You might not have heard of BermudAir, the "newish" flag carrier of Bermuda. Being married to a Bermudian, we visit frequently and over the years limited flights have often meant paying ~$600+ for economy to $2,000+ for business on a 1.5 hour flight at times. Seasonal schedules also meant that options were extremely limited at times. Enter BermudAir. Now, I am not going to lie, an airline with two planes flying now to seven destinations (some seasonal) gave me pause -- particularly given some issues with cancellations. Alas, this month we needed to get to the island and flew JetBlue out and decided to give BermudAir a try for the return. Given the timings of arrivals of most airlines back to the U.S., the thought of arriving at JFK at rush hour did not appeal to us but HPN did and chose BermudAir for our return. BermudAir had aspirations of being business class only (aisle class) with what looked like amazing seats but alas, that did not happen. They offer economy and business class on Embraer 175 aircraft. Business class is simply similar to European carriers with one seat blocked and economy is 2x2. However where the difference begins is that there are two economy levels basic and classic. Basic gives one checked bag at 70 lbs. and Classic gives two checked bags at 70 lbs. Business class gets, wait for it, three checked bags at 70 lbs. each. We flew Classic. Business class comes with lounge access, the only U.S. departing airline to do so. The same lounge offers Priority Pass access that we always use (thanks to my old school U.S. Diners Club card...best value $95 primary holder annual fee ever ).

As far as boarding, it's business class and Founders Club, then everyone else is invited to board at their leisure. It was, in a word, lovely. Onboard the leased ex-BMI aircraft, you are welcomed by smartly attired crew (Bermuda shorts and sport coats for men and smart dresses for women). The aircraft was impeccably clean and legroom generous -- note seats do not recline. Now where they really shine is the cabin service. All beverages alcoholic or otherwise are complimentary with locally sourced snacks in economy and a light meal in business. I have Celiac disease and was able to request a GFML during booking thinking it was just a formality but I was wrong. The two regular snacks in economy are not gluten-free and when I said I couldn't have them, the flight attendant smiled and said, "oh, you are my gluten-free." They boarded a gluten-free snack option literally just for me. It was a small snack but the gesture was huge. Initial beverage service is done by a small cart with real glassware and ice taken with silver tongs. After that refills are provided by silver tray service. Same for clearing of refuse -- no trash bags coming down the aisle here. There is complimentary WiFi but it is only for movies (good selection), magazines, and flight tracker with a note that full WiFi is coming soon.

Arrival in HPN is always a joy and bags were on the belt within five minutes of arrival. I have been a long fan of HPN and fly there when I can. I am already planning to fly BermudAir in August but the inbound to BDA arrives late in the evening so not sure we'll do it both ways but perhaps. They originally had two flights to HPN but when the schedule expanded it was cut to one per day and only six days a week.