Britain has a brand new airline, people. And it wants to shake things up, apparently. Global Airlines was founded in 2021 by a guy called James Asquith. He says that his startup will revolutionise commercial flying by getting rid of ‘long security queues, late flights, lost luggage, inedible food and constant poor customer service’. That’s one big promise.
Now, four years later, Global has officially started selling tickets for its debut flights. With its Airbus A380 (a double decker superjumbo jet) taking off from Glasgow at 11am on May 15, it’ll become the first airline offering a direct route from the Scottish city to New York. The plane is due at JFK seven hours later and will return to Scotland on May 19. Two days later, on May 21, the aircraft will fly from Manchester to New York for another four-day trip.
But the ‘special experience’ flights don’t come cheap. Return economy (‘Global Traveller’) tickets for Global Airline’s first ventures are on sale for £778, while business class will set you back £3,700 and a first class ticket costs £7,127. For comparison, tickets for flights to the Big Apple from Edinburgh on the same day are going for £413 return.
That said, Global Airlines is focused on luxury and all of its prices do include checked baggage and a glass of Laurent-Perrier champagne. It promises that its economy class will be a ‘balance of affordability and quality’ where ‘comfort and value intertwine effortlessly’.
Although the plane is owned by Global Airlines, it’ll be operated by Portuguese aviation firm Hi-Fly. After the four inaugural flights, a full flight schedule for Global Airlines hasn’t been shared, so it’s unclear when they’ll become a regular addition.
Find out more on the Global Airlines website here.
Air travel in the UK with Time Out
Looking for more on the best airports and airlines in Britain right now? This month leading aviation consultancy Skytrax revealed its World Airline Awards for 2025, and we covered them here at Time Out. You can read about the three London airports in Skytrax’s top 100 in the world here.
In other aviation news, the world’s longest flight will launch from the UK in 2027 and 10 UK airports have just changed security rules around liquids in hang luggage –here’s everything you need to know.
ICYMI: Jet2 is launching five new cheap routes from the UK to popular European holiday hotspots.
Plus: Edinburgh’s trams and buses are officially getting contactless ‘tap-on, tap-off’ payments.
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