The route: New York/JFK to London/Stansted
What it costs: About $4,400, round-trip.
What you get: Named after the goddess of dawn, Eos was the first independent carrier to fly business class-only cabins on the hotly contested New York-to-London route. Now offering up to four flights daily in each direction (44 weekly flights in total), Eos planes house a mere 48 seats on reconfigured Boeing 757s originally built to carry nearly 180 passengers.
Passengers paying full fare on EOS also receive complimentary transfers between Manhattan and JFK on U.S. Helicopter, cutting the airport commute to a mere eight minutes. In London, free car service is available instead. EOS lavishes passengers with Bellinis at boarding, mid-flight afternoon tea and useful extras like razors and shaving.
What you don’t get: Eos does not have its own JFK lounge, though passengers may use the Emirates facility, which could not be more indulgent. In Stansted, Eos passengers enjoy the airline’s dedicated Oasis lounge. Potentially more worrying is Eos’s use of Stansted airport: although offering one of the most uncrowded terminals in the London area, it is also a good hour from the city center by car or 45 minutes by train — farther than Luton, Gatwick or Heathrow. Still, quick connections are available to numerous low-cost airlines for direct flights to much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Make yourself comfortable: Without doubt, Eos wins big in the comfort competition — with seats that are among the most sybaritic and high-tech in this new luxury air travel sector. At the flip of a switch, seats convert into 78-inch, fully flat beds, accented with pure-cashmere blankets and adjoining ottoman/companion seat for in-flight meetings or meals. Totaling 22 square feet, Eos’s “suites” are the largest among the all-business carriers and are perfect for sleeping. Staffers hand out personal DVD-players screening five first-run films and 10 classic British and American films (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Remains of the Day), accompanied by Bose noise-cancellation headphones. Upon arrival in London, Eos passengers can refresh at the nearby SAS Radisson Hotel with showers and snacks.
On the menu: Eos provides both full and express menus in-flight as well as comprehensive cocktail service. Its flagship, four-course meals include entrées such as filet of beef with truffled potato puree, roasted vegetables and rosemary jus. There is also a separate kosher menu. A complete breakfast is served before touchdown, as is a lighter morning meal for fliers who want to snooze a while longer.
What wowed us: Quick moving and truly hassle-free check-in, boarding and immigration lines. While premium classes on traditional carriers certainly provide equally luxe in-flight experiences, Eos’s fast-track service through JFK is without comparison. The check-in truly takes less than five minutes, Eos staffers get guests quickly through security. Upon arrival, immigration proceedings are equally swift since Eos is among the only carriers at Stansted arriving with passengers from outside the E.U.
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