Open Skies?

[~Fianna]

Poked around through the old threads, but didn't find much recent on Open Skies.

 

I understand that they are a sub of BA and that there had been some rumors in the past that BA was going to fold or liquidate the brand. It doesn't seem like anything's come out of those rumors thus far, but I'm strongly considering booking a flight on OS for this winter and I'm wondering if that's a good idea.

 

Also, there seem to be some very mixed reviews on OS about the web. I'm wondering if they're so mixed because people were expecting a true legacy carrier first/biz experience and got more a premium coach experience or if the service was truly out of line for the price paid.

 

The price seems right for bigger seats and the OS Biz seat tickets will cost us roughly half of what the DL trans-Atlantic biz class will cost, but more than what coach seats will cost. Is it worth it?

[fbgd]

Is it worth it?

 

Only you answer that question once you've tried it. Everyone attached their own personal values to benefits and this is no different.

 

Biz seat is more like a very good premium economy offering.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/151197/

 

Biz bed is BA's old Club World seating if you've used that; a lie horizontally flat 6' bed.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/157525/

[~Fianna]

Only you answer that question once you've tried it. Everyone attached their own personal values to benefits and this is no different.

 

Biz seat is more like a very good premium economy offering.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/151197/

 

Biz bed is BA's old Club World seating if you've used that; a lie horizontally flat 6' bed.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/157525/

 

What I'm most concerned about is that all the reviews are quite old, so I was hoping someone here had some recent experience.

 

I think you're right in your assessment of the difference. So I'm wondering how many of the negative reviews are from people who were expecting true business class for $1500 (which seems silly to me) rather than premium economy with a few upgraded items.

 

I guess what I really want to know is what the current experience is like and whether the negative reviews are sour grapes reviews or if it's that the airline truly isn't delivering what it's selling.

[Globaliser]

I understand that they are a sub of BA and that there had been some rumors in the past that BA was going to fold or liquidate the brand. It doesn't seem like anything's come out of those rumors thus far, but I'm strongly considering booking a flight on OS for this winter and I'm wondering if that's a good idea.

BA has recently been making noises about strengthening and broadening OpenSkies' reach, so despite all the scepticism (which I've shared) it looks like it may well be here for a while yet.

 

The patchy reviews in the past may be to do with the (slow) integration of L'Avion into OpenSkies. It seems that one side of the company was better than the other.

 

I would advise caution about using "OS" as an abbreviation for OpenSkies. It's better to use its full name if you don't know its code, which is not OS.

 

OS = Austrian Airlines.

[~Fianna]

BA has recently been making noises about strengthening and broadening OpenSkies' reach, so despite all the scepticism (which I've shared) it looks like it may well be here for a while yet.

 

The patchy reviews in the past may be to do with the (slow) integration of L'Avion into OpenSkies. It seems that one side of the company was better than the other.

 

I would advise caution about using "OS" as an abbreviation for OpenSkies. It's better to use its full name if you don't know its code, which is not OS.

 

OS = Austrian Airlines.

 

Thanks for that tip. I wasn't even thinking about the codes, I was just being a lazy typist. :)

 

I got the sense that there had to be something behind the reviews because a lot of them were just inane and filled with nit-picky complaints along the lines of the "hot towels weren't hot enough" variety. Seriously, people, you're on the plane for >10 hours. It's a plane. The food is all still pre-made. It's also half the price of business class on any other airline I've seen. You get what you pay for and in this case what I really want to pay for is pitch.

 

Conversely, though, a lot of the positive reviews were from the inaugural and several of them were from people who got comps or discounts from the airline.

 

Good to know that BA's planning on keeping it around. It's by far the least expensive way to get a seat that's comfortable enough to sleep in - well excepting Air Europa but no one seems to have anything at all positive to say about Air Europa and the negatives I've seen online about them are of the serious variety (lots of late departures, long lines, rude staff and lost luggage).