Hello all,

I had this wonderful trip report all done, pressed submit new thread, and it disappeared and I was told I was not logged in, which I was. So, here we go again.

I have just completed my first, but not my last roundtrip with the most amazing airlines, EOS. Let ne preface this report by saying my last 30 overwater flights from the NY area to Europe have been as follows: 1 in coach (and yes, I survived but still suffer nightmares....) 28 in J and 1 in F. I have flown UAL, CO, Virgin, LH and BA I have never flown an airline as great as EOS.

When was the last time a station manager came to the lounge to intorduce herself to everyone and thank them for flying with that airline today. DOn't know about you, but that never happened to me until I flew EOS. When was the last time that all the FAs in your area came over and said "Good evening Mrs. Cruisr, my name is ....and I'll be your FA tonight. I am so glad that you are flying with us tonight". Not only that but the purser came over and again said "Hello Mrs. Cruisr, I'm your purser for tonight and I'm so glad you are here...."

This great experience started at check in at JFK. What a pleasure. No lines. I approached the check in area and was greeted by my "escort" who would escort me to TSA after i checked in. He also frequently used my name which is so nice to hear as opposed to being not acknowledge at all. After a one minute check in my "escort" brought me over to the TSA (BTW if you want a free shoe shine on your way, that can be arranged, too). The TSA experience was amazing. My escort announced to TSA that he had an EOS guest and immediatly two TSA's came over and took my carry on (which my escort offered to carry for me) and explained the TSA process (can you imagine) and I was thru immediately.

My new escort met me at the other side and escorted me to the Emirates Lounge which EOS uses. Suffice it to say it was wonderful. Business center, excellent food choices, bar area, Big screen tv, dining area and relaxation areas. All with great views of the tarmac and runway. But the best was yet to come...the actual flight. What a run up to this moment.

Boarding was announced and again we were escorted to the gate. Our check in crew were now at the gate to take the tickets they issued. I think they were just as excited about the passengers experiencing EOS as I was. The plane is a 757 reconfigured for just 48 seats. I have flown the baby jets on LH from EWR to Dusseldorf and the EOS configuration and interior beats that hands down. It is sleek and modern and very functional. Each suite area has over 20 square feet of space. As mentioned above the personal touches were everywhere and started with the welcome and introductions. These FAs seemed to really love their jobs. It was refreshing to see such enthusiasm,

Onboard amenities include Bose Noise Reducing headphones, personal movie player (preloaded with current and award winning movies) on which I watched Good Night and Good lUck. The amenity kit included the basics but also had a spray container of Evian that you can spritz on your face as a refresher. The food choices and wine list were excellent but as I dined in the lounge I decided on the Express Dinner which was huge chilled shrimp on a bed of mesculam(sp?) lettuce. I opted out of breakfast in favor of sleep (more on that later) and when I awoke found a cute EOS shopping bag packed with a croissant, roll yogurt and a smoothie. Again, a very nice touch.

Now, on to the best part of EOS, the seat or should I say the bed. First of all each of the seats have 2 throw pillows, a nice little homey touch. The seats are extremely comfortable. There is seat which faces you where you can invite a travel companion to sit and/or dine with you. Now, when it is time to take a nap the FA will make up your bed with a bottom sheet, full size pillow and a blanket/sheet combo. The seats are very wide and as I'm a side sleeper I had plenty of room. I slept until about 30 minutes prior to landing....that a great start on the day if you are going to London for a short time, as I was.

Landing at Stansted and going thru customs was a breeze. NO LINES...What a pleasure. Even when I am in the Fast Track at LHR or LGW I still am in a line. I hate lines....Once thru customs there was again an EOS employee to assist with anything. One nice thing is that you receive a free roundtrip Stansted express ticket and that's how I got to London.

The Stansted advantage: In my opinion I had an easier time getting to London from Stansted then I have from LHR or LGW. The Stansted Express is 45 minutes to Liverpool Street Station. If you have business in the "City" it is the most convenient airport. Liverpool St Station is one stop to Bank Street which is in the heart of the financial/stock exchange area. Last time I stayed at Threadneedles, on Threadneedles Street, one block from the Bank St Station and it took me over an hour 20 minutes to get there from LHR.

This time I was staying at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. I took the Central Line from Liverool Street Station and as I made good conects it was 1 hr. 14 minutes to my hotel. Going back was 1 hr. 8 minutes. I was impressed.

At the airport the check in was just as easy as at JFK. Escorts there for you and fast track immigration as well. In the lounge a high tea was set up as well as assorted other goodies. Again, a nice touch were phones that offered free calls to the US. While in the lounge the Station Mgr, Mary, an ex 25 year CO employee, came in to introduce herself to everyone and thank us for flying. Personal service like I have never seen. I guess this is what it feels like to travel if you are a VIP.

On the return flight I really got to enjoy the inflight product and service even more as I was awake for 1/2 the flight. Again food and wine were incredible and I had the best in flight food I ever had. Appetizer was Goat Cheese on roasted vegetables and entree was filet mignon you could cut with your fork. Dessert was a chocalte fallen cake with ice cream and fresh whipped cream. It was amazing.

I know that Flyertalk is for people who have loyalty to airlines and more importantly their frequent flyer programs. EOS has recently unveiled a frequent flyer program. Also, in checking ther website I see that they are now participating in the Amex. Platinum 2 for 1 ticket program. There prices and the value are the BEST from NY to London. Try them once and you will be spoiled. I know I am. I am willing to give up my UA and CO miles and fly EOS. I'l earn points with them, save money and have an amazing experience. Its like flying first class use to be 20 years ago. Its the best.

Cheers

Wow. Who's paying for the TSA to provide personal service?

Actually it's a five minute walk from Liverpool Street to Bank and both are very much in the heart of the City.

It almost sounds too good to be true... Are you sure you don't work for Eos?

Great report. Just curious, what fare did you pay and how far out did you book?

Given that the OP posted notices also in the UA/BA/VS/AA forums (who also offer JFK to London service), it also makes me wonder if the OP works for EOS?

A few articles in the press point to nearly-empty EOS planes flying over the Atlantic, so maybe this was part of the concerted effort to combat that I suppose (gotta give the OP credit for the marketing gimmick)...

Oh come on, the poster has more than 150 posts going back more than a year on a gazillion subjects, all fairly credible. Would be a bit of a stretch to say that was a set up.

My colleagues who have flown EOS also utterly rave. Whether it can make money and survive with 20-30 passengers a night, who knows

Hi,

As you can see from my profile, I have been posting here since Dec. 2004 and have posted across a whole gamut of boards and NO I don't work for EOS. I just am very impressed with what I received and I would love to see EOS get more exposure and therefor people trying them. Flying is not fun anymore and EOS made it fun.

I did the 14 day advance purchase fare. The 14 day advance purchase fare was $1475 each way plus taxes and imm fees.

Its sort of sad that if someone really likes something and reports on it they are accused of working for the company. I'm also going to be posting a trip report on the Grosvenor House Hotel where I stayed and I do not work for Marriott.....

Cheers

I saw the OP's post in the UA forum, and then noticed that there are posts in the BA and Virgin forums directing people to the Trip Report as well.

Hmm...Maybe I should do the same when I fly Upper Class on VS or First Class on EK...

Give me a break...I highly doubt he works for EOS given his record on the board based on posts, etc. as someone else already pointed out...he obviously posted in the other forums because it is germane to those specific airlines re: flights from NYC to London, which is very competitive in the premium cabins. Also, there was a report yesterday in the WSJ about both EOS and MaxJet and they have not been averaging nearly empty loads as you state.

I thought it was a very good trip report and gave me a good idea what to expect if one would fly EOS.

Thanks for the trip report cruisr, very well written and informative!

Thanks for the report!

I agree, and I've been there. Trust me, the people that make accusations are just trying to find excuses to discredit people.

Maybe you should.

Cheers

Call me gullible but I looked at the EOS website and was impressed with their money-back guarantee for BA or VS flyers, if you have two transatlantic flights in J (or better for BA) on those airlines in the last 6 months EOS offers a 100% satisfaction or money-back guarantee on your first EOS flight.

It's obvious what's going on there and what that's directed to but hey, a money-back guarantee is a money-back guarantee. And I didn't notice any fine print.

he is actually a she I believe....

I hope you won't be too disappointed if the TSA only assigns one agent to welcome you and take your carry on luggage then.

Maybe you are part of an EOS sleeper cell, planted in order to carry out guerrilla marketing if things get tough .

With any web forum, as a reader you have to take every opinion with a pinch of salt. Even if the reviewer is independent, you do not know if they have the same strandards and expectations so what seems great to them may be lousy to you. There is the risk on any review site that the service under review may plant some friendly comments but, by the same token, negative comments may have been posted by business rivals.

I do not know if the OP is genuine and I do not care. I am surprised that there were absolutely no flaws identified so, in my cynical way, if the post is indepenedent of EOS, I believe that the OP has lower expectations than me, rather than that the product was perfect. I find that even with great service there is normally a niggle somewhere. Other readers may think otherwise. That said, it does not mean that EOS isn't a great service, I will keep an open mind for now.

Cruisr, what were the load levels on the flights and did you have any niggles?

This sounds like an absolutely fantastic experience and certainly one that I would like to enjoy if my budget could stretch that far (or if EOS ever accept BA staff travel tickets).

The only thing I wonder though is whether EOS may eventually become a victim of their own success??? If EOS ever increase frequencies, take on larger aircraft or, indeed, begin to enjoy near-100% load factors, I fear that many of the more personal touches you enjoyed may become less common. Furthermore, had there been a problem with any aspect of the pre-flight preps at STN, I doubt that the station manager would have had a chance to visit.

Yes, they sound absolutely fantastic, but I fear that this level of excellence will be a struggle to uphold.

Let's hope EOS start to fly some more routes - India, UAE? and put some pressure on BA et al.