Mes Amis, Fly the OpenSkies

Some people find torrential lightening storms in the summer to be exciting, thrilling, even sexy and romantic.  If I’m tucked away safely inside with a working back up generator, watching the view through floor to ceiling panes with a glass of champagne in one hand and a BlackBerry in the other, I’m fine with them.  No bother, watching God’s fireworks can be interesting for a few minutes.  But if I’m on a plane trying to get from the DC area across the Atlantic to the city of lights and love…let’s just say, I’d take a drought over the “much needed rain.”  Oh… lest we forget a French air traffic controller strike. The storm last Wednesday was just Salt. In. The. Wound. And I don’t mean Angelina Jolie Salt.

I have a friend who travels for a living.  No really. He does.  He not only lives to travel, he travels to live.  He even believes George Clooney’s cold unsentimental pragmatic globe trotting myopic hot shot was created about him in “Up in the Air”.  No really. He does.  Well, minus all of the personality traits of course.  He has hit the million miles in the air mark perhaps two times over.  As someone who is a freshman in the travel bug for biz club, I shake my head on how he “does it.”  For every mile in those millions moved, I’m pretty confident he’s got a nightmare story pertaining to an airline, a hotel, a car, a restaurant, a bar, a meal, a seat, an illness, you name it, I’m sure he’s experienced it.  And yet, he lives on, loving his career, embracing his profession and remaining a plethora of useful information with opinions on every square inch of this grand world.

When I told him I was flying OpenSkies to Paris, I got the thumbs up.  “You will love it,” he said. “I know them very well.  Yes, you will really enjoy it.”  (He also thinks I’m a bit of a princess. Why, I don’t know.) That meant a lot to me coming from an uber critic of the airline industry in general, as well as someone who basically knows everything about anything that the average bear doesn’t want to know (but probably should know) about the business.  I, along with millions of other people who watch, read, and listen to him, have a lot of respect for what he delivers.

Armed with that positive endorsement, I booked my flight with OpenSkies, formerly L’Avion before being purchased by British Airways.  I was to leave Wednesday July 21st at 5:45pm and arrive promptly at 7:40am Thursday morning.  OpenSkies, which is all business class, holds its direct routes to Paris conveniently for busy professionals from Dulles (IAD) to Orly (South).  I was informed by several frequent Paris-goers that Orly is so much better of an airport than Charles de Gaulle.  “Are you sure you fly into Orly? Wow, you are super lucky. de Gaulle a nightmare. That’s so cool they fly into Orly.”  Ringing endorsement #2.  I was also blessed because famed chef Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central in DC, was the chef behind the in flight fare through the end of July.  I mean, could it get any better? All business class, headed straight from Dulles (and love the new trams there) to Orly, being fed one of the world’s most revered chef’s meals…Let’s just say I started packing about a week in advance I was so excited.

Then…the French air traffic controllers decided to choose the first time I was traveling to France to strike.  Yes, they chose that very day.  OpenSkies kindly contacted me the day prior in order to inform me of the changes that would be made to the itinerary.  Wow, that was some kind of service.  It was totally out of their hands, of course, but they were proactive in contacting the passengers to let them know, thereby allowing them time to adjust US and French activities.  We were now going to depart (if all went well) around the 8pm time frame, but I was invited to please join them in the British Airways lounge for wine, food, relaxation, work on the wireless network, whatever I wanted.  Ok, I could deal with that.

Biz Bed cabin

Upon arriving at the airport, I walked up to the OpenSkies counter, recognizable with the signature colors welcome carpet and velvet ropes.  The polished woman behind was dressed flawlessly and greeted me with a smile and welcome.  As I checked in, she carefully went over all my details, provided me with the new information that because of the strike, we would be picking up the New York passengers at the Newark airport from where they also fly direct to Paris.  The strike had affected about 50% of the traffic to and fro France, thus creating a crunch for everyone.  She took my suitcase and walked me to the luggage area, reminding me that I was “VIP priority” in going through security.  Off I went, after she told me that she’d see me in a bit at the lounge.

The British Airways lounge was semi-filled with awaiting travelers when I entered.  I dropped my carry-on by the front and wandered around, checking out the situation.  “The British Airways lounge is really nice,” a friend had told me.  “You’ll be happy there even if you have to wait awhile, believe me.”  Ahhh. Another plus.  I went to the galley which was large and filled (and re-filled) with wines, beers, champagnes, waters, juices, sodas, and delicate tea sandwiches, cookies, chips, fruit.  After pouring some red wine, I headed to the back where I got online and did some work then found a comfy chair towards the front, overlooking the gates.

People started to walk in and I noticed that most of them were not “business travelers”.  It was after all summer. Most were on holiday-Washingtonians, like Parisians, split town as the tourists descend.  Plus, the euro was dropping daily, another incentive to get to Paris, whose soldes I found out later were still going strong.

settling in with champagne and A. Bourdain

We were soon informed that because of storms, our trip would be delayed to Newark.  The plane from Newark to Dulles was dealing with the stupid storms and it landed we would wait for clean up, settle in, then we’d be headed back to get the new passengers.  All of this was delivered to us in person, as the nice woman who had checked me in at the OpenSkies counter was walking through telling us.  In a world where client servicing has virtually disappeared, this was remarkable. Finally, it was time to board. Paris here I come, I thought.

As I entered my Biz Bed cabin, which is at the front of the Boeing 757 with only 12 beds, I felt as if I were in an intimate space.  The walls of the cabin had black and white framed photographs of Parisian scenes.  The beds, like pods, had the company’s light and steel gray coloring with its signature lilac accents popping out here and there.  I took my aisle bed and was offered a glass of champagne by one of the many fashionable, clean-cut stylish young ladies who were a part of the cabin crew.  By the way, they went through a wardrobe change while on board, then back again. Very impressive.

Unfortunately, the Newark STUPID storm was having a field day and we got to hang on the tarmac for like oh … an hour or so. The cabin crew and the pilots and captain were more than professional and apologetic, even though yes, it was what it was.  I said before and I will say it again. If you are going to be stuck on a tarmac, there is really no harm in being stuck on an OpenSkies Biz Bed (or Biz Seat as I would later find out upon returning).

After what seemed like hours, we were given clearance and within about 50 minutes landed at Newark, scooping up the New York passengers.  The Biz Bed cabin was dark, cozy and soon the beds had fully reclined, lilac eye masks on, socks stepped into and teeth brushed in one of the two bathrooms dedicated to our cabin.  As my cabinmates and I began to awake in the morning, or whatever time it was (Paris is 6 hours ahead) our flight attendant came through whispering to each of us if we would like du cafe or tea.  Our petit dejeuner was melon, perfectly sliced in rectangles, sprinkled with a few blueberries, homemade plain yogurt topped with bits of granola that tasted like it just came fresh from my mom’s oven, warm croissants plain or pain auchocolat (which I had about 10 of while in Paris…well, “when in Paris”…) and French pressed coffee.  Soon the whole cabin was awake and the fresh looking crew (how do French women never look bad?) walked through, tending to our every needs.

Landing was a breeze and though we were late because of the strike and the weather, it was what it was and I was purely pleased that I was on OpenSkies.  It was a really pleasant experience.

Returning was just about the same, this time, from Orly, I was riding the Biz Seat.  The flight was full and I was about to indulge in meal after meal after meal, especially since I was leaving at noon and arriving around 3pm at Dulles. Of course, little did we know in sunny Paris that torrential down pouring and storms had been ripping through DC, thus again, creating a delay.  The hour delay turned into another hour on the Orly tarmac because wouldn’t you know it?  The computer system was down at the airport.  Of course our friendly pilot provided us with up to the minute news, but I was busy reclining in my Biz Seat reading and basically dozing off.

Once up in the air, free to move about the cabin, the flight attendants came through offering French red and white wine, champagne and a healthy snack of nuts and fruit.  Then we received our DVD players, which connected to the holder on our right.  With earphones, this handy dandy computer had a surplus of television shows, just released films, music by about a hundred artists and French content.  Talk about keeping one entertained.

Actually, you could spend some time keeping busy by playing around with the seats, which reclined, had degrees of lumbar support, a leg rest, and extended footrest.  All in the name of the passenger’s ultimate comfort.

Lunch was then provided.  I had previously asked for a special veggie meal.  We had a huge salad, bread and cheese course, then a main hot meal, mine of course, the veggie version to their beef dish.  Dessert was the famous (or should I say infamous) Michel Richard “Snickers bar” complemented with du cafe or tea.  Later, we would be given a light sandwich and fruit for a snack and of course any wine or champagne we desired.

As folks stayed transfixed to their screens and headphones, I pretty much passed out after watching 2 movies and a few shows.  We did have to stop in Newark for a refill, but by the time we got to IAD, it was after 5pm.  The tornado-like conditions had deceased and the sun was out.  We were greeted on the ground by gracious OpenSkies staff who were there to help anyone who had missed a connecting flight because of the weather delay.

seating to your heart’s (and body’s) desire

From start to finish, my experience with the service, people, accommodations and professionalism of OpenSkies was more than lovely.  I was impressed with how they handled each challenging situation both in flight as well as on the ground.  They really run a class-act, tight ship, er, I mean plane.

Here are some details on OpenSkies so you too can go to Paris via low cost, business class comfort.  Bon voyage!

BIZ SEAT

•Spacious cabin with 72 seats
•Roomy seats recline 140°
•53” of seat pitch
Fares from $740 o/w with r/t purchase, taxes extra.

BIZ BED

•Intimate cabin with 12 seats
•180°fully flat bed
•72” of seat pitch

Fares from $1,109 o/w with r/t purchase, taxes extra.

OpenSkies fleet:
•Boeing 757 aircraft with only 84 seats, other carriers have 200 seats
Frequent Flyer Program:
•British Airways Executive Club, earn and redeem BA Miles
Lounge Access for all passengers:
•New York-Newark, Washington-Dulles, Paris-Orly
Fares:
•Cabin combination options (eastbound  or westbound)
•No advance purchase, no minimum/maximum stay
•Competitive with other carriers’ economy
Convenience:
•Round-the-clock Concierge available to help with any need
•Orly airport: user friendly / Fast Track / closer to downtown Paris Low cost, 100% business class, only 84 seats, two cabins

There are two daily flights between Newark and Orly, and five flights weekly (every day except Tuesday and Saturday) between the new Dulles service and Orly.

www.flyopenskies.com/our_commitments/en_us

P.S. My traveling friend is Peter Greenberg, the travel editor for CBS and head of Peter Greenberg Worldwide: www.petergreenberg.com