OPENSKIES Business Class Seat reviews

ORY-EWR. Check in was a zoo - 45 minutes in a line that hardly moved with repeated changes in the flight status on the screen (delayed; on time; delayed; on time) and no communication whatsoever. Flight ended up being cancelled and some of us were lucky to get on an earlier flight which had been held. Service was extremely slow. But the most striking thing was the crew attitude. I did not see a single smile from any crew member in 8 and a half hours. The strong impression was that the crew would much rather have been elsewhere.

EWR-ORY in Biz seat which is officially classed as premium economy. The seat is the old style cradle seat with 52' pitch and decent recline - adequate for a bit of sleep on a relatively short night flight. Cabin feels spacious and uncrowded even though the flight was almost full. Food in my opinion was better in quality and presentation than BA, but slow to arrive - we were more than 2 hours into the flight before the trays were cleared away. Otherwise a good experience.

The seats are spacious, provide ample leg room, and fully recline. Since the entire plane is business class, one does not have the impression of being segregated to a small section of the plane. The aisle separating the four seats, which span the width of the aircraft, is twice the size of a regular aircraft aisle. This makes it very easy to go by the flight attendant to reach the bathrooms during regular service intervals.

This service is a difficult one to review, but I would probably fly it again, primarily because it's about a third cheaper than regular business class on more established carriers, while still preserving the most important aspect of business class--a sizable seat with good space between the rows. That said, it's an odd quasi-business class, which at times appears stripped down to its essentials. I was upgraded to Paris to Biz Bed, which is the old BA business seat (complete with the odd fan separating seats); the seat/bed was hard, and although refurbished, showed its age. The Biz Seat on the return flight was actually better--spacious and comfortable, although able to recline only to 45 degrees. The food choices were limited--only one appetizer and two entre choices--and over-all quality was borderline. Alcohol was wine only. The inflight entertainment was strange: passengers are provided a small portable screen with headphones. Although glacially slow, service was always available, and the young staff, while somewhat inexperienced, were friendly and enthusiastic. Fly this airline for the price and the acceptable space to sit or sleep, but not for the food or flowing bar.

Seats were comfortable, old school style with manual controls and a bit hard to use. Foot rest not long enough and I am tall, so my legs had little support. Had problems getting comfortable to sleep, not a lie-flat seat, about 140% recline. Sat in exit row both ways so had extra floor room. OpenSkies have two different plane configurations and mine had the older seats (former L'Avion) not shown on their website which had all the newer seats with electronic controls. Video player not the best and hard to hear the sound.

BIZ Seat. Let's just say you get what you pay for. It was the cheapest "business class" fare I could find online (although many European carriers have since slashed their business fares considerably for the summer months.) Biggest complaint: airline will not check your bags through if you have a connecting flight, which meant literally running through the cavernous Schiphol airport to recheck my bag, go back through security, and find my gate. Biz seat passengers are not entitled to use the BA lounge facilities, and Terminal 7 at JFK is pretty horrible if you have to wait an hour and a half to board. Cabin crew was reasonably friendly, although I did not get many refills for my drink and was not offered a pre-take-off drink on the return at all. IFE system is a detachable unit that gets strapped into the seat. Not very high-tech. No noise cancelling headphones. Movie/TV selection was OK, you can find something to your liking among the 20 or so films. The seats, though old, are quite comfortable, but the controls are not electronic, which makes everything a bit hard to use. I was in the emergency row on the first flight, and in the bulkhead on my return, so I had lots of extra legroom. Fully reclined, I was in a good position to actually sleep. I did notice the footrest did not extend far enough so my knees were always at an angle. Might be a problem for really tall people.

Excellent flight in Biz Seat (140°) from Paris-Orly to JFK, and nice return flight in Biz Bed (Full Flat 180° like British Airways Business Class). Access to nice Business Lounges in Orly and JFK. Food is very good, only 90 passengers in a plane, it's also a very quiet flight.

One of the best travel bargains available! Business class JFK to Amsterdam or Paris for an average coach fare - less than half the normal business class rate. All features were very comparable to other US & European business class flights that we've taken - 1st class check-in, champagne on boarding, and a very attentive & friendly crew that really wants to make this program work. Seating & entertainment was typical business class quality. Dining, beverages, and cabin service was excellent. It's a chance to have a relaxed flight and to arrive in Europe refreshed, at no more than average coach class rates.

Excellent. While the seats are the old Club Class variety tarted up in new colors, the atmosphere in the 757 is one of a spacious private jet. The food - superb, really BA First Class with table linens and service to match. Crew were very polished and attentive and a mix of British and US nationalities. Orly is easy access to Paris but an old airport for sure. The Prem+ looked very good too, and while BA have now dropped Economy for the plane in favor of a two class only not sure what the seats "at the back of the plane" might be like. A great "Oneworld" alternative non- stop so as to avoid the dreaded AF haughtiness and ghastly inflight service. Overall - excellent job BA!