On August 5th, Jet Airways began daily service to New York (Newark) from Mumbai, via its Brussels hub. Jet is the first Indian airline in the private sector to fly this route. The lighting of a traditional lamp marked the event, which was attended by local dignitaries and airline senior management. To mark the event, the first passenger to check in for each class was presented with flowers.
The flight carries 312 passengers in a three-class configuration on a new Boeing 777-300 ER airplane. Each First Class passenger will occupy a private space with dual sliding doors that provides over 26 square feet of usable space, creating the first airline suite aloft. The suite contains a 23-inch flat-screen monitor, and an 83-inch flat-bed seat, the world’s longest. The beverage service will offer single malt whiskies, French wines, and champagnes that include vintage Dom Perignon and Krug.
Premier Class seats can be converted electronically to 180-degree, 73-inch flat beds that have lumbar support and a massage system. Economy Class seats have been ergonomically designed and have a pitch of 32 inches.
The Panasonic eX2 Entertainment system offers a selection from over 200 hours of Hollywood and Bollywood movies, regional films, television programs, short features, and audio CD’s. The system features Bose noise-cancellation headphones, and all choices are available on demand.
Jet Airways is offering an inaugural roundtrip economy fare of Rs. 36,000. The normal economy fare starts at Rs. 40,000, with Premier roundtrip fares beginning at Rs. 153,000, and First Class roundtrip coming in between Rs.345,000 and Rs.415,000. These fares exclude taxes, and conditions apply.
The Mumbai – New York flight, 9W 228, leaves Mumbai at 2:10 a.m. daily from Terminal 2A at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Special arrangements in Brussels provide a seamless connection to the second leg, which departs for New York at 9:40 a.m. It arrives at 11:55 a.m. in Newark, one of New York’s three airports.
Flight 9W 227 from New York to Mumbai flight leaves Newark for Brussels daily at 8:25 p.m., arriving at 9:40 a.m. At 11:40 a.m. the flight departs Brussels for a10:30 p.m. arrival in Mumbai.
Says Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, “ This is truly a historic moment for us, to commence service on this important sector connecting India with the United States.”
Jet Airways flies to 52 destinations with its fleet of 64 aircraft. The fleet is one of the youngest in the world, with an average fleet age of 5.1 years. The airline has contracted Lufthansa Technik for maintenance support of the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft and for the assignment of qualified engineers.
