Following BermudAir’s succesful start of September launch, the airline continues its expansion as planned. On September 22, the airline launched flights to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) from Bermuda (BDA), promising six weekly flights.
To celebrate its inaugural flight to Ft. Lauderdale, flight 2T451 was welcomed in with the typical water cannon salute.
BermudAir is the newest airline offering business-class only flights out of Bermuda, serving Boston (BOS), White Plains (HPN) and now Ft. Lauderdale. Ultimately the airline wants to offer a premiere experience, with 30 full lie-flat business class “Aisle Class” seats on board their Embraer E-175s.
The Aisle Class seats will be set up in a 1-1 config, offering lie flight seats, privacy partitions, a desk/eating area, and free internet and access to on-board on-demand content via Wi-Fi. As there are no overhead bins, passengers will be able to store their larger carry-on bags under the seat instead, with each bin capable of holding bags up to 16x24x10 inches (40 x 60 x 25cm) in size.
Credit: BermudAirUnfortunately they opted to launch with the cabin’s previous 88 seat configuration which came across from Flybe. For now, they are blocking two seats per row, limiting the passenger count to 44 customers maximum per flight. So far the airline operates one E175 (registered VQ-BLU) while its second E175 (VQ-BLW) continues outfitting work at Muskoka.
The airline has said that it will introduce its proper 30-seater product from November. My best guess is that once -BLW comes online with the new cabin, -BLU will then head up to Muskoka to have its cabin upgraded.
BermudAir will have to run a tight ship as it currently operates six weekly flights to its three destinations with just one aircraft. I always feel warely with smaller carriers because a major malfuction could mean delays and cancellations, and given that they are operating just one aircraft, they would most likely have to spend extra to temporarily lease another aircraft to pick up the slack.
Otherwise it seems to be a very competitive product, as prices are on par with major carriers coming in from nearby cities. While the airline does not offer the usual perks like the big boys including miles and lounge access, it’s still nice to have a seat to yourself versus having to sit next to someone.
[Featured Photo: BermudAir]
Featured image: BermudAir
