EOS Airlines Hopes Passengers Will Pay More to Avoid Rude Treatment

This is a partial transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," August 25, 2006, that was edited for clarity.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Terror fears wreaking havoc on air travelers, from mind-numbingly long lines to new baggage restrictions. Plus, nowadays, ticket agents and flight attendants are flat-out rude to passengers.

Enter Eos Airlines. Check-in from New York to London is under 10 minutes, lots of overhead storage. You can even enjoy a flatbed service and a five-course meal. But it does not come cheap.

With us now is the founder of Eos, David Spurlock.

David, good to have you.

DAVID SPURLOCK, FOUNDER, EOS AIRLINES: Great to be here, Neil.

CAVUTO: All right. We should say, it does not come cheap, but it's — it's kind of on a par with business class in most major airlines, right?

(CROSSTALK)

SPURLOCK: For our unrestricted fares, we're about 20 to 25 percent below the traditional incumbents' fares.

CAVUTO: And, for that, you get 48, essentially, all first-class seats.

SPURLOCK: We took an airplane that used to have to 220 seats in — on board, stripped them all out, replaced them with 48 suites. Each one converts into a six-foot, six-inch, fully flat bed, a level of product that exceeds, really the — the best-in-breed international first-class cabins.

CAVUTO: All right. I do not know if we have interior shots here. I think we do. We're getting some shots now.

Now, Air One many years ago had tried something like this, David. And it did not survive very long. What makes you think you will?

SPURLOCK: Now, Air One, I am not familiar with. I am very familiar with MGM Grand and Legend. If you can help me with who Air One was...

CAVUTO: But the bottom line was that a — a — a chic, select, pedigreed service ultimately runs into the same obstacles all the other guys do.

SPURLOCK: You know, I don't think so.

It really depends which markets you serve. The only two entrants that I am aware of tried to enter the U.S. domestic market, which are short-haul flights, an hour or two in duration. And product specification and service quality does not have the impact on the business traveler that, when we fly long-haul, overseas, overnight, over water — that is where this becomes a necessity , not just a luxury.

CAVUTO: So, your costs are lower, you argue, and that there might be more allure going forward. But the problem is, you are limited with your routes right now. Is that going to change?

SPURLOCK: It's going to change. September 8, we launch our second daily flight between New York and London.

And, early in Q-1, we will launch our few new city fare.

CAVUTO: Who is using you?

SPURLOCK: We have corporate agreements in place with seven of the top 10 international investment banks. We have 100 corporate accounts with global companies.

And, if I think about the type of business that is most attracted to us, it is the business that is trying to get a competitive advantage, because they know, when they travel on Eos, they are going to travel more rested, more on time, more...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But you're still a victim of the same kind of delays that other airlines would have to suffer, right?

SPURLOCK: Yes and no.

You know, if I look at the week after the terror plot in London, our average delay was 14 minutes. The rest of the industry was probably an hour-and-a-half to two hours, on average.

CAVUTO: All right.

SPURLOCK: When you focus on 40 people at a time, you get them through quick.

CAVUTO: All right.

David Spurlock, the founder of the airline called Eos, getting all these rave reviews from all these fancy-schmancy people, who love to travel nice.

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