OpenSkies FT Do: JFK-ORY-JFK
Jun 22, 2008, 3:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: USA
Programs: Alaska MVP, Marriott Lifetime Titanium (United Silver), Hilton Gold
Posts: 779
OpenSkies FT Do: JFK-ORY-JFK
OpenSkies FT Do: JFK-ORY-JFK
I had the good luck to be selected amongst the 20 FTers to give OpenSkies a fly on their opening weekend. I’m doing my best to get out a trip report as quickly as possible before jet lag hits and the work week begins, and will do my best to edit, update, and add on to it as my time allows. I’ve already posted pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27886280@N07/?donelayout=1. I’m sure others will have more comprehensive photo collections and better insights into the flights, but hope this report will give you a sense of the new airline. Lastly, though I’ve tried to include a handful of criticisms along with the heaps of compliments, I can’t say enough about how grateful I am to FlyerTalk and OpenSkies to have had the opportunity to be part of this event.
June 19, 2008
EC002 JFK-ORY
Prem+ Seat 8A
G-BPEK
Arrived at JFK about 3:45p and followed the signs to the OpenSkies check-in area to the left of the main Terminal 7 check-in desks, near the area generally used by BA premium class passengers. There were two agents working the OpenSkies flight, I was greeted with a pleasant “Welcome to OpenSkies,” promptly received my Prem+ boarding pass and was directed back to the normal Terminal 7 check-in line (I think there was a separate security area for BA First and maybe Club World too, I’m not sure).
After making my way through the somewhat slow check-point, I began looking around for the bright-yellow FT bag tags. As my luck would have it, the first person I encountered was Randy! (Thanks Randy for organizing this great trip!) With his help, I was able to gain entrance to the BA Terraces lounge, generally available only to those in Business Class on OpenSkies. I met the FTers who had business class tickets on the outbound, and partook of the ample range of fresh tea sandwiches, packaged cookies, crackers. The Terraces lounge was quite impressive to someone who has only seen a small handful of domestic airline lounges and I hope to visit again soon.
As the flight time approaches, we made our way down to the gate area where I met many of the FTers who would be in Prem+ with me and soon the inaugural JFK-ORY flight was boarding. (Surprisingly, there was little fanfare celebrating the eastbound inaugural other than the departure board noting that this was the “inaugural”).
Once on board, I set my stuff at my seat and looked around to see what the plane looked like. Others will no doubt go into more detail but, in short, the plane is in three classes Biz, which has British Airways lie-flat business seats, Prem+, which has old-style business class-like seats, and Economy which has standard economy seats. As memory serves, there are three rows of Biz (six seats) between doors 1L/R and 2L/R and three rows of six seats behind 2L/R. After a hard bulkhead there are four rows (sixteen seats) of Prem+, then 3L/R followed by three more rows (12 seats) of Prem+, another hard bulkhead, then five rows of 3x3 economy seating.
Thus:
Biz: Rows 1-6
Prem+: Rows 7-14
Economy: Rows 15-20
My Prem+ seat 8A was quite similar to the seat I had in business class on an AA 767-200 and the old style UA business class seats, except that it was leather and had an arm to hold a PTV unit, but no PTV unit installed. Seat controls allowed for recline, lumbar control, leg rest extension and footrest extension. According to the OpenSkies website, the seats recline to 140 degrees and have 58 inches of pitch and that sounds accurate. The seats bore no resemblance to anything which could be considered “coach” or “economy” despite being marketed as a “Premium Economy” product. As we were seated, we were offered a choice of wine, orange juice, and water. There were also bottles of Evian at our seats. I had the oj and there was a sense among the group that it was top-notch. Tasted very fresh squeezed and was as good as any non-fresh squeezed oj I’ve ever had. Indeed, if they’d said it was fresh squeezed I would have believed them without any hesitation.
As passengers settled in, menus were distributed. (I’ll leave it to others to post images and transcripts) and we pushed back more or less on time at 5:30pm. As the safety briefing was done twice (possibly for passengers facing both forward and backward) we began out taxi-out. Alas, JFK at rush-hour never fails to disappoint and we spent at least an hour (probably closer to an hour and half…but time flies in big comfy seats) waiting for takeoff. During this time, dinner and drink orders were taken for post-takeoff. Fortunately, due to decent winds (and a generously padded schedule) we were expected into Orly more or less on time.
As soon as practical, the flight attendants were in the cabin offering IFE units and noise cancelling headsets. The IFE units were similar to those offered in on AA transcons and had a good selection of movies, tv shows, music and some basic games. The noise cancelling headsets were the on-ear type, not as nice as the good Bose ones but pretty good.
The drinks we ordered pre-takeoff were served and soon thereafter the dinner service began. Dinner was served from a cart, all on one nicely presented tray, and beverage refills were offered along with the meal service. I had ordered the Chicken Chasseur and my tray was packed full with: the nice started salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and fennel and the cutest little bottle of oil and vinegar salad dressing; the chicken entrée which was served with mashed potatoes and vegetables; cheesecake with berry compote; cheese, crackers, and grapes; and a piece of chocolate. A variety of bread was offered from a bread basket including a nice foccacia. The meal was quite good all around, the salad was especially nice for an airplane salad (especially in a non-business/first cabin) the chicken was quite moist for an airplane, and the cheesecake was highly enjoyable. My only minor complaint was the mashed potatoes which had that slightly-reheated feeling to them as often happens with mashed potatoes on airplanes. All in all a great meal!
The flight attendants on this flight were all very excited that their airline was finally getting off the ground and did their best to keep all of the passengers happy. There was clearly a bit of a learning curve, especially with the IFE units, and as the flight attendants scrambled to try to fix the problems that emerged and keep everyone happy the service was a bit slower than would be ideal, especially for those who want to eat and then get to sleep.
Once meal trays were cleared, amenity kits were distributed and the cabin lights were dimmed so we could get some rest. The amenity kits contained socks, an eye mask, and toothbrush/toothpaste. Throughout the flight, the crew did their best to keep everyone well-watered offering both glasses and additional bottles of Evian.
Although it was exciting to meet the other FTers on the flight, I didn’t want to be able to get in a full day in Paris upon arrival so I soon put on my eye mask to try and get some sleep. As someone used to sleeping in coach, my found the Prem+ seat quite comfortable and was able to lean on my side using the pillow and the headrest and managed to sleep for almost two hours. Our flight time across the Atlantic was under seven hours and soon the light was starting to poke through the shut window shades and the cabin began to awake.
About an hour out of ORY we were offered a breakfast box which contained a bottle of the same delicious oj served pre-flight as well as a croissant/bear claw-type breakfast treat. Although I can’t say I was that hungry after having eaten a great meal less than three hours before, the breakfast snack was a little underwhelming and less than I’ve received on U.S. carriers in economy in recent years. Even adding in a yogurt or something (or just a nice baguette and jam) would make it seem a little less like an afterthought.
Soon after the pre-arrival snack, the cabin was readied for landing and before I knew it we’d dropped beneath the clouds and the French countryside was in view as we landed in Orly just about on-time at 7:30 in the morning. After a short taxi, we were able to deplane quickly and make our way through a short line at immigration and customs and divided into groups destined for various hotels around the city.
I had the good luck to be selected amongst the 20 FTers to give OpenSkies a fly on their opening weekend. I’m doing my best to get out a trip report as quickly as possible before jet lag hits and the work week begins, and will do my best to edit, update, and add on to it as my time allows. I’ve already posted pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27886280@N07/?donelayout=1. I’m sure others will have more comprehensive photo collections and better insights into the flights, but hope this report will give you a sense of the new airline. Lastly, though I’ve tried to include a handful of criticisms along with the heaps of compliments, I can’t say enough about how grateful I am to FlyerTalk and OpenSkies to have had the opportunity to be part of this event.
June 19, 2008
EC002 JFK-ORY
Prem+ Seat 8A
G-BPEK
Arrived at JFK about 3:45p and followed the signs to the OpenSkies check-in area to the left of the main Terminal 7 check-in desks, near the area generally used by BA premium class passengers. There were two agents working the OpenSkies flight, I was greeted with a pleasant “Welcome to OpenSkies,” promptly received my Prem+ boarding pass and was directed back to the normal Terminal 7 check-in line (I think there was a separate security area for BA First and maybe Club World too, I’m not sure).
After making my way through the somewhat slow check-point, I began looking around for the bright-yellow FT bag tags. As my luck would have it, the first person I encountered was Randy! (Thanks Randy for organizing this great trip!) With his help, I was able to gain entrance to the BA Terraces lounge, generally available only to those in Business Class on OpenSkies. I met the FTers who had business class tickets on the outbound, and partook of the ample range of fresh tea sandwiches, packaged cookies, crackers. The Terraces lounge was quite impressive to someone who has only seen a small handful of domestic airline lounges and I hope to visit again soon.
As the flight time approaches, we made our way down to the gate area where I met many of the FTers who would be in Prem+ with me and soon the inaugural JFK-ORY flight was boarding. (Surprisingly, there was little fanfare celebrating the eastbound inaugural other than the departure board noting that this was the “inaugural”).
Once on board, I set my stuff at my seat and looked around to see what the plane looked like. Others will no doubt go into more detail but, in short, the plane is in three classes Biz, which has British Airways lie-flat business seats, Prem+, which has old-style business class-like seats, and Economy which has standard economy seats. As memory serves, there are three rows of Biz (six seats) between doors 1L/R and 2L/R and three rows of six seats behind 2L/R. After a hard bulkhead there are four rows (sixteen seats) of Prem+, then 3L/R followed by three more rows (12 seats) of Prem+, another hard bulkhead, then five rows of 3x3 economy seating.
Thus:
Biz: Rows 1-6
Prem+: Rows 7-14
Economy: Rows 15-20
My Prem+ seat 8A was quite similar to the seat I had in business class on an AA 767-200 and the old style UA business class seats, except that it was leather and had an arm to hold a PTV unit, but no PTV unit installed. Seat controls allowed for recline, lumbar control, leg rest extension and footrest extension. According to the OpenSkies website, the seats recline to 140 degrees and have 58 inches of pitch and that sounds accurate. The seats bore no resemblance to anything which could be considered “coach” or “economy” despite being marketed as a “Premium Economy” product. As we were seated, we were offered a choice of wine, orange juice, and water. There were also bottles of Evian at our seats. I had the oj and there was a sense among the group that it was top-notch. Tasted very fresh squeezed and was as good as any non-fresh squeezed oj I’ve ever had. Indeed, if they’d said it was fresh squeezed I would have believed them without any hesitation.
As passengers settled in, menus were distributed. (I’ll leave it to others to post images and transcripts) and we pushed back more or less on time at 5:30pm. As the safety briefing was done twice (possibly for passengers facing both forward and backward) we began out taxi-out. Alas, JFK at rush-hour never fails to disappoint and we spent at least an hour (probably closer to an hour and half…but time flies in big comfy seats) waiting for takeoff. During this time, dinner and drink orders were taken for post-takeoff. Fortunately, due to decent winds (and a generously padded schedule) we were expected into Orly more or less on time.
As soon as practical, the flight attendants were in the cabin offering IFE units and noise cancelling headsets. The IFE units were similar to those offered in on AA transcons and had a good selection of movies, tv shows, music and some basic games. The noise cancelling headsets were the on-ear type, not as nice as the good Bose ones but pretty good.
The drinks we ordered pre-takeoff were served and soon thereafter the dinner service began. Dinner was served from a cart, all on one nicely presented tray, and beverage refills were offered along with the meal service. I had ordered the Chicken Chasseur and my tray was packed full with: the nice started salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and fennel and the cutest little bottle of oil and vinegar salad dressing; the chicken entrée which was served with mashed potatoes and vegetables; cheesecake with berry compote; cheese, crackers, and grapes; and a piece of chocolate. A variety of bread was offered from a bread basket including a nice foccacia. The meal was quite good all around, the salad was especially nice for an airplane salad (especially in a non-business/first cabin) the chicken was quite moist for an airplane, and the cheesecake was highly enjoyable. My only minor complaint was the mashed potatoes which had that slightly-reheated feeling to them as often happens with mashed potatoes on airplanes. All in all a great meal!
The flight attendants on this flight were all very excited that their airline was finally getting off the ground and did their best to keep all of the passengers happy. There was clearly a bit of a learning curve, especially with the IFE units, and as the flight attendants scrambled to try to fix the problems that emerged and keep everyone happy the service was a bit slower than would be ideal, especially for those who want to eat and then get to sleep.
Once meal trays were cleared, amenity kits were distributed and the cabin lights were dimmed so we could get some rest. The amenity kits contained socks, an eye mask, and toothbrush/toothpaste. Throughout the flight, the crew did their best to keep everyone well-watered offering both glasses and additional bottles of Evian.
Although it was exciting to meet the other FTers on the flight, I didn’t want to be able to get in a full day in Paris upon arrival so I soon put on my eye mask to try and get some sleep. As someone used to sleeping in coach, my found the Prem+ seat quite comfortable and was able to lean on my side using the pillow and the headrest and managed to sleep for almost two hours. Our flight time across the Atlantic was under seven hours and soon the light was starting to poke through the shut window shades and the cabin began to awake.
About an hour out of ORY we were offered a breakfast box which contained a bottle of the same delicious oj served pre-flight as well as a croissant/bear claw-type breakfast treat. Although I can’t say I was that hungry after having eaten a great meal less than three hours before, the breakfast snack was a little underwhelming and less than I’ve received on U.S. carriers in economy in recent years. Even adding in a yogurt or something (or just a nice baguette and jam) would make it seem a little less like an afterthought.
Soon after the pre-arrival snack, the cabin was readied for landing and before I knew it we’d dropped beneath the clouds and the French countryside was in view as we landed in Orly just about on-time at 7:30 in the morning. After a short taxi, we were able to deplane quickly and make our way through a short line at immigration and customs and divided into groups destined for various hotels around the city.
Jun 22, 2008, 3:48 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: USA
Programs: Alaska MVP, Marriott Lifetime Titanium (United Silver), Hilton Gold
Posts: 779
OpenSkies ORY-JFK
June 22, 2008
EC001 ORY-JFK
Biz Seat 2A
G-BPEK
Despite being a relatively small airport, Orly has a great selection of airlines and many we don’t see in the States, including Cubana and Iranair, but this morning it was OpenSkies I was looking for. Check-in was located at the far left of the South Terminal area and there were two lines, one for Biz and one for everyone else. As we approached the check-in desk, we were asked for our passport and ticket by a security person and asked standard-security type questions. Upon successfully answering the questions a yellow sticker was placed on my passport and I could proceed to the check-in desk where I was issued a non-descript boarding pass and an invitation to the Icare lounge (also used by L’Avion apparently). From there it was up the escalator and through passport control, then through security. I quickly made my way through the variety of duty free shopping opportunities available to the lounge where many of my FT co-passengers were already waiting. The lounge was small and had a standard selection of packaged snack cookies, crackers, and crisps as well as coolers of assorted beverages.
Roughly forty minutes before our scheduled 10:55 departure the flight was announced over the lounge PA and we made our way to the gate which was located close by. At the gate, we encountered the line for another security check especially for flights destined to the USA where they proceeded to go through our belongings again taking away things that were not deemed threatening at the previous security checkpoint, such as nail clippers, and liquids from outside the airport (those who purchased items from duty free had to show their receipt proving their origin). The line moved slowly (there was only one line for the entire flight) and many bags were opened so that small items could be removed. This led to a bit of a delay and we didn’t pushback until about 15 minutes after our scheduled 10:55am departure.
I went into a fair amount of detail about the seating arrangement in the outbound report so I’ll keep it short here. 2A was a rearward facing business class seat that I absolutely adore. I haven’t flown in a lie-flat seat (or backwards) before and can’t wait to do it again. The seat is similar to lie-flat business class seats used by BA, and was thoroughly comfortable for sitting, lying down, and everything in between.
Champagne, water, oj, and a strawberry smoothie were offered prior to departure. I don’t think the oj was the same as on the outbound and I tried the strawberry smoothie which was a Tropicana product and nothing to write home about. As we settled in, menus were distributed and appetizer, main course, and beverage orders were taken prior to takeoff.
Service began promptly once we were airborne (it seems like the seatbelt sign comes off earlier and the flight attendants start moving about much sooner than on U.S.-based airlines). Quickly, the same handheld IFE units we had on the outbound were distributed along with noise cancelling headsets. For this flight, the headsets were the larger, over-ear variety and much better than what we’d had before. I’m unsure if the difference was due to Biz versus Prem+ or simply what is loaded in ORY versus JFK.
Soon thereafter, we were served a canapé of mixed nuts (which were somewhat warm but not nearly as hot as many FTers like) and a bite sized mozzarella, sun-dried tomato snack along with our previously requested drink. After those treats were cleared, our appetizers were served on a tray with a table cloth, cutlery set, glass of water, and salt and pepper grinders. I’d ordered a sushi appetizer which consisted of a sautéed shrimp and scallop, a generous piece of raw salmon filet, and a “crab maki” along with very spicy wasabi mustard. The entire dish was tasty, well-portioned, and quite enjoyable. One suggested would be that it would be nice to include chopsticks with this appetizer as I find it somewhat awkward to eat sushi with a fork (although I can’t say that slowed me down at all). While we were enjoying our appetizers, a choice of breads was offered.
After appetizer plates were cleared, entrees were presented as they were cooked and plated. I’d ordered the seared beef fillet with green peppercorn sauce which was served with garlic roast potatoes and green beans. The portion was quite generous with two large portions of beef. Although others in the group were less than impressed, I have no complaints. The beef was quite moist and I especially like the peppercorn sauce (which I supplemented with additional pepper which added a nice flavor to the beef). The green beans were supplemented with garlic and also tasty.
As we finished our dinner, our plates were collected and our dessert orders were taken. Glutton that I am, I ordered (and was graciously presented with) both the apricot tart and the cheese plate. The sweet apricot tart was served with a tart crème fraiche that complimented it perfectly. The cheese plate included several crackers, pieces of gouda, Swiss and brie, a small bunch of grapes and a strawberry. The entire dish was quite solid, in my opinion but the brie is worthy of special commendation.
As the meal was cleared, the FTers on the flight congregated in the rear of the business class cabin where no other passengers were seated. The crew was happy to allow us to gather and chat and gladly refilled drinks (and yes, there were many such requests). All in all, the crew on this flight was equally friendly to the outbound and seemed more confident and comfortable onboard than our prior crew. I’m not sure whether this was due to it not being their first trip, their prior experience, or just their personality but it was definitely noticeable.
After a bit of chatting, and a couple of drinks, it was time to test out the lie-flat seats signature ability. I extended the seat to flat (my one negative would be that the seat is somewhat higher than the footrest so it’s not exactly even at the far end but, though this seemed odd, it didn’t cause me any problems). I’m not that tall and was able to sleep comfortably on my stomach, lying flat using the headrest of the seat to prop up my pillow nicely and easily slept for almost two hours.
Soon after I awoke, about an hour and a half out of JFK, we were presented with our afternoon snack boxes along with coffee or tea. Although some may poo-poo the thought of anything in a cardboard box in business class, these were no ordinary snack box. They were provided by Ladurée an apparently well-known Parisian tea salon and contained a smoked salmon on brioche sandwich, three French macaroons (one caramel, one raspberry, one pistachio) and a piece of gilded chocolate cake. Everything in them was fabulous, but the French macaroons deserve a special shout-out, especially the caramel and raspberry ones, for being truly delectable. Nothing else I’ve seen on a plane in a cardboard box could compare to what came out of this one. (One criticism is that there was no option other than salmon, which some may not like).
Alas, all good things must come to an end and all too soon our service items were being collected, our seats were returned to the landing position, and the shores of Long Island were visible out the window. We landed at JFK from the north and quickly taxied to Terminal 7, where we waited for a while before we could pull in. I can’t say I minded the delay as it will likely be a long time before I have another flight with the quality of seat, service, food and, especially, company I enjoyed on OpenSkies 001.
Once again, many thanks to Randy, OpenSkies, FlyerTalk, and my traveling companions for a great weekend!
EC001 ORY-JFK
Biz Seat 2A
G-BPEK
Despite being a relatively small airport, Orly has a great selection of airlines and many we don’t see in the States, including Cubana and Iranair, but this morning it was OpenSkies I was looking for. Check-in was located at the far left of the South Terminal area and there were two lines, one for Biz and one for everyone else. As we approached the check-in desk, we were asked for our passport and ticket by a security person and asked standard-security type questions. Upon successfully answering the questions a yellow sticker was placed on my passport and I could proceed to the check-in desk where I was issued a non-descript boarding pass and an invitation to the Icare lounge (also used by L’Avion apparently). From there it was up the escalator and through passport control, then through security. I quickly made my way through the variety of duty free shopping opportunities available to the lounge where many of my FT co-passengers were already waiting. The lounge was small and had a standard selection of packaged snack cookies, crackers, and crisps as well as coolers of assorted beverages.
Roughly forty minutes before our scheduled 10:55 departure the flight was announced over the lounge PA and we made our way to the gate which was located close by. At the gate, we encountered the line for another security check especially for flights destined to the USA where they proceeded to go through our belongings again taking away things that were not deemed threatening at the previous security checkpoint, such as nail clippers, and liquids from outside the airport (those who purchased items from duty free had to show their receipt proving their origin). The line moved slowly (there was only one line for the entire flight) and many bags were opened so that small items could be removed. This led to a bit of a delay and we didn’t pushback until about 15 minutes after our scheduled 10:55am departure.
I went into a fair amount of detail about the seating arrangement in the outbound report so I’ll keep it short here. 2A was a rearward facing business class seat that I absolutely adore. I haven’t flown in a lie-flat seat (or backwards) before and can’t wait to do it again. The seat is similar to lie-flat business class seats used by BA, and was thoroughly comfortable for sitting, lying down, and everything in between.
Champagne, water, oj, and a strawberry smoothie were offered prior to departure. I don’t think the oj was the same as on the outbound and I tried the strawberry smoothie which was a Tropicana product and nothing to write home about. As we settled in, menus were distributed and appetizer, main course, and beverage orders were taken prior to takeoff.
Service began promptly once we were airborne (it seems like the seatbelt sign comes off earlier and the flight attendants start moving about much sooner than on U.S.-based airlines). Quickly, the same handheld IFE units we had on the outbound were distributed along with noise cancelling headsets. For this flight, the headsets were the larger, over-ear variety and much better than what we’d had before. I’m unsure if the difference was due to Biz versus Prem+ or simply what is loaded in ORY versus JFK.
Soon thereafter, we were served a canapé of mixed nuts (which were somewhat warm but not nearly as hot as many FTers like) and a bite sized mozzarella, sun-dried tomato snack along with our previously requested drink. After those treats were cleared, our appetizers were served on a tray with a table cloth, cutlery set, glass of water, and salt and pepper grinders. I’d ordered a sushi appetizer which consisted of a sautéed shrimp and scallop, a generous piece of raw salmon filet, and a “crab maki” along with very spicy wasabi mustard. The entire dish was tasty, well-portioned, and quite enjoyable. One suggested would be that it would be nice to include chopsticks with this appetizer as I find it somewhat awkward to eat sushi with a fork (although I can’t say that slowed me down at all). While we were enjoying our appetizers, a choice of breads was offered.
After appetizer plates were cleared, entrees were presented as they were cooked and plated. I’d ordered the seared beef fillet with green peppercorn sauce which was served with garlic roast potatoes and green beans. The portion was quite generous with two large portions of beef. Although others in the group were less than impressed, I have no complaints. The beef was quite moist and I especially like the peppercorn sauce (which I supplemented with additional pepper which added a nice flavor to the beef). The green beans were supplemented with garlic and also tasty.
As we finished our dinner, our plates were collected and our dessert orders were taken. Glutton that I am, I ordered (and was graciously presented with) both the apricot tart and the cheese plate. The sweet apricot tart was served with a tart crème fraiche that complimented it perfectly. The cheese plate included several crackers, pieces of gouda, Swiss and brie, a small bunch of grapes and a strawberry. The entire dish was quite solid, in my opinion but the brie is worthy of special commendation.
As the meal was cleared, the FTers on the flight congregated in the rear of the business class cabin where no other passengers were seated. The crew was happy to allow us to gather and chat and gladly refilled drinks (and yes, there were many such requests). All in all, the crew on this flight was equally friendly to the outbound and seemed more confident and comfortable onboard than our prior crew. I’m not sure whether this was due to it not being their first trip, their prior experience, or just their personality but it was definitely noticeable.
After a bit of chatting, and a couple of drinks, it was time to test out the lie-flat seats signature ability. I extended the seat to flat (my one negative would be that the seat is somewhat higher than the footrest so it’s not exactly even at the far end but, though this seemed odd, it didn’t cause me any problems). I’m not that tall and was able to sleep comfortably on my stomach, lying flat using the headrest of the seat to prop up my pillow nicely and easily slept for almost two hours.
Soon after I awoke, about an hour and a half out of JFK, we were presented with our afternoon snack boxes along with coffee or tea. Although some may poo-poo the thought of anything in a cardboard box in business class, these were no ordinary snack box. They were provided by Ladurée an apparently well-known Parisian tea salon and contained a smoked salmon on brioche sandwich, three French macaroons (one caramel, one raspberry, one pistachio) and a piece of gilded chocolate cake. Everything in them was fabulous, but the French macaroons deserve a special shout-out, especially the caramel and raspberry ones, for being truly delectable. Nothing else I’ve seen on a plane in a cardboard box could compare to what came out of this one. (One criticism is that there was no option other than salmon, which some may not like).
Alas, all good things must come to an end and all too soon our service items were being collected, our seats were returned to the landing position, and the shores of Long Island were visible out the window. We landed at JFK from the north and quickly taxied to Terminal 7, where we waited for a while before we could pull in. I can’t say I minded the delay as it will likely be a long time before I have another flight with the quality of seat, service, food and, especially, company I enjoyed on OpenSkies 001.
Once again, many thanks to Randy, OpenSkies, FlyerTalk, and my traveling companions for a great weekend!
Last edited by gba; Jun 22, 2008 at 4:45 pm Reason: Added report
Jun 23, 2008, 3:57 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Abu Dhabi
Programs: EY Platinum
Posts: 1,609
After a bit of chatting, and a couple of drinks, it was time to test out the lie-flat seats signature ability. I extended the seat to flat (my one negative would be that the seat is somewhat higher than the footrest so it’s not exactly even at the far end but, though this seemed odd, it didn’t cause me any problems).
Jun 23, 2008, 6:34 am
#11
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Scotland
Programs: BA, BD, AF, LH, AA, EK, Hilton, ICHG, SPG
Posts: 1,500
What took me longer to discover is that when the seat is not being used as a bed, the entire footstool (not just the top) can swing bodily through a 90 degree arc, to bring it closer to the seat. If you didn't suss that one out (and it took me several trips to do so!
), you'll see what I mean by looking at how the footstool is attached to the floor in gba's pic. The entire fitting will pivot round the bolt.Great report - looks like an excellent service!