Silverjet - All Business Class Airline Cancels Flights London Luton to New York & Dubai
| Silverjet was an all-business class airline which flew from London Luton to New York Newark and Dubai. With the recent bankruptcies of Maxjet and EOS Airlines, Silverjet's demise means there are now no UK all-business class carriers. |
Silverjet flew twice daily from Luton LTN to New York Newark (EWR) and daily from Luton to Dubai (DXB).
Ticket prices for London - Newark were a Saver fare of £999 ($1955) return, a Standard fare £1,199 ($2,355) return and a Flexible £1,999 ($3,855) return.
London - Dubai return could be booked on Silverjet for a special offer £999 but the normal all-in prices were £1,099 (Saver), £1,299 (Standard) and £2,199 (Flexible). Tickets from New York to Dubai could be booked from $4,186 return.
Silverjet also held regular fare sales which cut prices to between £799 and £879 all-in.
Luton was a good base for Silverjet being London's least busy commercial airport and also known as a hub for both budget airlines and private business jets. Silverjet's unique selling proposition was its own dedicated private terminal at Luton.
Silverjet passengers at LTN were able to check-in up to 45 minutes before with luggage and 30 minutes before with hand baggage only. Online and mobile check-in were also available. Passengers at Newark and Dubai also experienced relatively fast check-in and boarding procedures with a basic lounge which was available at Terminal B in Newark. Silverjet had a lounge at Dubai airport's Executive Terminal.
However, arriving Silverjet passengers still had to go through the usual immigration and customs channels. Arrival facilities (showers, food) at Luton were available at the private terminal.
Silverjet used Boeing 767-200s fitted with 100 seats in a 2x2x2 configuration. Each seat had a generous 75" seat pitch (almost flat) with its own back massager. Passengers got full gourmet dining and a hand-held in flight entertainment system with noise cancelling headphones.
As was the case with ex-rival Maxjet, Silverjet's main operational weakness was their lack of spare aircraft - any mechanical problems could cause serious timetable delays or cancelled flights. The start of the second daily London - New York flight was postponed for some time because of on-going maintenance issues.
It seemed the tight credit market and high oil prices caught up with Silverjet. Their share price was down 90% from the offer price and was suspended a few days before announcing their liquidation.
Silverjet had excelled on customer service with rave reviews from passengers. It was certainly a welcome addition to the business airline travel market, particularly for those living to the north side of London - unfortunately they were not able to ride out the storm.
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