Business Class Only Airlines

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While the travel world awaits the next big thing—the gargantuan Airbus A380—the next small thing is already rapidly changing the landscape for international business travelers.

All-business-class flights that seat just 44 to 100 passengers may not sound as sexy as an 850-seat behemoth. But if you've been to an airport this summer and have endured the crowds, the lines, the delays, and the robotic in-flight service, you know that small can be truly beautiful.

International travel on such specially configured aircraft restores a measure of civility to the process. You can get to the airport later (as little as 45 minutes before departure); breeze through check-in; use less crowded departure lounges; and fly to your destination in a plane that isn’t packed with 200-plus once-a-year vacationers.

And lest we forget, there's one more benefit: All that exclusivity comes at fares that can be as little as one-fifth of the prices charged by international airlines for a seat on one of their regular flights.

Since the concept of all-business-class international flights was pioneered by Lufthansa five years ago, at least four startup airlines have launched that offer only business service. All of them are expanding briskly this summer, and two other traditional airlines have started their own all-business routes.

Don't expect the trend to come to an end anytime soon. When the U.S. and the European Union loosen bilateral aviation restrictions in spring 2008, carriers will be free to launch a slew of new flights. Travel analysts like Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research expect major transatlantic airlines to introduce their own all-business segments; that way they can transport high-profit customers directly to their final destinations without hitting crowded, time-consuming hubs. "The concept has proven itself," Harteveldt says.

Flights to London
It’s no surprise that three of the four all-business startups fly to London. About 30 percent of all traffic between the U.S. and Europe heads to the British capital, and the routes command a disproportionately large chunk of business-class traffic across the Atlantic. (Read: Later, London.)

Eos Airlines was the first to launch, in October 2005, and it is arguably the best of the all-business services. Offering a first-class experience at a business-class price, its Boeing 757s are outfitted with 48 "suites" that convert into 78-inch-long beds. It flies on just one route—from New York’s John F. Kennedy International to London's Stansted Airport—but it has grown from a single daily flight to three a day during peak periods this summer. Eos will add additional flights in September, and last week it opened a lavish private lounge at Stansted. Eos tickets are available for as low as $3,200 roundtrip, and though its walk-up fares increase to approximately $7,500 roundtrip, that's still 25 percent below the major carriers' New York to London business-class fares and half the price British Airways charges for first class.

Maxjet Airways launched a few weeks after Eos; it's the all-business yang to Eos' yin. Maxjet configures its Boeing 767s with more seats (100 reclining chairs with about 60 inches of legroom), flies to Stansted from more cities (Washington and Las Vegas in addition to New York), and has sold tickets for as low as $1,000 roundtrip. It pitches a value-for-money service and has persuaded some coach fliers on other airlines to spend a few bucks more to fly Maxjet. Tickets now sell for as little as $2,400 roundtrip from Washington Dulles International Airport. Flights from LAX to Stansted begin on August 30.

Silverjet Aviation is the first British-based all-business operation. It flies from Newark to a purpose-built terminal at Luton, London's fourth area airport. Like Maxjet, it configures Boeing 767s with 100 reclining seats. Launched this year, Silverjet has offered promotional fares starting at $1,600 roundtrip. Walk-up prices are about $3,900 and include chauffeur-driven transportation to and from the airport.

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