What began as a bold and exotic experiment when Privatair began a business-class service between Dusseldorf and Newark for Lufthansa in 2002 has evolved into an increasingly popular strategy.

Not only did Privatair and Lufthansa add two additional transatlantic routes, Dusseldorf-Chicago and Munich-New York, in 2003, but KLM has become the latest European network carrier to sign up, following on the heels of the German flag carrier and Swiss, for which Privatair operates a six-times-weekly Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) between Zurich and Newark.

From October Privatair will operate a daily business class-only service on behalf of KLM with a 44-seat BBJ flying between Amsterdam and Houston.

Greg Thomas, Privatair chief executive, says the company is talking to various network carriers both within Europe and elsewhere and adds: “I would not rule out the Middle East as an area of potential expansion.”

The USA is also an area of interest, particularly as Privatair already has operating bases there. However, the UK looks like a less fertile market as Thomas points out that British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, the only two transatlantic carriers operating out of Heathrow, will be keen to maximise the benefits of their precious slots with the biggest aircraft they can fill.

Source: Airline Business

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