US charter provider Le Bas International has launched a one-way on-demand charter operation, servicing select US and European cities. The move is designed to attract first-class airline passengers and fill the niche in transatlantic travel vacated by Concorde.
The One Way service initially offers direct flights from airports located within 160km (100 miles) of select cities, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and additional services will be assessed on an ongoing basis. Transatlantic services include New York to Dublin, London, Paris and Rome.
San Luis Obispo, California-based Le Bas is deploying a Bombardier Learjet 35, 55 and a Raytheon Hawker 800 on the domestic routes, while the international service uses a Gulfstream I, II and Challenger 601. "As demand picks up we plan to introduce up to two 18-seat Boeing Business Jets and a 45-seat Boeing 727, both in VIP configuration," says Le Bas chief operating officer Tracy Deakin.
The One Way service is competitively priced, Deakin says, with the cost of a seat on the 727 from New York to Paris set at around $2,480, or $112,000 to charter the whole aircraft.
Source: Flight International
