Eos Ramps Up, Zoom Launches NY-London Service - 2007-06-21

The New York-London market is gaining capacity and new entrants, as Eos in September plans to add flights and low-cost Zoom Airlines this week inaugurates service.

All-business class Eos Airlines in September will expand to 40 flights per week, which the carrier said will place it in the top four "most frequently scheduled airlines between New York and London," surpassing Continental and Delta, the company said. American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic remain the top three carriers on the route.

“Adding our fourth flight on the peak days is really a matter of matching the schedule to guest demand,” said Andrew Menkes, Eos vice president of sales. “What makes it extremely significant is the opportunity to leave London Stansted on a Sunday night as well as to leave New York Kennedy on a Monday morning. It’s not just the incremental frequency, but also the specific scheduling times that we chose. That’s what really makes it a quantum leap.”

Zoom Airlines, meanwhile, in April said it would launch service between London Gatwick Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on June 21. The carrier arrived at JFK today, and will make its first flight from JFK to Gatwick on Friday. The carrier is serving daily flights from New York at 5:30pm and return flights from London at 1:00pm.

Zoom has cast itself as a "low-fares, full-service" alternative to entrenched transatlantic carriers. "Finding low-cost transatlantic flights is a challenge for U.S. consumers in today's marketplace, with no affordable alternative to British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Delta and others," Zoom co-owner Hugh Boyle said in a statement today. "Zoom's goal is to become the leading low-cost transatlantic airline offering consumers an excellent and affordable alternative to today's options by providing the same Economy and Premium Economy services at a savings of up to 65 percent."

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week issued a notice of exemption authority permitting Zoom to "engage in scheduled foreign air transportation" between London Gatwick and New York-JFK for two years, "or until a final order is issued granting its application for a foreign air carrier permit." However, Delta Air Lines objected to the carrier’s launch in DOT filings, “questioning whether Zoom is a national of the United Kingdom and eligible for authority under the U.S.-U.K Air Services Agreement,” according to the filing. Zoom Airlines Ltd. is the U.K. sister company to Canada's Zoom Airlines, which offers transatlantic service from Canada.