MaxJet - Sad News

Hopefully this won't affect anyone, but received this e-mail today:

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:
Dear Friends of MAXjet:

It is with deep regret that I must inform you that MAXjet filed today for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With today’s fuel prices and the resulting impact on the credit climate for airlines, we were forced to take this drastic measure. Our top priority is to assist our customers, particularly those who already have begun their travel with us, in securing alternative flight accommodations. I list the options available to MAXjet passengers directly below. These options are also listed on www.maxjet.com.

MAXjet has contracted with Eos Airlines for seats on Eos’ scheduled all-Premium service to accommodate passengers awaiting a return flight between New York and London. This morning we also contracted with Virgin Atlantic for seats on their scheduled services between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and London. We have secured a number of hotel rooms in London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles through early January 2008 which we will provide to affected passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted. We are doing everything we can to reduce disruption to our customers.

Passengers will be contacted by MAXjet Customer Care regarding their flight re-accommodations. If the contact information you provided to us at the time of booking is not current, or you wish to contact us directly, below are key telephone numbers and emails.

IF YOU HAVE STARTED YOUR TRAVEL: MAXjet has started contacting customers with new travel itineraries in priority order based on date of departure. If you have already started your travel and wish to contact us, you can reach Customer Care at:

US phone number: 1-866-837-9880
UK phone number: 44 (0)1279 216 478
Email: intransit@maxjet.com

Note this number is specially reserved for passengers already in transit. If you send an email, please make sure to provide a current contact telephone number and email address, along with your scheduled return flight and date. If you choose to book your own return flight accommodations, please contact your credit card company or travel agency directly and request a refund for the unused leg of your journey.

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET BEGUN YOUR TRAVEL, BUT HAVE BOOKED TICKETS: In order to assist in expediting refunds by the credit card companies, MAXjet is providing notification - to the extent possible - that our service to you was not delivered nor will be delivered. In addition, however, we encourage you to contact your credit card company or travel agency directly to expedite your refund.

Please note that we are prioritizing passengers who are in the midst of their journeys. If you would prefer to utilize our arrangements with Eos and Virgin instead of seeking a refund and booking a new itinerary on another airline on your own, please contact us at the special numbers below. Please provide a current telephone number and email address along with your booking reference number and originating flight destination/date to help us respond promptly:

US phone number: 1-888-435-9629
UK phone number: 44 (0)1279 216 428
Email: info@maxjet.com

For fastest service, we ask that you use the contact information as provided above; please do not respond to this e-mail.

On behalf of the entire MAXjet family, we extend our deep apologies to you for the inconvenience our discontinuation has caused. We are doing everything we can to take care of our passengers, and we are extremely saddened to discontinue a service that we so passionately believe in.

Sincerely,

William D. Stockbridge
President and CEO
[/quote]

I have never managed to fly with them, but I think it is a real same as they offered a real alternative in the market.

They seemed to be plagued with problems from the start. I agree that it is a pity but premium passengers weren't going to put up with the all too regular cancellations for ever even though it looked like a winning formula. I don't really buy the fuel price and credit climate explanation - they simply didn't have the aircraft to back the service up when problems arose.

As soon as American Airlines (the world's biggest) started their Stansted-New York service earlier this year, the writing was on the wall for Maxjet. What interests me is whether American will now stay at Stansted having effectively elimnated another transatlantic competitor. If they do stay, I'm pretty certain the cheap Business fares they have been offering will be gone.

What now for Silverjet & Eos?

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad

What now for Silverjet & Eos?
[/quote]

Eos will cease operations today. Great product but simply unable to compete when the Legacy carriers moved in.

Quote from Independent today:


"Silverjet, the only remaining business class-only carrier left – Maxjet folded in December – is in talks with several investors about a possible deal to shore up its financing or to be taken over outright."


Doesn't look good. It's a real pity, I like what these carriers were trying to do.

It is a shame but once again the 'big boys' have effectively shut down the competition. I had hoped to take a trip from Stansted to New York with one of these carriers but alas it is not to be.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:It is a shame but once again the 'big boys' have effectively shut down the competition. I had hoped to take a trip from Stansted to New York with one of these carriers but alas it is not to be.[/quote]

That is exactly what has happened!

AA started twice daily flights from Stansted to New York with seriously cheap promotional fares in Business/First class with lie flat seats etc.

There is conjecture that they will now cancel one, if not both, of those flights.

AA can only manage one flight from UK now outside of London(Manchester to Chicago). They used to have 3 flights from Manchester Miami, Chicago & Boston(seasonal) also a flight from Glasgow and their projected service from Newcastle was cancelled.

According to the MaxJet Website they are now trading again having been bought by Kevin Clark CEO of NCA Sports Group.

I don't think I would fly with them until they proved themselves.

We are flying Silverjet in a couple of weeks time. This is the second trip with them and we like their attitude, both in the air and in their lounges in Luton and NJ.
We usually fly on down to Florida from NJ with JetBlue. An advantage with Silverjet is the fact that they let you use their lounge on arrival at NJ, whilst you wait for the Jetblue connection.
So, here's hoping that they continue to survive

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by 50sumtng
We are flying Silverjet in a couple of weeks time. This is the second trip with them and we like their attitude, both in the air and in their lounges in Luton and NJ.
We usually fly on down to Florida from NJ with JetBlue. An advantage with Silverjet is the fact that they let you use their lounge on arrival at NJ, whilst you wait for the Jetblue connection.
So, here's hoping that they continue to survive
[/quote]

Not sure how this went for you but Silverjet looks like it's going under following Eos & Maxjet.

If any confirmation was needed, note that only 7 months after starting the service, American are discontinuing their Stansted-JFK flights in a few weeks. 'Mission Accomplished' for American it seems.