06/06/2013 00:00
TW
0
By Humphrey Carter

PALMA
THROUGH all the talk of doom and gloom both here in the Balearics and in Britain, a new luxury airline is about to take off for Palma.
Bosses of the new luxury-class airline Premjet are pressing ahead with their plan to start flying out of Manchester Airport to Palma, Malaga, Alicante and Faro in Portugal.

Over recent weeks there has been a great deal of turbulence in the luxury-class airline market in the UK and the airline industry in general is being hit by record fuel prices, but Premjet bosses are determined to launch their new service next Spring.

The airline plans to operate 14 services per week using 80-seater Boeing 737s.
Premjet Director Andy Mitchell explained yesterday that the airline will be targeting “well-heeled leisure travelers and holiday home owners based in the north of England. “We continue to seek investment and our timetable remains unaffected. We believe the demand exists for our service and we believe it will be successful” The airline will offer passengers services such as online check-in and access to airport lounges.
Prices are also said to be “competitive.” On board, the Boeing 737s which normally carry around 140 passengers, Premjet's aircraft are specially configured to a luxury, one-class cabin containing a maximum of 80 luxury-class seats.

Up until now, the focus of the UK's luxury-class airlines has been on operating services between the United States or the Middle East, Premjet will be one of the first to operate on extremely popular short haul routes which are used by the “well heeled”, wealthy holiday home owners and commuting business chiefs. The airline's confidence in Majorca is a clear demonstration that the island is considered to be one of Europe's luxury destinations and that there is room in the market for a luxury-class airline.

With luxury properties valued at over 50 million euros, including one of the most expensive in the world in the Port of Pollense, currently up for sale, a luxury-class airline falls into line with the philosophy of those businesses on the island catering for the top end of the market and looking to enhance the island's attraction to the world's multimillionaires.