A new business jet service linking Stansted with New York’s LaGuardia Airport is to be launched in the spring.
Newly-launched Bliss Jet will be offering individually ticketed travel on Gulfstream G450 and G550 aircraft, configured to carry a maximum of 10 passengers and operating from private terminals.
Seats will be prices at 11,995 US dollars (around £9,575) which Bliss claims is comparable with first class travel on mainstream airlines. Discounted fares for passengers booking in advance or purchasing multiple seats will also be available.
The weekly services are being timed to get passengers into their hotel rooms or back home by midnight local time.
On Sundays, Bliss Jet will depart New York LaGuardia at 11.00 to reach London Stansted at 22.30 while on Thursdays flights will depart from London at 20.15, arriving in New York at 23.15.
Chairman and chief executive David Rimmer said Bliss Jet differed from previous all-business class offers which had essentially operated to a traditional airline model while trying to mirror the private jet experience.
“Bliss Jet, however, is based entirely on ‘a la carte’ and for the first time travellers can purchase a seat, one way or return, without the full charter cost of 100,000 US dollars-plus for a business jet experience,” he added.
“We are excited to bring individuality to a mass-market product and offer frequent flyers on one of the world’s busiest routes something very different and delivering the most precious commodity – time.”
Bliss Jet is an “indirect” carrier, meaning it does not hold a Federal Aviation Administration operating certificate in its own right. Flights are operated on behalf of Bliss by US Department of Transportation-approved public charter operators, including White Cloud Charter and Jet Access Aviation.
Mr Rimmer said the Stansted service could apppeal to groups such as hedge fund companies, the investment banking fraternity, senior executives and the music, film and sport industries,
Bliss says the use of private terminals, and a 30-minute check-in time, means that door-to-door journey times could be as much as four hours shorter compared with scheduled airlines, also helped by the more central location of LaGuardia compared with JFK and Newark airports.
Duncan Brodie
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