What happens when every seat on the plane is in business class?
Leaning into the old days of dressing up to fly and being served roasts on real plates in economy that have by now entered the legends of early aviation history, all-business-class airlines have carved out a market by promoting this type of experience for all their customers.
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La Compagnie, a small French airline shuttling passengers between NYC and Paris or Nice, launched in 2013 and promotes planes with "76 full flat seats, free unlimited Wi-Fi for all passengers and seasonal, healthy, delicious meals for a unique business class experience."
Bermudair
'Short, all-business class flights between Bermuda and the United States'
The latest all-business-class airline to reach the American market is Bermudair — headquartered in the island capital of Hamilton, the airline is positioning itself as a "new, boutique airline providing short, all-business class flights between Bermuda and the United States."
On Aug. 31, the airline will launch to two-hour flights between New York's Westchester County Airport and Boston Logan International Airport and L.F. Wade International Airport outside Hamilton. By Sept. 15, it will also add a twice-a-day route to the same airport from Florida's Fort Lauderdale.
The difference between most airlines taking short flights is that each seat on the plane is sold as "Aisle Class" — each of the 30 seats is for a spacious, armchair-style chair while travelers will also get pillows with Bermuda-style patterns, a "dark 'n' stormy" cocktail mixed in front of them by the flight attendant and treats from island companies like L'Artisan Boulangerie and Ahmani's Cookie Company.
To take the "you're already on the island" vibe even further, the planes will also play island music upon boarding and be lit up with pink lights like the pink sand beaches Bermuda is known for.
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"Our mission to elevate the travel experience for everyone and provide well-timed, traveller-centric, stress-free flights on these new routes is just the beginning," founder and chief executive Adam Scott said in a statement. "Establishing this year-round service is a first step in our journey to redefine the travel experience and we look forward to rolling out our phased introduction of Bermudair's Aisle Class."
While still part of a promotional rate in honor of the launch, the tickets are not significantly more expensive than those offered by other airlines — September flights between New York's Westchester and Bermuda can currently be booked for $199 each way.
At the moment, the airline has leased two narrow-body Embraer E175 jets to run the flights — while each is designed to have 88 seats, Bermudair has faced some supply chain-related delays with getting them all set up in the all-business, island style. As a result, it is currently selling 30 seats on each plane and will open up another cabin later in the year.
The goal, the airline said, is to start the sun-seeking season as soon as possible instead of waiting until all the seats are ready.
"This partnership represents an exciting milestone for our island, as it enhances connectivity and strengthens our position as a premier destination," Bermuda's Minister of Transport Wayne Furbert said in a statement.
