LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Crystal Cruises, the world’s most awarded luxury cruise line, is once again pioneering new fronts in the luxury travel industry with the purchase of a Boeing Business Jet B777-200LR, offering an array of global itineraries for its expanded brand extension Crystal Luxury Air. The announcement comes on the heels of Crystal’s groundbreaking news in July of an extensive brand expansion, which will include extravagant air vacations around the world aboard a luxurious Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
In addition to doubling the initial air projections with the expanded aircraft fleet, Crystal will work with the Registry of Aruba in developing and securing an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC). This will pave the way for Crystal Luxury Air to launch international operations. The twin-aisle BBJ B777-200LR will be redesigned to accommodate just 88 guests with flat-bed first class seats; a beautifully appointed lounge and bar; and offer 14- and 28-day around-the-world and international itineraries, beginning in 2017.
“Our mission is to make Crystal the core of what will become the world’s premier luxury hospitality and lifestyle brand collection, not only for the immediate future, but for years to come,” said Crystal Chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay. “The acquisition of our second luxury aircraft is another profound step toward establishing our goal.”
The twin-aisle Boeing 777-200LR, and the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which typically seats up to 300 passengers and will be redesigned to accommodate just 52 guests, will boast the premium luxury that discerning global travelers have come to expect from Crystal, including copious amounts of guest space, plush amenities and Crystal’s world-class service and crew. Trips will include accommodations at the world’s most luxurious hotels, the finest Michelin star-level cuisine prepared by celebrated chefs and fabulous local cultural entertainment. Additionally, the aircrafts can be arranged for special charters.
“Following our expansion announcement, travelers and travel agents expressed a strong interest in all-inclusive luxury air travel with a wider range of itineraries,” says Crystal’s President and CEO Edie Rodriguez. “Based on this enthusiastic feedback, we are growing our fleet to meet the demand from our guests and travel partners in luxury air options.”
Crystal Cruises is the world’s most awarded luxury cruise line, having earned more “World’s Best” accolades than any other cruise line, hotel, or resort in history. Crystal Cruises has won “World’s Best Cruise Ship” in Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader Choice Awards for 22 years; been voted “World’s Best Large Ship Cruise Line” by Travel + Leisure readers for 20 consecutive years; and the “Best Luxury Cruise Line” by Virtuoso in 2014. In summer 2015, Crystal embarked on the most significant brand expansion in the history of luxury travel and hospitality, which will introduce three new classes of cruising – Crystal Yacht Cruises (December 2015), Crystal River Cruises (July 2016), Crystal Exclusive Class Ocean Cruises (late 2018) – and Crystal Luxury Air Cruises (2017).
Aviator
Qantas looks into Boeing 777-8
Qantas has its eye on non-stop Sydney to New York flights using the advanced Boeing 777-8X jetliner, which the airline has touted as a potential replacement for its flagship Airbus A380 superjumbo.
The direct route would swap the long-standing Los Angeles stopover for a 19 hour ‘Harbour Bridge to Hudson’ trek, which would not only be Qantas’ longest flight but the world’s longest.
But it will require the next-generation of aircraft due in the early part of the next decade, when Qantas will look to refresh its long-range international fleet.
Speaking at a media lunch in Sydney last week, Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce revealed that the airline “puts 300 people a day to New York anyway, so the market’s growing – it’s just that we can’t do (non-stop) with the technology (we have today).
“Once the technology happens we would go there straight away” Joyce told Australian Business Traveller.
“We’re looking at the new 777-8X that would potentially have the range to do it, but that doesn’t come until (the early) 2020s.”
Qantas already plans to begin flying the smaller Boeing 787-9 from late 2017 but the Boeing 777-8X is very much under consideration.
“We’ve got people that work with Boeing and Airbus – we have worked (together) on the A380, we did a lot of work with the 787 (and) we’re doing work with them on the 777(-8X),” Joyce said.
When asked if there was really a market for passengers willing to take such a long flight, Qantas International CEO Gareth Evans gave an unequivocal “yes”.
“It might not be for everybody,” Evans continues. “If you don’t want to do that then there are plenty of opportunities to connect over Dallas or LA, but there will be a market of people who want to get on the plane and get off where their ultimate destination is.”
Evans also highlights that on a route this long, the aircraft needs to be “configured appropriately”, with a “premium configuration” currently under assessment, paired with “the right amount of galley space” to store and prepare what could become three inflight meals for each passenger.
“It’s going to have to have the ability to look after customers for long amounts of time… (and) the technology that’s coming with the 777-X can facilitate that, absolutely; we’d want to fly it.”
Ultra-long flights: the new norm
Joyce takes a page out of history when looking to the future of flying, noting that Qantas’ flights from Sydney to Vancouver in 1954 detoured via Fiji, Hawaii and San Francisco, which meant a total of 31 hours spent flying in between, but with the stops helping to break up the time.
“Back then, people were saying ‘imagine flying direct – that would be too long on an aircraft for 14 hours’”, Joyce continues, “yet now people would never do those kinds of (routings) with today’s aircraft.”
Would passengers really want to fly non-stop?
Passengers on today’s Qantas Sydney-New York flights break the journey at LAX with 1hr 55m between touchdown and take-off, during which they can stretch their legs and squeeze in a quick shower in the lounge before completing their 21hr journey.
Eliminating that stop would bring the trip closer to 19 hours, but that’s still 3.5 hours longer than today’s Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth run.
Singapore Airlines is also eying non-stop flights to New York from its home hub in 2018 using a special long-range version of the Airbus A350.
Those long-legged A350s will also carry fewer passengers than the conventional A350 which SQ will begin flying in January 2015, but they’ll enjoy more comfort thanks to all-new business and first class seating.
Australian Business Traveller
Special “Colours of JonOne” for a 77W of Air France
In line with its tradition of defending contemporary art and modern creation, Air France has decided to once again team up with New York-born painter/graffiti artist JonOne of Dominican origin, famous for his totally original fusion of street art and painting.
After completing the work Air France Forever celebrating the Company’s 80th anniversary, the artist has completely reworked the accent, symbolizing the Air France brand.
On 10 November 2015, at the heart of Air France Industries’ hangars at Paris-Orly, the Company will unveil this giant accent measuring 4 metres by 7 metres on a Boeing 777 equipped with the Company’s latest new long-haul travel cabins in the presence of JonOne. This exceptional work of art represents the French flag and symbolizes freedom, one of the values held dear by France and the artist alike, while echoing the company’s slogan: Air France, France is in the Air.
The aircraft, sporting this exceptional livery, will then fly off for the first time to New York, a legendary city for two reasons – for the artist, who was born there, and for Air France, which has made it a historic route. This will be an opportunity for JonOne to meet Air France customers and tell them all about his original work of art. The aircraft will serve Air France’s global network for one year. This exclusive event has been made possible with the support of Boeing.
On arrival in New York, the artist will sign another exclusive new work of art for Air France, which can be seen early 2016 in the Company’s lounge located in Terminal 1 at New York-JFK Airport, exclusively reserved for La Première, Business and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers.
In December 2015, on airfranceshopping.com a selection of exclusive items with the Air France accent redesigned by JonOne (notebooks, tote bags and models of the Air France Boeing 777) will be available.
Air France
At a hangar at Orly Airport in Paris, Air France officials and journalists watched as the wrapping came off the Boeing 777. Below was the kind of painting one can sometimes see on the subway. Peeling back the masking paper was the artist, JonOne whose career began painting graffiti and subway cars in New York City.
At a party to celebrate the airline’s eightieth birthday last year, JonOne, the Dominican-American now living in France, took out a white piece of paper and began to draw. The sketch turned into a large original canvas which he offered as a gift to Air France. One year later that painting, titled Air France Forever, has been reworked into a 4-by-7 meter banner that reimagines the airline’s red tail-shaped logo infusing it with the colors of the French flag.
“We had this crazy idea to paint a plane,” JonOne told reporters in the moments before displaying his work. At first, he said, the idea seemed incredible.
“Yeah we’re going to paint a plane someday for Air France. That seems like painting a rocket or going to Mars or something like that. But today you’re going to see that crazy idea coming to life.”
The plane, with the registration F-GSQI has been in the Orly hanger undergoing a complete cabin refurbishment, including the installation of new seats in all cabins; 216 in economy, 24 premium economy, 50 business class and four in first class. Adding the JonOne banner was a project that took seven months of planning according to Xavier Malavergne, manager of hangar maintenance. A number of the mechanics who worked on the project were on hand to watch the unveiling on Tuesday.
As the paper came off, the red, white and blue slashes were revealed, crossing from top to bottom across both sides of the aft end of the jetliner. Next to that was the unmistakable signature JonOne, scrawled in black.
JonOne’s work is bold and playful, depicting movement, power and thrust. But this is no Hello Kitty phenomenon where travelers plan their trips around the flight schedules of planes bearing the cat-inspired livery of Taiwan’s Eva Airlines. On Hello Kitty flights everything is part of the show. Special meals are served on special tableware, butter pats and even toilet paper are embossed with the kitty’s mug and ancillary products are sold by the litter.
The amount EVA pays to Sanrio Company for the right to use the Hello Kitty brand on seven airliners is believed to be hefty. The carrier won’t say what it costs.
Air France does not expect JonOne’s art to sell airline tickets like the kitty does, but Jean-Charles Trehan, the airline’s director of communications says, “There’s a marketing benefit for sure.”
Still, unlike Eva Air and Sanrio, Air France got the work of JonOne for free, both the banner and the painting on which it was based. The airline has history of supporting art, by featuring the work of contemporary artists in its lounges, on menu cards and in special in-flight entertainment programs. Trehan says this is the first time Air France has placed art on the livery of any airplane. It may be the first airline to be given the right to use art without a fee or a licensing agreement.
“Absolutely no money” was involved, Trehan said. “It is not in the spirit of the partnership. It is only a matter of friendship.”
The arrangement is not completely without financial benefit. Passengers who like the painting will be able to purchase livery-themed accessories. Tote bags, notebooks and a special edition model Boeing 777 are all for sale from the Air France store.
At 52, JonOne is old enough to remember when flying was for a certain elite set. That’s all changed and to some extent his art reflects the 21st Century traveler. “To see my art means a lot for me and for a lot of other people,” he said.
Who might those people be? “Young people, people who love art, who love travel, inspired people,” Trehan said. JonOne’s cachet could be something that attracts these travelers.
Airlines frequently partner with well-known creatives in an attempt to blend and expand their circles. Even without the exchange of money the same kind of transaction is going on here. Air France gets a stop-people-in-their-tracks work of contemporary art to fly around the world and JonOne gets to show off his unique view of his adopted home everywhere Air France flies.
If the barter is good for business, so much the better.
Runway Girl Network
A graffiti artist decorates a Boeing 777 of Air France
The New York painter JonOne revisits the comma-shaped logo of Air France cabin on a long-haul aircraft. Collage of his work takes place on Tuesday in a hangar at Orly.
On Tuesday, the flamboyant New Yorker glue his work on the fuselage of a Boeing 777 of the company in Orly shed. After performing the work “Air France Forever on the occasion of 80 years of the Company (2012), the artist has captured the essence to revisit focus, symbol of the brand Air France, in the urban way and contemporary.
The plane, with this unique livery, will be inaugurated on the occasion of a trip Paris-New York, a historic line of Air France.
In 2012, premium customers had discovered during their visit to the La Première lounge of Terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle signed exclusive creations and works JonOne like a sculpture and a blue LED tag of 1.50 m fiberglass . On board long haul flights of Air France, still in La Première cabin, blankets menus and wine lists were customized.
La Parisienne (via Google Translate)
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