What is Global Airlines? All you need to know about new transatlantic airline before maiden flight to New York

At 11am on Thursday 14 May, a new British airline is due to make its maiden flight. A giant Airbus A380 plane in the colours of Global Airlines will lift off from Glasgow airport in Scotland, destination New York JFK.

The founder has pledged to “take passengers back to the Golden Age of Travel, reinvigorating the onboard experience with elevated service”. But plans for a five-cabin aircraft, including a new “gamer class”, have been dropped.

The promised regular scheduled links across the Atlantic are very much on hold. After a transatlantic round trip from Glasgow and a second this month from Manchester, no other flights are currently on offer.

So what is the story behind Global Airlines – and what are the chances of success? These are the key questions and answers.

What’s the big idea?

The key word is “big”. Global Airlines will be using the double-deck A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane – across the North Atlantic between the UK and US. The founder, James Asquith, 36, promises a new era of flying, saying: “People are sick and tired of the service they get on current airlines. We will be better.”

He says he is “constantly bewildered and disappointed by the poor experiences he has encountered aboard hundreds of commercial flights". Passengers on his airline will enjoy “the best experience in the sky” and get “fast relief from the aches and pains associated with commercial air travel”.

In 2013, Mr Asquith became the youngest person to travel to every country in the world, aged 24. He spent eight years working in investment banking, and founded the Holiday Swap website – which is funding the Global Airlines project along with private investors.

What’s the plane?

Global Airlines owns two European-built Airbus A380s. The one that is serviceable is 12 years old, with one previous operator, China Southern. The other, a 16-year-old SuperJumbo formerly flown by Singapore Airlines, is still stored at Lourdes in southwest France.

The launch aircraft is operated by the Maltese subsidiary of a Portuguese carrier, Hi Fly, and has the registration 9H-GLOBL.

The plane has the same three-class seating configuration as it did when China Southern flew it between Guangzhou and Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Sydney. In its “LOPA” (layout of passenger accommodation). Global Airlines is more economy-heavy than British Airways, and can therefore accommodate more passengers. I have compared Global Airlines with the BA A380 LOPA:

“Gamer class”, which was to be located and priced between business and premium economy, does not feature on the Global Airlines aircraft.

As with British Airways, some economy passengers are able to travel on the upper deck; 76 cheap seats are up top, with 352 on the main (lower) deck.

How much does it cost?

I paid the full economy fare of £778 return, but already prices have been halved to £380 try to fill the first departures. You can get this fare through ga.flights with the code GLOBAL380 or in business class for £1,999 return with the code GLOBAL1999. That also applies for the second round-trip, from Manchester to New York and back (21-25 May).

Is this like the launch of Virgin Atlantic?

James Asquith has been compared with Richard Branson. And The Global Airlines debut has some similarities to the bearded entrepreneur’s launch of a single Boeing 747 from Newark to in June 1984: the founder is a rich and successful young man in his mid-30s vowing to improve the passenger experience on transatlantic flights using the largest available secondhand plane.

But there are some important differences.

Virgin Atlantic flights were for sale direct from the airline by phone, through travel agents and even at Virgin Records stores (they were big in the 20th century). From day one, Virgin Atlantic had a scheduled operation between London Gatwick and New York Newark. You could stay in the US for a day or a month, or simply fly one way.

Global Airlines has only four transatlantic flights planned. These are fixed-duration charters bookable through a Slough-based travel agent called Travelopedia. The flights are operated by the Maltese subsidiary of a Portuguese airline, Hi Fly.

The new carrier has promised scheduled flights from London Gatwick to the US, but does not have the necessary permits or slots.

Doesn’t everyone love the A380?

The A380 is a passenger favourite. Many people prefer it because of the sense of space. The main deck economy cabin is a couple of feet wider than the Boeing 777 – which makes a lot of difference with a 10-abreast configuration.

The double-deck jet was devised to make the most of limited slots (particularly at London Heathrow) and to offer airlines lower costs for “hub and spoke” operations. It is used assiduously for this latter purpose by Emirates – which has almost half of the total production run of 251 aircraft. (For comparison, the Boeing 747 Jumbo sold over six times more during its much longer production run.)

Global Airlines plans to use the aircraft on the London-New York run, the world’s most lucrative intercontinental air route. The only time it has ever been served by an A380 was briefly before Covid when Norwegian chartered one from Hi Fly to cover for unserviceable Boeing 787s. (That aircraft was actually the non-flying A380 now owned by Global Airlines.)

The evidence is that high-spending business passengers value frequency over aircraft type. On the day of the Global Airlines launch, British Airways – just one of five airlines competing from London to New York JFK – has eight departures from Heathrow plus one from Gatwick. BA has never flown its A380 on the route.

What do others say?

The mainstream aviation community is sceptical about the prospects of success for Global Airlines. The start-up is seeking to fill a very large aircraft – with high costs of fuel, crew and maintenance – in a crowded market where existing “legacy” carriers have strong loyalty programmes and networks offering connections.

What does the founder say?

After flying some passengers from Barcelona to Berlin and onwards to London Gatwick, Mr Asquith posted on social media about what he called “lots of unfounded, baseless and negative speculative commentary written by people who I think should feel ashamed”.

He said: “Lots of colleagues and partners are working their asses off, and when their family and friends read the nasty and offensive comments from anonymous keyboard warriors claiming that our company was 'made up' or a scam at the start, it cuts deep. We have proven over and over again that this is not true.

“Like anyone, we of course make mistakes. Nothing is perfect in any new venture, but even more so in aviation. We do not always have all the answers and we cannot always explain everything as it happens don't think anyone will ever fully appreciate just how complex and fast-moving this has all been over the last two years.

“Global started out as a vision; an ambition to make a change. It quickly became a reality due to huge perseverance and effort from our brilliant home team and many partners along the way. We wanted to create some competition, create jobs and a better product backed by passion.

“Everyone seems to love our aircraft, and couldn't be happier. We are just a team of people trying so hard to deliver a dream that will ultimately be hugely positive.”

How much has the project cost?

Global Airlines is not saying, but it is fair to say tens of millions of pounds have been invested in the enterprise so far. James Asquith told The Independent: “I’ve sold and risked everything to be in the position I’m at. I’m putting everything on the line.”