Latest news with #inauguralFlight
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Global Airlines boss hits back at critics as he defends 'challenging' first flight and reveals future for the company
Entrepreneur and travel enthusiast James Asquith promised to revive the 'golden age of flying' when he launched Global Airlines last month. But the inaugural flight, from Glasgow to New York, was heavily criticised by passengers and currently no other flights are scheduled. In a lengthy statement on LinkedIn, James and the team at Global have now hit back at the critics, and claimed there's been a lot of misinformation online about the future of the new brand. They said: 'There has been a lot of noise since the first passenger flights on 9H-GLOBL took place over the last fortnight. 'We are delighted that so many people have shown so much interest and want to say thank you to all for being part of this journey. 'We think everyone, whether a passenger, supporter, critic, armchair expert, or complete novice with opinions, can agree that this really was a monumental achievement – and one that most never thought we would reach. 'Thanks for all the words of support and congratulations for proving so many wrong!' They continued: 'It is quite clear from much of what we are seeing and reading that some have decided to take huge speculation and repeat it as fact. In a lengthy statement, James and the team at Global have now hit back at the critics, and claimed there's been a lot of misinformation online about the future of the new brand. 'It's a shame when this happens because it's super misleading and the folk reading it can get a bit overexcited about what is actually complete rubbish. 'We want to apologise for generating so much interest and speculation and we want to remind everyone not to believe everything you see, hear and read. 'We also want to remind those people who choose to repeat speculation as fact that you might want to check information before amplifying fiction.' 'We still have our eye on the ultimate goal of becoming a scheduled airline in the future, but we recognise there are still a lot of things to tackle on that journey.' An economy return ticket on Global's inaugural flight was significantly higher than other airlines at £778. First-class tickets were even more at £7,127, and business class at £3,700. And one of the main criticisms of Global's first flight was that it wasn't fully booked, and there were a lot of empty seats. But the team at Global said they never planned to operate full services on their flights in order to 'test our service and products and we wanted to focus on our premium cabins'. They said: 'We had the perfect number of passengers on our flights to JFK – these flights were never planned to be full or even close to it. That was not the point of them. 'We didn't do any marketing, but simply reached out to our community online and in the wider aviation circles. We wanted to test our service and products and we wanted to focus on our premium cabins. 'We succeeded on all fronts and if we had more passengers we would never have got to test all the elements we wanted to try out. Perfect numbers for us!' Travel experts also had mixed reactions to the service onboard Global's maiden flight, especially the cabins, lack of entertainment system and the food. And James and the team admitted: 'Our first flight was a bit of a challenge – now, this one is true!' Defending the inflight experience, they explained the reason for this was the plane had undergone significant maintenance and regulatory checks after 'being brought back from the desert'. They added: 'We apologise to any of our passengers who didn't have the best time – however, it is important to remember that many did have an amazing time and the feedback was incredible. Some didn't. We recognise that. 'Hopefully, we will be forgiven for our first attempt – especially because (as many have documented) the second, third and fourth flights were incredible.' Confirming its future is very much in the skies, the brand added: 'We're not planning to change any strategy to become an ACMI [Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance] operator – ACMI has always been part of our discussions with Hi Fly, but nothing has changed about our direction of travel and the vision and ambition we have for the future.' Carriers which have failed to make a success of transatlantic flights include Norwegian, Wow Air and Primera Air. In a previous interview, James said Global Airlines is being funded by a combination of Holiday Swap Group and external investors, who he did not name. The airline originally planned to have 15 to 20 planes over the next two years and 'expand pretty aggressively from there', he explained.
The National
7 days ago
- Business
- The National
Abu Dhabi to Warsaw: Onboard Etihad's inaugural flight to the Polish capital
The first Etihad Airlines flight from Abu Dhabi to Warsaw landed this morning at the Polish capital at 6.37am local time. Flight EY 159 – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – took off from Terminal A at Zayed International Airport approximately six hours earlier at 2.40am local time. The new route, the third of 16 that the airline is launching in 2025, will now operate four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The medium-haul 787-9 Dreamliner features 28 business-class seats and 262 economy seats, and the plane was nearly full. After the plane arrived at gate C27, crew and staff took pictures underneath a celebratory arch. 'I'm very excited to be here representing Etihad on the inaugural flight to Warsaw,' Etihad chief financial officer Raffael Quintas told The National. 'It's the first flight to Warsaw. Our inaugural flight to Prague was yesterday and our inaugural flight to Sochi was a few weeks ago. It's an exciting year for Etihad, with 20 new planes also coming.' Etihad last week launched a competition among its 'guest members' to win up to five million miles by flying to each of the airline's new year-round destinations launching in 2025. Some of them were on the flight to Warsaw. 'An inaugural flight is always a big event for an aviation geek like me, but this year is special because of the competition,' said frequent flyer Lays Laraya. An inaugural flight is also special for the pilot and co-pilot. Captain Eisa Ahmed Al Ali said: ' I joined in 2008 and went through training to reach the role of captain. I'm really excited to be doing the first Warsaw flight.' Senior first officer Mateusz Lukas Perz, who is from Warsaw, added: 'I joined last year in the middle of October and before that I was flying out of Warsaw, my home base. 'I'm so happy to take people there to show them the city, our Polish hospitality and cuisine, which is really amazing.' He advises travellers to try pierogies, which are 'like a Polish dumpling and highly recommend'. Cabin crew member Marta, who is also from Poland, suggests travellers explore Warsaw Old Town. 'It's a Unesco site,' she says. 'It might not be the most beautiful compared to places like Barcelona, but it's very special as it was rebuilt with survivors' hands after the Second World War.' Warsaw is the largest city in Poland, attracting millions of tourists each year. Alongside the Old Town, major attractions include the Royal Castle, once home to the Polish Monarchy, and the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which charts the uprising during the Second World War. Arriving in Warsaw, the aircraft was greeted by a water cannon salute, followed by an arrival ceremony near baggage claim. WAW Chopin Airport is one of two airports used for commercial flights in the Polish capital and is approximately a 25-minute drive or 30-minute train ride from the city centre. There is only one terminal in the airport and it is small and easy to navigate. 'Our new Prague and Warsaw services open doors to countless possibilities,' said Etihad chief executive Antonoaldo Neves. 'These new routes create a bridge between two remarkable regions, connecting travellers from the Middle East to the heart of Central Europe, while offering seamless connections via Abu Dhabi to destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Australia.' The first Etihad flight from Warsaw to Abu Dhabi, EY160, takes off at 11.20am local time.
