A bizarre experiment? A case study? Or a mere dream of a multimillionaire AvGeek? Whatever analysts define this concept, the statement is clear: this is Global Airlines! The newly launched British airline had its first flight on May 15th.
One step back
In 2021, following the air transport crisis provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic, fellow multi-millionaire and influencer Adquith decided to launch its airline, which would have flown transatlantic between the United Kingdom and the United States with a fleet of Airbus A380s.
The idea was stunning and unprecedented, as airlines farewell the quad-jet due to the high operating costs and issues filling them with enough passengers, the new start-up airline Global Airlines would have challenged the system.
This is the story of his airline’s first transatlantic flight, which took place between Glasgow Airport and New York JFK on Thursday, May 15
Expectations and reality
“Take passengers back to the Golden Age of Travel, reinvigorating the onboard experience with elevated service”
Rumours have been extremely overpromising; the carrier would have provided its passengers with a high-end onboard experience and stylish interior. Nevertheless, the inaugural flight between Glasgow and New York JFK did not meet expectations, as YouTubers and journalists who flew the service showed evidence of the airline’s underperformance. In particular, the aircraft still featured the 13-year-old outdated configuration of the previous operator China Southern (clearly showing its age in spoiled furniture), and the service was not satisfactory. Despite having carried less than 100 passengers (with a load factor of 20%), the service was so slow that they did not manage to serve both lunch and dinner as they ran out of time.
Therefore, the experiment did not achieve the target goals for the flying experience, as the aircraft is not equipped with the IFE system (each passenger needs to use their own device for entertainment) and service is performed by charter operator Hi Fly Malta crew, which is not specialised in ultra-luxury flying experiences.
Airline network and schedule
As of May 2025, the airline has not yet disclosed any long-term plan for the development of their network and schedule. Furthermore, on their website, only two destinations (and 4 flights) were available:
Following these services, it remains unclear when the airline will operate other flights and to which destinations.
Bottom line
On Global Airlines’ website, there is no option to book any flights later than May 25th 2025 (the New York JFK to Manchester service). It seems that operations will be on hold until the airline receives the AOC certificate (air operator certificate) that will allow the carrier to perform commercial air transport operations on its own, without involving Hi Fly.
Anyway, anyone may wonder: are they going to survive? Are they going to be profitable? Are they brave enough to go on any longer?
Flymoreandbetter 