Global Airlines Operates First A380 Flight: This Keeps Getting Stranger

Global Airlines Operates First A380 Flight: This Keeps Getting Stranger

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A couple of days ago, Global Airlines sort of operated its first Airbus A380 flight. While I covered this at the time, I want to provide an update, as reviews are starting to be published, and everything about this airline keeps getting more unusual.

Global Airlines A380 flies from Glasgow to New York

I’ve written extensively about airline startup Global Airlines, which is in possession of an ex-China Southern A380, with mostly original interiors (seats have been reupholstered, and it looks like they bought little lamps for premium seats).

Several weeks ago, I wrote about how the airline put its first flights on sale, in a rather unusual way. The airline isn’t launching regularly scheduled flights, but is essentially selling seats on two roundtrip charter flights (the company only has legal authority to sell these as roundtrip charter flights departing Europe):

  • For May 15-19, the airline is operating a roundtrip Glasgow (GLA) to New York (JFK) journey
  • For May 21-25, the airline is operating a roundtrip Manchester (MAN) to New York (JFK) journey
Global Airlines’ inaugural(ish) flights

I’m not sure what exactly the point of these trips is, or how it gets the airline closer to launching regularly scheduled operations. But the 12-year-old A380 with the registration code 9H-GLOBL operated the flight to New York on Thursday, in a flight time of 6hr20min.

Let me start by apologizing for not being on the inaugural flight. I was so close to booking the inaugural flight, but it didn’t quite work out. I guess there’s always the Manchester trip for next week. In all honesty, I’m kind of happy I didn’t book this flight, since it seems like every aviation influencer is on there.

There’s nothing wrong with that (or them), but my point is simply that this doesn’t actually give you any impression of what the service would be like, as I imagine it’s just one big party. Like, of course the airline is even offering caviar in business class and amenity kits in economy on this flight, because why wouldn’t they?

In total, there were under 100 passengers on the flight, which is kind of wild (but also not surprising, because you’d only take this flight if you were an enthusiast). I imagine there will be way fewer passengers than that on the return flight, given that many people are using throwaway ticketing.

Global Airlines CEO James Asquith has posted quite a few things on Instagram about this flight.

I think the caption on the picture of the first class seats is interesting:

We are so proud of the onboard product. First class chinaware made in England and caviar in business class, with amenity kits in every cabin.

Lets take a moment to remember that things will never be perfect on day 1, nor the finished product, but for us, we want you all to help us roll out more in the future and help improving the vision of Global.

If you look at any airline in history, their product on day 1 was never their finished product, and goes through many evolutions.

It’s a testament to aviation how big the leap has been the last few years in the onboard hard product. As some people will know, it takes many, many years to design, certify and test and new product, sometimes as long as 7-8 years.

Let me give Global Airlines some credit

Let me stop for a moment and give Global Airlines some credit. I wasn’t expecting that Global Airlines would ever operate a flight with passengers, so the airline has now accomplished something that many other questionable airline startups haven’t, which is to actually carry passengers. Now, a few things to note:

  • Technically, the flight is operated by a Maltese subsidiary of a Portuguese wet lease operator Hi Fly, and not Global Airlines
  • Global Airlines actually operated a charter flight a couple of weeks ago, from Barcelona (BCN) to Berlin (BER), so this wasn’t even the first flight
  • This is really also just a charter flight, and not actually a regularly scheduled commercial flight

But hey, kudos to the company for getting this far. Actually operating a flight is an accomplishment, and I have no doubt that a lot of work went into this. Admittedly as long as you have the money to spend, there was nothing preventing this from happening, especially since the airline isn’t even doing this under its own air operator certificate.

If you want a chuckle (or something), Asquith’s wife posted to Instagram with a video of the plane taking off from Glasgow yesterday. The text reads “to everyone that said my husbands airline wouldn’t take off,” with lyrics in the background saying “that was rude, that was pretty f*cking rude.”

The inaugural Global Airlines reviews are… interesting

What was the inaugural Global Airlines flight like? Several reviews have now been published on YouTube, and the product looks pretty rough. To Global Airlines’ credit, the airline had amenity kits and menus in economy, caviar and nice champagne in business class, etc. But we’re talking about a charter flight with enthusiasts onboard, so that’s hardly surprising.

While those aspects sound nice, a lot of the other aspects of the experience sound less good — YouTuber V1 Rotate published a business class review. There’s mention of how the seats are falling apart, there’s no entertainment, the power ports don’t work, and the first meal service took over three hours, with them running out of meal choices. By the way, this kid is kind of awesome!

YouTuber Josh Cahill had an even more negative review of the business class experience, calling it “VERY BAD.”

The economy reviews aren’t much better. YouTuber Patrick Shea was in economy, and it seems the airline actually served business class meals in economy, just not plated as nicely.

Lastly, YouTuber Noel Philips was in first class, and while he tried to be a bit more positive, it still doesn’t look like an amazing experience, to put it mildly. He points out some interesting things, like how Global Airlines bought followers for its Instagram account, by taking over a Turkish plane spotter page.

I’m a little confused as to how the service was so slow, with such a big crew, and so few passengers. I suspect that maybe the ovens just weren’t functioning properly, given the horrible condition the aircraft is in?

Global Airlines’ future remains a total mystery

While I wasn’t expecting Global Airlines to operate any flight, let me emphasize what my primary claim has been all along, which is that I don’t think Global Airlines will ever operate regularly schedule flights under its own air operator certificate.

For years, Global Airlines’ claim has been that it will start operating transatlantic flights and bring back the “good old days” of flying, but it doesn’t actually seem like much progress has been made there at all. Acquiring a used A380 isn’t cheap, but it’s a small part of the investment that will need to be made for this operation to be scaled, and to introduce a more competitive onboard product.

For that matter, I just don’t see where the business case is for this carrier. Transatlantic travel is controlled by the “big three” joint ventures, as that’s where all the lucrative traffic is. I haven’t seen any progress made toward these kinds of operations launching. There’s not really much room across the Atlantic for independent operators, especially with a plane as large as the A380.

I suppose we could see Global Airlines keep having some charter flights operated by Hi Fly, but there’s no money to be made there. Keep in mind that Hi Fly itself briefly acquired an A380 to charter out to other airlines, and the concept didn’t work out. It’s going to be even less successful when you add yet another party to this arrangement.

There are a couple of interesting updates, though. For one, travel journalist Simon Calder was on the inaugural flight. He has been a skeptic of the airline, and Asquith kind of crashed his TV interview, with a bit of an attitude. When he was asked how he was feeling, he said “I’m feeling great, I think a lot of positivity, since you didn’t think this would happen.”

When Asquith was asked what happens next, he sarcastically responded:

“Who knows what happens tomorrow, who knows, we’ll see. Everyone said we wouldn’t get this far, right, including yourself, so let’s see. I think we’ve been pretty open and transparent with the journey, the difficulties, the problems, the challenges. Maybe we’ll turn the aircraft into a spa next.”

When Calder told Asquith that he hopes it all works out, he responded:

“Well, who knows, nothing is guaranteed tomorrow, so we’ll have to see.”

Separately, in the first YouTube review video above (around the 19-minute mark), Asquith was asked if the airline is making progress with getting an air operator certificate, and he suggested that’s no longer in the cards for now:

“We’ve flipped this around. A lot of people get their AOC and lease an aircraft. We’ve bought the aircraft and we work together with Hi Fly on the AOC. We see this as a much better strategy for the long term. An AOC is not necessarily an asset, it’s a big liability if you don’t use it right. We’ve got a lot of operational experience from Hi Fly for that, we want to keep using it for a while.”

I mean, yes, I suppose an AOC is a liability if you don’t use it right. I’d argue that an A380 is also a liability if you don’t use it right, but hey, to each their own.

One certainly wonders who is bankrolling the current state of things, since all of this can’t be cheap, and I don’t see where the upside is, or what kind of a strategy the airline has. For that matter, the CEO essentially saying “we’ll see what happens” and “nothing is guaranteed tomorrow” doesn’t exactly instill confidence.

In past interviews, Asquith has said “I’ve sold and risked everything to be in the position I’m at, I’m putting everything on the line.” I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but for his sake, I hope it’s not. But who knows, with James Hogan now trying to raise money for the airline, what could go wrong? 😉

Bottom line

Global Airlines has just operated its first A380 flight from Glasgow to New York, and I’m sort of sad that I wasn’t onboard. Congrats to the Global Airlines team for actually operating a flight (well, in partnership with Hi Fly), as I wasn’t expecting that to happen.

That being said, the carrier’s future plan is even less clear than before. The airline is reportedly no longer pursuing its own air operator certificate. So what’s the plan, to charter out this A380? It’s all so, so strange, and I’d be fascinated to know the financials…

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  1. frrp Diamond

    Mike Graham is the one with the most sense there lol

  2. Rathgar Guest

    Global’s IG account was created in 2016 which is definitely shady. What I don’t get is the new batch of followers this year who cheerlead everything posted with “can’t wait to try it”, “this is incredible!”, “I love it” etc. Dunno if they’re bots, Asquith’s party friends, or regular people falling for the hype.

    1. Mamad Gold

      It was, according to Patrick Shea the reviewer in the video below, a plane spotting account and Airbus fan page before.

  3. Bob Guest

    Am I the only one that finds it annoying with the recent trend of OMAAT articles getting “updated”? It makes it difficult to discern what was updated and what hasn’t. Instead it would be great if a new article could be published with just the new bits and if need be link back to older versions as needed.

    1. hbilbao Diamond

      If my memory serves me well, a while ago Ben used to write separate posts with updates about a story. But then people complained so he switched to updating the original post instead. He kept refining his approach and that's why nowadays he adds that little box at the very top of any updated post where he briefly describes what new info was added.

  4. hbilbao Diamond

    To @Ben and everyone, does HiFly get paid in advance? What's at stake for them (financially)?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ hbilbao -- I don't think they're shareholders, or anything, but rather I imagine they are paid some sort of a fixed amount, regardless of how full the flight is. So they don't share in the upside (or downside, realistically). Now, I'm not sure what the contract terms are, when they're paid (hopefully in advance), or how long term it is. I'd certainly be curious to know!

    2. JB Guest

      The Global A380 has an "operated by HiFly" logo on it next to door L1 on the bottom deck of the plane. Not sure if it's a paint job or sticker, but I am curious if HiFly/Global would add that to the aircraft if it was only for a couple of one-off flights.

    3. NedsKid Diamond

      Yes, it's legally required at least by the US FAA to disclose the actual operator of the aircraft including on the exterior.

  5. NedsKid Diamond

    It would seem the reviews that are at least passively positive are for those who are returning on the flight to GLA. The UK journalist Simon Calder (whose live shot James Asquith interrupted) got thrown out of the after party at the TWA Hotel by Asquith and according to people there was told he may have to find his own way home (oh well?). After which Calder posted a review that's more positive but really...

    It would seem the reviews that are at least passively positive are for those who are returning on the flight to GLA. The UK journalist Simon Calder (whose live shot James Asquith interrupted) got thrown out of the after party at the TWA Hotel by Asquith and according to people there was told he may have to find his own way home (oh well?). After which Calder posted a review that's more positive but really meant in a sarcastic manner.

    So there's that. The YouTubers posted are all throwing away their tickets (Cahill returned on a Norse flight to Germany last night and Noel and a couple others skipped the party to take a Blade helo to EWR). So they have nothing to lose.

    1. putout Guest

      I want to see the threat of Calder having to find his own way home realized... so he can claim UK/EU261 compensation against Global (realistically, against HiFly). That would be hilarious.

    2. Voian Guest

      I was actually wondering about this as I was thinking about booking the Manchester flight for fun - is it technically a scheduled or chartered flight? Because EC 261 doesn’t apply to charters, right?

    3. Icarus Guest

      Indeed U.K. and EC 261 do apply to charters

    4. Sam G Guest

      Applies to charters. Not sure if its been resolved but there was a long running saga with a very small charter outfit Maleth Aero being used for P&O Cruises inclusive flights and having all sorts of issues and being on the hook for a lot of compensation that they weren't paying out

    5. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ NedsKid -- Wait, do you have more of the backstory of Calder being kicked out?!? Somewhere I can read about that? That's WILD.

    6. NedsKid Diamond

      @Ben: Just accounts from witnesses as it happened. I'm sure once he's home and all is done he will probably speak about it.

    7. Greg Guest

      Kicking off key influencers from your airline seems like a panic move. The ratty Global A380 will an expensive paperweight soon.

  6. Aidan Guest

    This is like if Fyre Fest was an airline

  7. jacobin777 Gold

    Doing some rough calculations, its going to take around 40,000 gallons of Jet-A to get the A380 from GLA to JFK. At around $4/gallon, that's a minimum of $160,000 - just in Jet-A.

    Add food, gate service, etc. and we're probably talking about $200k for this one way trip. Probably more to be honest.

    1. JB Guest

      There are rumors that Global spent 40K (either in GBP or USD) just on catering for the outbound flight (just the GLA-JFK leg). I heard from another reliable source that they are looking at about $20K USD just in parking fees at JFK for 4 days. Meanwhile, HiFly is operating that flight, so Global has to pay (or already paid) HiFly a fixed amount for that charter for crew and other costs. Meanwhile, they had less than 100 people booked on this round-trip journey.

  8. Pete Guest

    The FAs on the staircase have the same expression as Air Koryo cabin crew!

  9. Mr. Euwing Guest

    Never changes, how some life forms board aircraft, in shorts or even what appears to be a bathing suit, tshirt and sneakers. There should be a dress code like was nothing more than normal way back when, when people respected themselves, others and the process of boarding an international aircraft.

    If your Mommy and Daddy never taught you how to dress when going out in public or flying on an airplane and or you simply...

    Never changes, how some life forms board aircraft, in shorts or even what appears to be a bathing suit, tshirt and sneakers. There should be a dress code like was nothing more than normal way back when, when people respected themselves, others and the process of boarding an international aircraft.

    If your Mommy and Daddy never taught you how to dress when going out in public or flying on an airplane and or you simply don't care, well than, STAY IN YER APARTMENT.

    I for one would be very surprised to still see this airline in a couple years or five. Looking forward to seeing it one day at my local int'l airport, LAX.

    1. Don Guest

      @ Mr. Euwing -- I think the dress code began to change when people started wearing sweatpants with words printed on the "back" of them. My fear is that once a flexible display screen becomes available, connected by Wi-Fi, instead of words we will see "personalized displays" ..... Let's just hope they are suitable for public viewing or the concourse will end up being filled with people playing bumper cars while holding their morning cup of coffee.

  10. David Guest

    https://www.thetimes.com/travel/inspiration/global-airlines-review-launch-new-york-flights-transatlantic-tr78gvm60

    "How do you define an airline? A fleet of planes, crew, an operating licence? Or just sheer magnetism and social media presence? At 11.34am on Thursday, May 15, flight HFM380, the maiden service of the UK’s newest carrier, Global Airlines, hammered down the single runway at Glasgow airport and banked left. Destination: New York JFK. I was one of the 95 passengers on board, as well as 27 crew, to see what all the...

    https://www.thetimes.com/travel/inspiration/global-airlines-review-launch-new-york-flights-transatlantic-tr78gvm60

    "How do you define an airline? A fleet of planes, crew, an operating licence? Or just sheer magnetism and social media presence? At 11.34am on Thursday, May 15, flight HFM380, the maiden service of the UK’s newest carrier, Global Airlines, hammered down the single runway at Glasgow airport and banked left. Destination: New York JFK. I was one of the 95 passengers on board, as well as 27 crew, to see what all the fuss was about."

  11. Don Guest

    Packing list for Global flight:
    1) Passenger cut outs
    2) Movie projector
    3) Projector screen
    4) Repair manual for seat
    5) Power bank(s)

  12. NedsKid Diamond

    So what it comes down to in the end is all this hype and probably great expense just so a vain person with a sketchy past of internet hijinks can say, to quote a Scot, "Suck it, Trebek."

  13. S_LEE Diamond

    When the service is so slow even with such a big crew, it's probably because of ovens out of order in the galley.. It won't be surprising considering how well maintained the seats are. The same would apply to galley equipments.

    1. LEo Diamond

      CSN A380s are shitshows, the oven likely haven't been maintained since early 2020 as they were used as a back to china hauler with packeged snacks onboard due to china's flight policy during covid

  14. Andy Guest

    Aside from crashing Simon's interview, there was also his ill-advised and quite unkind IG rant about SC; "paying for a ticket to probably find another angle of negativity" and "gatecrashing the self proclaimed aviation expert on his little live at check in". Seemed unnecessary.

    ( https://postimg.cc/Z9wBjZM7 )

  15. hbilbao Diamond

    I recently discovered Patrick's youtube channel and I've enjoyed his reviews quite a lot. He calls things as they are without unnecessary drama and, importantly, without the 'look-at-me' obsession of 99% of the youtubers/vloggers/bloggers out there.

    He's also spot-on when he says that, if Global is able to keep operating (emphasis on 'if'), it should be approached as a budget airline.

    1. Mamad Gold

      I also like him, especially because it does some reserach on the airlines and airlines/airports he reviews. Also like the flip flop traveller for the production quality

  16. Kevin Guest

    Of course they would hype it during the flight with mostly enthusiasts who publish reviews. Then during the 'real' flights, become thr Ryanair or Norse Atlantic versions flying an A380.

  17. chris w Guest

    That first video is hilarious. Child influencers.

  18. George Romey Guest

    If an airline is flying an A380 with 100 passengers or so the loss is massive. I'd have doubts about the second set of flights operating next week.

  19. Creditcrunch Diamond

    So Mr Cahill has finally been granted entry to the US after all his lobbying efforts seems to have paid off.

  20. Marco Guest

    Wait, I just realized this James Asquith guy has more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Also there are a lot of people idolizing him in the comments. Is he some kind of influencer?

  21. Mamad Gold

    Just watched a review on it, cool that everyone got amenity kits regardless of class and meals looked decent (for economy), especially the beef, can't say for the taste though. If you want to watch it: https://youtu.be/Q8Hg48oHZx0?si=xh5lUP9qZEbf4tFY

    1. Mamad Gold

      Clicked "Post" too quick. Wanted to add that the rest of the experience looked pretty lackluster, no IFE (even on the online portal), no WiFI, seats in a deplorable state and falling apart and the service, except for first class, apparently took too long to start.

      I honestly don't get the goal of launching flights so quickly and with such an "incomplete" product. Is there some kind of deadline that needed to be met?

    2. Icarus Guest

      Their branding is absolutely awful and cheap looking
      Doors in Premium cabin seats only functional from the outside?
      That horrible writing ' Global Sky Pub" on the bar

      The seats are already in bad repair with cracks. scuffs and loose adhesive.

      No wifi no IFE

      lol

    3. Mamad Gold

      Don' forget the amazon magnetic lamp ;)

  22. Daren Guest

    This continues to be incredibly fun to watch from the sidelines. You only have to see how Virgin has struggled over the years to know how tough this market is. Virgin has a great product in every cabin (except the old upper class seats) but still struggles to make a decent profit in even the best years.

  23. Lori Thomas Guest

    Global should get some more cash flow to launder, because they are doing the least possible things to get the plane in sky

  24. Icarus Guest

    Global Airlines website 404 this page could not be found.
    Promising the best service ever
    They don’t have WiFi lol

    1. JB Guest

      I saw earlier that their website is going through updates right now. If you want to book a flight with them, they have a separate website for that (its called ga.flights)

  25. Mentees Salmons Guest

    @Ben, you should have a look at his wife's latest instagram story (Robyn) published two hours ago.

    Slamming all the naysayers with a song that has the lyrics "that was rude, that was pretty f**king rude".

    Such a classy and upscale venture. Now that this flight has operated they believe that they have actually made it as a full-blown airline.

    1. Icarus Guest

      I just watched it. Indeed tacky, like the airline.. sorry aircraft.

  26. Santos Guest

    Those Instagram images are hilarious. I guess only one of the two will be dining? And the lady in the second one prefers rawdogging spoonfuls of caviar straight to the domepiece?

    My new favorite airline.

  27. NedsKid Diamond

    Initial reports are that the inflight service was terrible. They had to cancel the second service en route because they were going so slowly with it all.

  28. Christian Guest

    To be honest, I’m just happy to see one more A380 flying in 2025, even if this is all they end up doing before taking the money and running.

    I think I can see enough demand for cheap, high-ish density A380 transatlantic flights, but I’ve honestly no idea how they’ll actually expand into any kind of regular, sustainable service.

    I’d love it if they did, though. I didn’t know if Beond or Norse...

    To be honest, I’m just happy to see one more A380 flying in 2025, even if this is all they end up doing before taking the money and running.

    I think I can see enough demand for cheap, high-ish density A380 transatlantic flights, but I’ve honestly no idea how they’ll actually expand into any kind of regular, sustainable service.

    I’d love it if they did, though. I didn’t know if Beond or Norse would still be in business this time last year and they’re both still going, so we’ll see.

    I just can’t stop thinking how the Global branding and livery really does look like a fake airline for a movie

    1. bossa Guest

      Agreed on the livery ! ... But that's how they're supplementing their income, by leasing out the name & aircraft for cheap Hollywood B airline flix !

    2. Icarus Guest

      Airport 75 and 77 lol. The word to describe their branding is “ crap”.

  29. NedsKid Diamond

    There are only 95 pax on board. Anyone who wanted an upgrade got it pretty much. Some YouTube people declined to actually sit in coach which the operator apparently wasn't counting on....

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ NedsKid -- Wait, 95, really?! OMG, I know a lot of people are doing throwaway ticketing, so I can only imagine how empty the return flight will be...

      Regarding "declined to sit in economy," you mean they booked economy but demanded upgrades, or...?

    2. NedsKid Diamond

      Sorry, should rephrase. Declined the upgrade to sit in economy as they are doing a video of the product each way and wanted to sit in economy. I mean, I would too with loads like that.

      I'm really curious though the funding on this.... using info I have from various sources at JFK on ground handling and common use charges, plus calculating landing/gate/fees (for parking it 3 days)/towing/etc, they're sitting at about $30k just...

      Sorry, should rephrase. Declined the upgrade to sit in economy as they are doing a video of the product each way and wanted to sit in economy. I mean, I would too with loads like that.

      I'm really curious though the funding on this.... using info I have from various sources at JFK on ground handling and common use charges, plus calculating landing/gate/fees (for parking it 3 days)/towing/etc, they're sitting at about $30k just for the JFK side of the thing in landing/parking/servicing aircraft.

      There's an after flight party and such at the TWA Hotel.

    3. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ NedsKid -- Fascinating. Yeah, I really wonder who is funding this. Obviously these two trips are losing a ton of money, and I don't actually understand what they accomplish.

    4. NedsKid Diamond

      If they had offered one-ways, I bet it would have sold at least a few more.

      But under the charter authority they have, they were only authorized to sell round trips originating in the UK.

    5. JB Guest

      I was just on the ga flights website, looking at the pricing for the upcoming MAN-JFK flights they have. On the first search page, I was only able to select a round-trip flight. However, once the options for that came up on the next page, I clicked "Change Search" on the top of the website page, and I was given the option to search for one-way itineraries. I could search for seats in both directions,...

      I was just on the ga flights website, looking at the pricing for the upcoming MAN-JFK flights they have. On the first search page, I was only able to select a round-trip flight. However, once the options for that came up on the next page, I clicked "Change Search" on the top of the website page, and I was given the option to search for one-way itineraries. I could search for seats in both directions, and it even allowed me to get to the payment page. I didn't buy a ticket though, so I'm not sure if it will ticket if you try to purchase it. But the JFK-MAN flight is priced at £281.83, or about $373 USD, much cheaper than the MAN-JFK leg. Thats mighty tempting for me, but i'll probably sit it out to save money. But if anyone has any luck purchasing a one-way ticket, please let us know!

    6. JB Guest

      OMG, their JFK-MAN flight has no seats selected in Economy! And only 3 seats selected in Business Class (and none in First)! Gosh, this is sooooo tempting!!!!!

      @Ben - Want to join me? I'll go if you go :)

  30. Mentees Salmons Guest

    Ben you missed the fact that Asquith got SSSSingled out. Even the US government doesn't trust him, nobody else should either.

    1. Icarus Guest

      lol. I spoke to him once and he is a complete a- hole.

    2. GDiamond Guest

      Same I had a phone call with him once for a business meeting. My old work firm was considering partnering with Global. The guy is a massive asshole who think he knows everything better this isn't Richard Branson this is the Macfarland of aviation. The fact that he has a dude who isn't a real airline professional as his cso says a lot. He wasted our time during the pitch and If I ever since that day I hope this airline goes bankrupt .

    3. WillM Member

      He just needs to buy some more orange crypto coin. All will be forgiven.

  31. grichard Guest

    "There’s not really room across the Atlantic for independent operators." I'm skeptical about this airline too, but this is a pretty pessimistic take. I flew La Compagnie pre pandemic, and they seem to survive in this niche.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ grichard -- La Compagnie has carved out a niche and I'm happy the airline is doing okay. but let's be clear, the carrier's key to success is that it has a low seat count, and it hasn't grown much in the past decade. Operating an A380 (or any plane with hundreds of seats) is a totally different story, especially when we're talking about year-round service.

  32. LG Guest

    Sorry that should be Tues, May 20th (not 29) and JFK on Saturday, May 24th.

  33. LG Guest

    The flight schedule shows MAN-JFK departing Weds, May 21st and JFK- MAN departing Sunday, May 25th. However, when making a reservation, the dates show MAN-JFK departing, Tues, May 29th and JFK on Saturday, May 24th.

    It was the same issue for this flight. Flight schedule shows it departing Thursday, May 15th but search results show it departing yesterday, Weds, May 14th.
    Found the error in the coding.

    The airline that apparently hasn't product tested it's website.

  34. AeroB13a Guest

    One can imagine that this arrangement might well be popular with certain American customers, those who are tired of their own domestic airlines and are looking for a better alternative at a cheap price.

    1. Never In Doubt Guest

      Are you an old fashioned bot, or a new fancy AI bot?

    2. AeroB13a Guest

      That, Never In Doubt, is for me to know and for you to be Ever In Doubt …. don’t you know …. :-)

  35. Never In Doubt Guest

    I remain interested in the endpoint of this obvious grift.

    One more big money raise and then ::poof:: disappear?

    1. NedsKid Diamond

      What's the over/under on them rolling out a crypto-currency?

    2. Albert Guest

      I too am mystified by the endpoint.
      Surely even if there are no SNAFUs on these 4 flights, the exposure will cause the weaknesses in the business plan to be so obvious that no more money will be raiseable?
      I can't see how these flights will gain GA credibility with FAA, CAA, pilots, Sovereign Wealth Funds, owners of La Compagnie, or anyone else relevant.

      Rather than disappear, it would seem likely to be...

      I too am mystified by the endpoint.
      Surely even if there are no SNAFUs on these 4 flights, the exposure will cause the weaknesses in the business plan to be so obvious that no more money will be raiseable?
      I can't see how these flights will gain GA credibility with FAA, CAA, pilots, Sovereign Wealth Funds, owners of La Compagnie, or anyone else relevant.

      Rather than disappear, it would seem likely to be "Oh, we ran out of money so we will have to liquidate. No, it wouldn't have made any difference if I had not charged the business various fees ..."

  36. Icarus Guest

    Asquith, 36, promises a new era of flying, saying: “People are sick and tired of the service they get on current airlines. We will be better.”

    That is also untrue . He is a narcissist . Did he arrive wearing a onesie ?

    First and foremost the branding of Global is truly awful.

    Simon Calder and Noel Philips were on it which is enough to put anyone off.

    Hoping for their first tech...

    Asquith, 36, promises a new era of flying, saying: “People are sick and tired of the service they get on current airlines. We will be better.”

    That is also untrue . He is a narcissist . Did he arrive wearing a onesie ?

    First and foremost the branding of Global is truly awful.

    Simon Calder and Noel Philips were on it which is enough to put anyone off.

    Hoping for their first tech delay > 4hrs and have to pay everyone GBP520 and lack any ability to reprotect passengers

  37. hbilbao Diamond

    I hope you can be on their next flight, @Ben!

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Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ grichard -- La Compagnie has carved out a niche and I'm happy the airline is doing okay. but let's be clear, the carrier's key to success is that it has a low seat count, and it hasn't grown much in the past decade. Operating an A380 (or any plane with hundreds of seats) is a totally different story, especially when we're talking about year-round service.

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hbilbao Diamond

I recently discovered Patrick's youtube channel and I've enjoyed his reviews quite a lot. He calls things as they are without unnecessary drama and, importantly, without the 'look-at-me' obsession of 99% of the youtubers/vloggers/bloggers out there. He's also spot-on when he says that, if Global is able to keep operating (emphasis on 'if'), it should be approached as a budget airline.

4
NedsKid Diamond

Sorry, should rephrase. Declined the upgrade to sit in economy as they are doing a video of the product each way and wanted to sit in economy. I mean, I would too with loads like that. I'm really curious though the funding on this.... using info I have from various sources at JFK on ground handling and common use charges, plus calculating landing/gate/fees (for parking it 3 days)/towing/etc, they're sitting at about $30k just for the JFK side of the thing in landing/parking/servicing aircraft. There's an after flight party and such at the TWA Hotel.

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