MAXjet Airways

Last updated

MAXjet
MYlogo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
MYMXJMAX-JET
Founded2003;22 years ago (2003)
Ceased operations24 December 2007;
17 years ago (2007-12-24) [1]
Hubs London Stansted
Frequent-flyer program MAXflier
Fleet size5
Destinations4
Parent company MAXjet Airways, Inc
Headquarters Washington Dulles International Airport, Sterling, Virginia
Key peopleWilliam D. Stockbridge, CEO
Website http://www.maxjet.com, http://www.maxjet.org

MAXjet Airways was an American, transatlantic, all-business class airline that operated between 2003 and 2007. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport, and in the Dulles area of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. [2]

Contents

MAXjet operated services to London Stansted Airport, United Kingdom from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. [3]

From the beginning, MAXjet Airways may have been compromised by a lack of economies of scale, having only a maximum of 5 aircraft at the height of its operations, although this is similar to other competing airlines in this class (EOS, SilverJet [4] etc.). It offered passengers airport lounge access (flagship lounge at Stansted; shared, non-proprietary at JFK and LAX; not available in Las Vegas), premium complimentary meals and beverages and on-demand in-flight entertainment.

On 24 December 2007, the airline filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and ceased operations. [5] The airline confirmed that Eos Airlines was to accommodate passengers on their Stansted to JFK services. [6]

History

MAXjet Boeing 767-200 in the new livery Maxjet.jpg
MAXjet Boeing 767-200 in the new livery
MAXjet Boeing 767-200 in Basic Colors Maxjet2.jpg
MAXjet Boeing 767-200 in Basic Colors

The airline was publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market as "MAXJ". [3] It operated its first service from New York to London on 1 November 2005. Founded in 2003, the airline was conceived as a transatlantic low-cost carrier that would code share with domestic low-cost carriers at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. During its start-up phase, management expressed concern over the economics of applying the low cost carrier model to transatlantic routes and instead repositioned the airline as a premium all-business-class service. MAXjet's target market was premium economy and "savvy" business class passengers.

The success of MAXjet’s all-business-class service continued to grow as the company claimed load factors of 83.1% (June 2007) on its network from London Stansted. [7]

As well as the scheduled routes, MAXjet’s luxury charter operations continued to grow with the acquisition of more aircraft. Some aircraft were planned to focus on the growing charter business as well as being used as support on the New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas scheduled routes. The airline’s luxury charter business, which experienced significant growth, transported groups to various destinations throughout Europe, the Caribbean and the USA. Charters included Stockholm to Las Vegas, and England to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles including a charter for the 2006 U.S Ryder Cup team. The company had a strong customer base that included corporations, government entities and professional sports teams. [8]

Suspension of MAXjet shares and filing for bankruptcy

On 7 December 2007, MAXjet suspended trading of its shares on AIM, pending clarification of their financial position. [9]

An article in the Financial Times on 23 December 2007 reported that the company was in "last-ditch talks" to arrange a financial rescue package. [10] However, the following morning the company announced on its website that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Passengers who had yet to travel were advised to seek a refund from the point of purchase. The company announced it had already begun to make alternative travel or accommodation arrangements for those left stranded.

On 24 December 2007, MAXjet announced that they permanently suspended all flight operations citing rising fuel costs, increased crew salaries, and other unforeseen costs. The airline purchased tickets to accommodate passengers on Eos Airlines, and Continental Airlines and Silverjet both made offers to accommodate stranded MAXjet passengers. [11] [12] [13]

On March 25, 2008, MAXjet announced that operations will soon start again following an acquisition by NCA Sports Group to restart its operation as a charter service. [14] However that failed in August 2008. [15]

Destinations

The following destinations were operated by MAXjet during its existence.

Europe

North America

Fleet

The MAXjet Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft as of December 2007: [16]

MAXjet's aircraft were configured with either 92, 94, 100, or 102 seats depending on the individual aircraft, with an average fleet age of 18.2 years as of March 2007.

In-flight services

MAXjet cabin interior. MAXjet Airways Boeing 767-200 cabin interior.jpg
MAXjet cabin interior.

MAXjet aircraft were fitted with traditional leather business-class "deep-recline" cradle-seats with a 60-inch seat pitch (distance between a seat and the same point on the seat in front of it) and a 160-degree recline.

On-demand entertainment, which included 100 hours of movies, television programs and music videos as well as pure music audio content, was available via individual portable media players called "MAXplayers", which were provided on each flight. Although the seats were new, MAXjet aircraft had a relatively old style cabin fit, so the seats were not equipped with conventional built-in entertainment systems or in-flight A/C power ports.

The airline's catering used restaurant china, metal cutlery and stemmed glassware, and offered complimentary premium liquor, beer, champagne and a regularly changing wine selection.

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Stansted Airport</span> Tertiary international airport serving London, England, United Kingdom

Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Uttlesford, Essex, 42 mi (68 km) northeast of Central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-cost carrier</span> Airline with generally lower fares

A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fares. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge extra fees, such as for carry-on baggage.

Carnival Air Lines Incorporated was a charter and scheduled airline division of the Carnival Corporation & plc that started in 1988 after Carnival Cruise Lines purchased Pacific Interstate Airlines. It was headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmony Airways</span> Defunct airine of Canada (2002–2007)

Harmony Airways was a Canadian airline headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. It operated holiday flights from Canada to Mexico, Hawaii and Las Vegas. Its main base was Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegiant Air</span> American ultra-low-cost airline

Allegiant Air is an ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ultra low-cost business model with minimal inclusions in fares and a greater number of add-on fees.

Champion Air was an airline based in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. It primarily operated air charter services for sports teams, vacation wholesalers, and government agencies. It also offered limited scheduled service. Its main base was Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Harry Reid International airport in Las Vegas, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, and Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The airline ceased all operations on May 31, 2008. Until its shutdown, the airline was a prime contractor for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyglobespan</span> Defunct Scottish airline

Flyglobespan was a low-cost airline based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operated scheduled services from five airports across Scotland, England and Ireland to destinations in Europe, North America, North Africa and South Africa. Its main bases were Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Aberdeen Airport and Liverpool Airport. The airline's slogan was "Award-winning airline". It went into administration due to financial problems and the airline declared bankruptcy on 16 December 2009.

MarkAir was a regional airline based in Anchorage, Alaska, that became a national air carrier operating passenger jet service in the United States with a hub and corporate headquarters located in Denver, Colorado. After a second bankruptcy in 1995, it ceased operations in October and was later liquidated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eos Airlines</span>

Eos Airlines, Inc. was an American all-business class airline headquartered in Purchase, New York, with its flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. On 26 April 2008 Eos Airlines announced its plans to file bankruptcy on its web site, announcing it would cease passenger operations after April 27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich International Airways</span> US charter cargo & passenger airline (1970–96)

Rich International Airways was primarily a United States charter and cargo airline founded by aviation pioneer Jean Rich, one of the few women in the U.S. to own and operate an airline. The air carrier was based in Miami, Florida. The airline ceased operations in 1996 and filed for bankruptcy in 1997.

Silverjet was a British all-business class airline headquartered at London Luton Airport in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that, prior to the suspension of operations on 30 May 2008, operated services to Newark Liberty International Airport and Dubai International Airport. A proposed rescue package fell through on 13 June when staff were laid off and it was announced that the airline's assets would be sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Airlines (1999–2002)</span> Former Las Vegas, Nevada-based airline (1999–2002)

National Airlines was a short lived United States low-fare airline that operated from 1999 to 2002. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was the third US carrier to use the name. The airline was created to bring tourists to Las Vegas. National offered service to a limited number of cities with high traffic to Las Vegas. The airline operated a fleet of 19 Boeing 757-200 jets in a two-class first class and coach seating configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Avion</span> Former French airline

Elysair SAS, operating as L'Avion, was an airline headquartered in Paray Vieille Poste, France, near Wissous.

V Australia was a long-haul international airline owned by Virgin Australia Holdings that commenced operating on 27 February 2009. As part of a rebranding of all of Virgin Australia Holdings' subsidiaries, on 7 December 2011 it was subsumed into Virgin Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel Airways</span> British airline

Channel Airways was a private airline formed in the United Kingdom in 1946 as East Anglian Flying Services.

A business class airline is an airline concept which emerged during the mid-first decade of the 21st century a number of airlines that operated all-business class service.

Primera Air Scandinavia A/S, was a Danish airline owned by Primera Travel Group. It provided scheduled and charter passenger services from Northern Europe to more than 40 destinations in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North America. It ceased operations on 1 October 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song (airline)</span> Defunct low-cost airline of the United States (2003–2006)

Song, LLC, was a low-cost air service within an airline brand owned and operated by Delta Air Lines from 2003 to 2006. All Song flights were operated by Delta. Song's main focus was on leisure traffic between the Northeastern United States and Florida, a market where it competed with JetBlue Airways. It also operated flights between Florida and the West Coast, and from the Northeast to the West Coast.

Elite Airways was an airline based in the United States that operated charter and scheduled passenger flights. The airline was headquartered in Portland, Maine.

Norse Atlantic Airways AS is a Norwegian low-cost, long-haul airline headquartered in Arendal, Norway. Founded in February 2021, the airline operates a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft between Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Its inaugural flight took place on 14 June 2022 from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

References

  1. ↑ All-business class MAXjet to file for bankruptcy
  2. ↑ "Contact Us," MAXjet Airways. February 18, 2007. Retrieved on September 25, 2009. "44965 Aviation Drive, Suite 260 Dulles, VA 20166, USA "
  3. 1 2 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . 10 April 2007. p. 48.
  4. ↑ Fountain, Sam, Silverjet plans expansion through multi-million pound funding drive Archived 2007-12-30 at the Wayback Machine , Business Weekly, November 26, 2007
  5. ↑ "Maxjet Airways Chapter 11 Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Wilen, John, Maxjet in last-ditch talks, Associated Press, December 24, 2007
  7. ↑ "June Passenger Statistics and Pre-Close Period Trading Update" (PDF) (Press release). MAXjet Airways. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  8. ↑ "MAXjet Airways Failure: Lessons Learned". CabinManagers. 21 January 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2008.
  9. ↑ Kumar, Nikhil (8 December 2007). "MAXjet forced to ask for share suspension". The Independent on Sunday. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  10. ↑ "Maxjet in last-ditch talks" . Financial Times. 23 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  11. ↑ Bradley, Jane (26 December 2007). "Maxjet flies into trouble as it files for bankruptcy". The Scotsman . Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  12. ↑ "Silverjet extends offer to rescue MAXjet customers" (Press release). Silverjet. 24 December 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  13. ↑ "Continental Airlines to Accept MAXjet Airways Tickets" (Press release). Continental Airlines. 24 December 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  14. ↑ Clabaugh, Jeff (16 April 2008). "MaxJet gets second chance with sports" . Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  15. ↑ Kaminski-Morrow, David (12 August 2008). "Maxjet relaunch stalls as takeover is scrapped". Flight Global. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "Aircraft Registration Database Lookup". 8 November 2005. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.