be made on www.flyopenskies.com or through the airline’s call center. Tickets are also distributed through www.ba.com as well as through travel agents that use global distriburtion systems where flights appear with a code share with British Airways. DOT also approved the use of code share between Open Skies and french airline L’Avion. The latter’s code would appear on OpenSkies flights between Paris Orly and JFK. While about a third of the seats on its Boeing 757 aircraft are economy class, OpenSkies is primarily focused on providing a high-end travel experience, with features such as two-meter flat beds in business and premium class, personal entertainment units throughout the aircraft, and healthy meals.

The airline anticipates the addition of another Boeing 757 this year from the British Airways fleet and expects a total of six aircraft by the end of 2009. OpenSkies also anticipates the increase of flights to New York from other European cities such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan.