BA launches private jet service in US

British Airways may still be going through turbulence with its striking cabin crew, but that hasn't the stopped the airline launching a bold initiative in north America. It has found a way round the ban on it operating domestic flights in the US by teaming up with CitationAir to launch a private jet service.

'PrivateConnect' will offer BA customers access to a network of private jets operated by CitationAir and its parent, the Cessna Aircraft Company, across north America and the Caribbean

The 'pay and go' service will not be cheap - between $6,000 to $10,000 per plane per hour depending on aircraft type. But it is designed to be quick and simple, with customers registering online and then paying by credit card over the phone.

Robert Boyle, BA's director of strategy and business units, said: "Now we can offer our customers a seamless service to fly when they want and where they want, to almost any destination within the United States, Caribbean, southern Canada and Mexico in the luxury and privacy of their very own private jet."

Chauffeured transport will be available for transfers.

BA has long lobbied for a relaxation of US aviation rules, which forbid foreign carriers from operating domestic flights in America or from taking control of a US airline, but without success. ·