At short notice Maxjet Airways has suspended its four times per week service between Washington Dulles International Airport and Stansted from Tuesday (13 February). The cancellation of the route is not seen as a serious impediment. The airline has a reputation of being some unpredictable, marketing-wise. This time last year it did not take up its paid-for booking at the Business Travel Show citing staffing problems. The carrier went on to introduce the Washington and very successful Las Vegas operations later in the year. Gary Rogliano, CEO and founder of the airline, departed just as the Las Vegas route was being introduced, to be replaced in that position by Bill Stockbridge, an industry veteran and the airline”s chairman.
The airline says that passengers already booked on Washington flights will be offered alternative arrangements.
Maxjet says it is increasing its Las Vegas ” London service from two to three times a week beginning 10 March. On 25 January Silverjet introduces a daily flight from Luton to Newark, the New Jersey alternative to JFK. In the meantime Eos, who claim ”A first class service at business class prices” is now up to twice daily between Stansted and JFK using 48-seat Boeing 757 aircraft with fully flat seats.
Maxjet currently has three 100-seat Boeing 767 jets, all fitted with semi-flat seats in a 2+2+2 layout. Whilst not reaching the standards set typically by Virgin Atlantic, its business class only operation sets its fares at less than half those of competing carriers out of Heathrow and Gatwick. It benefits from the little used FastTrack facilities at Stansted, a less frenetic check-in area, and a glass enclosed dedicated lounge overlooking the airport apron.
London ” Washington has never had the appeal of London ” New York, the world”s busiest long haul air route. Connecting passengers tend to use other gateways and whilst popular for the diplomatic fraternity it really only gets busy during the summer holiday season. BA at one time operated a Concorde service that had to be withdrawn a long time before the aircraft went out of service and in more recent times bmi have dropped their Manchester operation. With the (temporary) Maxjet withdrawal there are only five daily non-stop flights from Heathrow to Washington-Dulles as against 28 to New York.