Maybe An Airline Aimed Primarily At The Business Traveler Will Work… This Time

A number of airlines have tried to catch that niche in the market for business travelers but it never seemed to catch on. Now, according to a report in the Financial Times, a group of former aviation and travel executives are founding a new airline dedicated solely to business travelers willing to pay the premium price. The market they’re looking at is the London to New York route.

It is reported that Odyssey has won the backing of equity pioneer Jon Moulton, one of the investors that helped it towards a first round of funding of more than $8.5 million through a crowdfunding campaign. They plan to seek other investors for this same amount in the immediate future and will seek investors for more than $100 million next year, according to the report.

It’s reported that Adam Scott, former Goldman Sachs banker and Odyssey’s chief executive, said technological change would prevent his venture suffering the fate of previous business only airline ventures. It has bought 10 Bombardier C Series planes, whose combustion technology engines mean they can fly nonstop from London City Airport to New York.

The plane is planned to be configured with 40 lie-flat seats and will fly from London to destinations in North America, Europe and the Middle East within eight hours’ duration. The first transatlantic flights are scheduled for mid-2016.

The article included the following quote, “We are not going to be a discount airline,” Mr. Scott said, adding that previous ventures were hamstrung by flying out of Luton and Stansted, their high overheads, and their pre-crash [economic crash] timing.

“This is more about the traveler’s experience and getting rid of the aggravation of having to go through big airports,” he said.

FMI: www.flyody.com