OpenSkies Shakes Earth with Announcement
Del Williams
July 30, 2008
Dale Moss, Managing Director of OpenSkies knows how to make an announcement. With a mix of wit, strategy, vision, and a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, all the elements were in place to make his announcement. Yes, during the conference a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Los Angeles. Being a master of composure, Moss waited to make sure all the attendees were ok, and to check if there were any instructions to evacuate the Los Angeles Convention Center. When the all clear notice was given Moss did not miss a beat, and displayed his leadership and humor by including the earthquake in his speech.
So what was it that even nature had to take a bow? It would seem that OpenSkies, which just did its first flight on June 19, has already upgraded its service.
The 5 week old niche carrier had already scooped up French airline L´Avion through its parent company British Airways, and doubled its fleet within 2 weeks of its beginning. Basically, they decided to focus on the business traveler and giving them what there clients have told them they want. What is it that biz travelers want? They want more room, so OpenSkies is taking out some seats and making it to a 64 seat plane, with sleep chairs in the front, and premium plus seats in the back. Don´t make the mistake of calling it economy to Moss, because he says it does not fit the model.
Moss said that they could have kept it the other way, but really wanted to focus on customer service by dealing with the clients they have, who are looking for value as opposed to price. The clients that they have are not tourist, but true business travelers who take multiple trips per year. With the distance that is needed to fly from New York to Paris, business travelers want service that is above and beyond a cabin in between First Class and Economy.
After the earthquake finished shaking the building, Moss also announced that starting in October they would be offering service to Amsterdam. He projected that they might have service to Madrid one day, as well. It would seem British Airways has chosen a true visionary to lead their newest project.
The choice of British Airways to handpick Dale Moss to lead OpenSkies was not a difficult one. He had over 35+ years in the industry, including as COO of Jet Airways. A native New Yorker, Moss has traveled the world. He says he flew on the Concord over 200 times, and has now flown on British Airways and Open Skies 46 times in the last year. As he continues to unleash his vision, all might want to take a seat and watch OpenSkies shake the earth under Mosses leadership.
So what was it that even nature had to take a bow? It would seem that OpenSkies, which just did its first flight on June 19, has already upgraded its service.
The 5 week old niche carrier had already scooped up French airline L´Avion through its parent company British Airways, and doubled its fleet within 2 weeks of its beginning. Basically, they decided to focus on the business traveler and giving them what there clients have told them they want. What is it that biz travelers want? They want more room, so OpenSkies is taking out some seats and making it to a 64 seat plane, with sleep chairs in the front, and premium plus seats in the back. Don´t make the mistake of calling it economy to Moss, because he says it does not fit the model.
Moss said that they could have kept it the other way, but really wanted to focus on customer service by dealing with the clients they have, who are looking for value as opposed to price. The clients that they have are not tourist, but true business travelers who take multiple trips per year. With the distance that is needed to fly from New York to Paris, business travelers want service that is above and beyond a cabin in between First Class and Economy.
After the earthquake finished shaking the building, Moss also announced that starting in October they would be offering service to Amsterdam. He projected that they might have service to Madrid one day, as well. It would seem British Airways has chosen a true visionary to lead their newest project.
The choice of British Airways to handpick Dale Moss to lead OpenSkies was not a difficult one. He had over 35+ years in the industry, including as COO of Jet Airways. A native New Yorker, Moss has traveled the world. He says he flew on the Concord over 200 times, and has now flown on British Airways and Open Skies 46 times in the last year. As he continues to unleash his vision, all might want to take a seat and watch OpenSkies shake the earth under Mosses leadership.