EOS
New biz airline to fly trans-Atlantic
Source: CNN

A new airline will soon be plying the fiercely contested trans-Atlantic route, with a finely tuned product focused on the business traveler.

Eos, named after "the Greek goddess of the dawn," is in the process of attaining Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) approval for flights between New York's JFK airport and London, Stansted - which has direct rail links to the City of London business district.

The privately owned airline has only 48 seats in its Boeing 757s, instead of the usual 200, and is hoping to woo business travelers with its 21 square feet (two square meters) of space per person and fully flat 78-inch (198-centimeters) seat-beds.

Eos plans to start flights on this route by late September and compete with the likes of Virgin Atlantic and British Airways' business class offering, as well as United Airlines and Lufthansa, who both offer premium service on trans-Atlantic flights.

With one route, three planes and tickets at 20 to 25 percent less than rivals, Eos hopes to attract a specific class of customer.

"We've designed every aspect of the Eos experience specifically with the business traveler in mind," says David Spurlock, founder and CEO of Eos, who is a former head of strategy at British Airways.

He is hoping that the market is ready for this new service, as the trans-Atlantic travel business continues to expand.

"We founded Eos on a simple premise, that an airline could know its customers well enough to become a true specialist, offering a superior travel experience at a competitive price," adds Spurlock.

Flights offer fliers a personal DVD player, a china service to accompany meals, and cashmere blankets.

Founded in March 2003, the company has raised $87 million in equity and approximately $100 million in lease financing, mainly from U.S. private equity firms.

Eos is not the only carrier planning to launch services on this route. Fly First - another UK firm - is trying to raise money for a premium service between London's Luton airport and Newark using the same configuration, a Boeing 757 with 48 seats.