It was an idea that resonated with many but turned out to be unprofitable to operate.
When a new airline called BermudAir launched two routes from New York's Westchester County and Boston to L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda back in August, a key marketing shtick was the fact that all of the 50 seats in the two Embraer E175 jets leased to run the flights were business class.
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While rare and usually limited to carriers based around a specific destination, the idea had already been tested by La Compagnie — the French airline launched in 2013 and has been advertising planes with "76 full flat seats ...] for a unique business class experience" on its flights to Paris and Nice from NYC.
Bermudair
'Guests desire more options and flexibility,' BermudAir says in turnaround
But while BermudAir has operated 170 all-business flights to the island nation since launching, the airline is now leaning into what it describes as a "strategic shift" for the future of the airline.
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"After nearly 170 successful flights, it's clear that there is strong demand for direct, short-haul and premium flights between Bermuda and the East Coast," BermudAir CEO Adam Scott, said in a statement to media outlets. "We've had overwhelmingly positive feedback from our guests about their experience onboard BermudAir, but guests also desire more options and flexibility. BermudAir is uniquely positioned to fill that need with our dual-class cabin."
The cabins mentioned in the plane were initially envisioned to have an undivided cabin with 88 armchair-style seats with pillows featuring colorful island designs. Amid delays related to the supply chain, BermudAir closed part of the cabin and started running the flights with 30 of the seats on each jet available for purchase with the intention of completing the rest of the cabin by Nov. 1.
After launching flights from Westchester County Airport and Boston Logan International Airport in August, the airline added another twice-a-day route from Florida's Fort Lauderdale in September.
The supply chain seeped into the airline's plans for a business-class-only route
Difficulties with the supply chain persist post-pandemic and, rather than flying with half the plane empty, BermudAir will now convert the second part of the cabin into economy-style seats for which it has the materials. This will, according to Scott, allow the airline to start flying full flights sooner as well as sell more tickets at a lower price — although even in business class, many of the two-hour flights to Bermuda can be booked for $199 each way.
It plans to reopen the second part of the plane to economy travelers and start running flights by Dec. 1. BermudAir has not yet clarified how many of the seats on the reconfigured planes jets will be economy and how many will be business.
"The strategic shift in service plans enables BermudAir to honor its commitment to provide consistent, convenient service to and from Bermuda, while also responding to evolving market dynamics and preliminary guest feedback from its phased launch," Scott said. "A key aspect of BermudAir's business strategy since inception, and of our commitment to Bermuda's community, is that the airline is available year-round."
