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, businessman James Asquith, has pledged to “take passengers back to the Golden Age of Travel, reinvigorating the onboard experience with elevated service” between the UK and US.
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.” 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”.
But not everyone agrees that a newcomer flying a very large aircraft in a very crowded market is what the world needs. Global Airlines owns the double-deck A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane – across the North Atlantic.
Initially return economy fares were set at nearly £800 – but with slow sales, prices have been more than halved. Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent at The Independent, bought a ticket for the inaugural departure (at the higher price) and will be reporting from Glasgow airport.
Is Global Airlines’ founder James Asquith the new Richard Branson?
The founder of Global Airlines, James Asquith, has been compared to Richard Branson when he launched Virgin Atlantic four decades ago.
There certainly are some similarities. Like Richard Branson in the 1980s, Global Airlines’ founder is a rich and successful young man in his mid-30s vowing to improve the passenger experience on transatlantic flights to New York 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, operated by the Maltese subsidiary of a Portuguese airline, Hi Fly, and bookable through a Slough-based travel agent called Travelopedia. The new carrier does not have the necessary permits or slots for scheduled service to the US.
Virgin Atlantic was launched at a time when the appeal of America to British travellers was soaring. But currently existing transatlantic airlines including British Airways are reporting “soft” bookings for holiday flights to the US – following President Trump’s demand that all arriving “aliens seeking admission to the United States” should be “vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.
Four decades on, Virgin Atlantic is still going. It remains to be seen if Global Airlines will be around for the next 40 years.
Simon Calder15 May 2025 07:45
‘Why give people a hard time for trying something?’
“We should allow Global Airlines’ founder James Asquith his moment in the sun”: so says Rob Burgess, founder of the Head for Points frequent-flyer website.
He told The Independent: “A lot of start ups never actually make it to first flight, so credit for that.
“It is all private money, no crowdfunding, so why give people a hard time for trying something? There are many logical reasons why they are doomed to failure.”
Global Airlines is the topic of a post on Head for Points today, in which Mr Burgess writes: “Global has no Plan B, I suspect. If the A380 has a mechanical issue, there is no spare aircraft and the maintenance businesses at Glasgow are unlikely to be well stocked with A380 parts.
“Whilst it’s easy to pick holes in their project, the truth is that the majority of start-up airlines never even make it to their first flight. Who remembers our coverage of Hans Airways, which wanted to fly from Birmingham to India, or Fly Atlantic, which planned transatlantic services from Belfast?
“Whilst there is a heck of a long way to go to turn two test flights into a regular scheduled service, the Global Airlines project is still moving.
“We wish James and his team good luck.”
Simon Calder15 May 2025 07:10
What is Global Airlines promising that other airlines aren’t offering?
The founder, James Asquith, promises it will be: “The best experience in the sky today.” Global Airlines’ promotional pitch is: “We’ve all suffered for far too long with long security queues, late flights, lost luggage, inedible food and constant poor customer service”.
Instead, passengers today can look forward to “joy at every interaction and delight at every touch point”.
In addition, no other airline will fly you from the UK to New York on an Airbus A380 – a passenger favourite. Many prefer the double-decker jet because of the sense of space. And Global Airlines believes travellers will pay a premium for the privilege.
Having said that, what’s on offer today is rather different from what was originally proposed. That includes a new cabin called “Gamer Class” to allow people to play computer games on board.
There is no wifi. The inflight entertainment involves passengers using their devices rather than the seatback screens. And don’t get used to flights from Glasgow or indeed Manchester, where the next departure will be going on 21 May six days’ time – if and when a scheduled service gets going, it will be from London Gatwick to New York rather than Manchester or Glasgow.
Simon Calder 15 May 2025 06:53
