Odyssey Airlines' premium business model will be "very different" from past failed premium carriers, says founder and chief executive Adam Scott.
"I wouldn't align us with any of them," he says, citing the short-lived all premium operations of Eos, Maxjet and Silverjet at the Paris air show today. He adds that his management team has studied the airlines' models and taken note of their strengths and weaknesses.
When asked to specify how Odyssey will be different, Scott cites its order for 10 Bombardier CS100s, plans to use "convenient city airports" and its desire to be the airline of choice from London City airport. He declines to go into any further detail on its business plans.
The three examples Scott provides are some the few facts that are publicly known about the carrier. The airline will centre its operations around London City, or any "similarly convenient city airport", and fly to comparable airports for "time conscious" travellers, says Scott. Any destination that is within the range of the CS100, which is listed as up to 2,950nm (5,463km) with 110 passengers, are possible, he adds.
Scott has previously named Toronto City and New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International airports as possible destinations.
New York is 3,017nm and Toronto 3,101nm from London City - a bit more than the CS100s range that Bombardier has said is possible with fewer passengers.
Odyssey also looked at the Airbus A320neo family and Boeing 737 Max family before selecting the CS100, says Scott.
He says the airline plans to launch service as "soon as practically possible", citing its aircraft deliveries and receipt of the required operating certifications as milestones that it must achieve first.
Scott declines to comment on when Odyssey's deliveries begin.
The CS100 is slated to enter service in mid-2014 if it keeps to its current flight test and certification schedule.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
