Cheap NY-London Flights, But Who's on First?

Zoom Airlines recently announced "a revolution in low-cost air travel" with impending London-New York flights for £129. I'm quoting its press release here and take no responsibility for bizarre capitalization, but I reveled in the news that "the low-fares, full-service airline is to operate daily flights from London Gatwick to New York JFK from Thursday 21 June. Zoom will operate an ‘easyJet-style’ booking service with flexible one-way fares and the New York flights will offer economy and Premium economy services with designated seating, meals service and ‘plenty of frills’.

"Zoom says it plans to become the UK’s leading low-cost Transatlantic airline providing an affordable alternative to BA and Virgin which ‘have been fleecing passengers for too long’.
The new flights will also take off almost a year ahead of any “Open Skies” deal which may lead to more low-cost flights being offered by Zoom in the future."

Zoom promises:
• Year-round low-cost fares
• Full flexibility for passengers to travel when they want, with no restrictions on fares such as the need to stay a Saturday night
• Lunch time departures from Gatwick arriving NYC JFK early afternoon • The ability to be able to change reservations for a minimal fee
• Options to buy affordable one-way tickets
• Value-for-money Premium Economy service

John Boyle, co-owner with Hugh Boyle of Zoom Airlines, has been quoted as saying, “You cannot put a sheaf of paper between the prices charged by BA, Virgin and the American carriers on the New York route and it is high time that passengers had a better deal. We are offering savings of up to 70% on these flights. “Our catch phrase is ‘Now you’re sitting comfortably’ and we think this will appeal to people who, quite frankly, have been forced to pay outrageously high fares to fly between London and New York for too long."

Zoom does have a track record, having operated between the UK and Canada for the three years, serves Bermuda and has been granted permission to operate from London Gatwick as an official UK carrier to the United States alongside British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

This sounds to good to be true, and it might be, so don't book yet even though the inaugural is less than two months away. When you go to the US booking page of the carrier's website, the following message comes up: "Due to US Department of Transportation regulations, we are presently unable to offer flights to London and Bermuda to persons in the United States. Please check our website in the coming weeks for more details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to serving you in the future. Please call for further assistance 1.866.359.9666." This is the Zoom Airlines' North American toll-free number.

Maybe this will all change tomorrow -- or next week -- or next month. Stay tuned.