<p>Zoom starts £129 flights to New York</p><p>Ray Massey, Daily Mail 22 June 2007 http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/consumer/savingideas/article.html?in_article_id=421601</p><p>A transatlantic air fares battle started yesterday as a budget airline began flights to New York from as little as £129.</p><p>Zoom launched its service with a packed Boeing 767-300 aircraft taking off from London Gatwick to JFK Airport. </p><p>The 268 passengers on board were the first of nearly 10,000 who have so far booked Zoom's cut-price fares which went on sale in April. </p><p>The airline aims to combine the low prices of 'no-frills' airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair with the on- board perks of traditional airlines such as BA and Virgin. </p><p>An economy passenger gets a baggage allowance of 20kg, free meals and one complimentary bar drink. </p><p>Zoom says it offers passengers an 'affordable alternative' to British Airways, Virgin, Delta and other carriers which have been charging what it calls 'exorbitant' prices to fly across the Atlantic. </p><p>Both BA and Virgin responded to the challenge yesterday by saying they can offer ' comparable' fares. </p><p>Zoom's New York economy ticket prices start at £129 each way, including all taxes, fees and charges - about a third of the price of the equivalent one-way ticket with BA or Virgin Atlantic. </p><p>At least a quarter of seats on all flights will be at the lowest £129 price, with the rest of the economy seats rising in increments of £10 to £15 to a ceiling of around £500. </p><p>The airline was set up three years ago by Scottish brothers Hugh and John Boyle, offering cut-price flights from the UK to Canada. </p><p>Before take off, John Boyle said: 'Today a new low-cost era has really taken off. People have been forced to pay outrageously high fares to fly between London and New York for too long. </p><p>'You cannot put a sheaf of paper between the prices charged by BA, Virgin and the American carriers on the New York route. It is high time that passengers had a better deal.' </p><p>Hugh Boyle said they intended to launch more cut-price services, to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston. </p><p>A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said it would match any competition and already offered 'thousands' of return tickets to New York at a base rate of £270, adding: 'We will not be beaten on price.' </p><p>A British Airways spokesman said: 'Currently our lowest fare to New York is £330 return but our lowest fares start from £270 which are available throughout the year. Our fares are extremely comparable with Zoom.' Zoom launches £129 New York trip </p><p>BBC 12th April 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6548251.stm</p><p>A price war for budget transatlantic flights could be on the cards after an airline said it would offer a London to New York service for £129 one-way. </p><p>The carrier, Zoom, will begin flights from London Gatwick on 21 June. </p><p>In addition, budget airline Ryanair has said it is now eyeing a transatlantic service within three to four years, with flights from 10 euros (£6.80). Zoom's US flights are scheduled to take off from Gatwick in July The news comes ahead of an "open skies" deal allowing more US-Europe flights from March 2008. </p><p>'Good availability' </p><p>Zoom, which already operates from five UK airports to Canada, said it aimed to become the UK's leading budget transatlantic carrier by undercutting the likes of BA and Virgin Atlantic. </p><p>Co-owner Hugh Boyle, the Scottish entrepreneur who started the firm with his brother John, told the BBC that more than 25% of seats would be available at the lowest price. </p><p>"It's across the board on all dates. It's not a low season date, it's not just if you go in November or on a Tuesday. </p><p>"Every flight on every date will have a good availability of seats at £129." </p><p>Passengers will be able to upgrade for £99, the airline said. </p><p>The past year has seen the launch of three business class-only airlines - Silverjet, EOS and Maxjet - flying between London and New York. </p><p>Low-cost airline Zooms into JFK with $199 London fare</p><p>21st June 2007 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-06-21-zoom-jfk_N.htm</p><p>NEW YORK (AP) — Low-cost Canadian carrier Zoom Airlines makes its first foray into the U.S. market Thursday when it launches a daily flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to London's Gatwick Airport.</p><p>Zoom is offering one-way fares of $199 on its 266-seat Boeing 767-300's. Slightly larger "premium economy" seats can be had for an additional $179 each way.</p><p>In comparison, the cheapest round-trip flight between New York and London in mid-July is listed at $753, or about $377 each way, according to SideStep.com. "It's a very low price for the summer," said Bob Mann, an airline consultant with R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, N.Y.</p><p>Zoom does not require passengers to buy a round-trip ticket or stay over on a Saturday night, both typical requirements for a cheaper flight on most airlines. Zoom, based in Ottawa, Canada, and at Gatwick, already operates 10 to 12 daily flights between Canada and the U.K.</p><p>Zoom is adding the New York-London route because nearly 42,000 people travel between the two cities every week, said chairman Hugh Boyle.</p><p>"It's the daddy of them all," Boyle said.</p><p>Some analysts doubt Zoom will last.</p><p>"The problem with the Zoom concept is that it doesn't fill a market gap," said Mike Boyd, president of The Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colo. "There are now plenty of low-fare airlines across the Atlantic. ... It's called the economy cabins of American (Airlines), British (Airways), Continental (Airlines), etc."</p><p>Boyle said the four-year-old company is profitable, and knows what it's doing.</p><p>"We know it works between Canada and the UK," Boyle said.</p><p>Zoom is a full-service carrier, Boyle said, meaning it serves food and hands out pillows at no extra charge. There is an additional charge for seat selection.</p><p>Most passengers book online, which keeps Zoom's costs low, Boyle said. The airline will sell as many as 25% of its seats at the $199 rate, but other seats will be more expensive. There will be 88 "premium economy" seats on each flight. Zoom will also carry cargo.</p><p>Boyle boasted flight occupancy rates of 90%, compared with an industry average of about 81%, according to Goldman Sachs.</p><p>Low-cost carriers have tried international routes before, Mann said, but few have stuck with it. That's because low cost carriers prefer to fly planes four to six times a day on busy domestic routes that let the airline quickly turn each plane around for another trip, Mann said.</p><p>"It's just a fundamentally different business," Mann said.</p><p>But Zoom's 767-300s are the perfect plane for a company trying Zoom's model, he said.</p><p>"That's an airplane on which $199 each way, you can cover your costs," Mann said.</p><p>Zoom's low fares will put pressure on other carriers, he said.</p><p>"This will limit some of the traditional guy's ability to sell some of their more expensive seats," Mann said.</p><p>And Zoom's not done. Boyle said the privately held airline is looking at other busy domestic routes and may add new flights early next year.</p><p>"The U.S. from the U.K. is a huge market, and we will roll it out," Boyle said.</p>