Bliss Jet to offer private $12,000 flights to London, says LI exec

A Port Washington aviation executive is launching Bliss Jet, a new high-end private jet service with scheduled flights between Westchester County and London beginning in September.

The Long Island-based company says the ticket price of $11,995 each way will provide travelers with discreet screening and security, while avoiding delays at boarding, deplaning and Customs.

CEO David Rimmer said the weekly charter service will save fliers a minimum of four hours door-to-door each way, compared to a commercial flight from a major airport like Kennedy Airport or London’s Heathrow.

“Bliss Jet is for people who schedule time in minutes, not hours,” he said.

Rimmer said he expects to draw well-heeled travelers to Westchester County Airport in Harrison from Long Island, New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester.

He said originating the flights from Long Island was rejected because some prospective customers were put off by the prospect of crossing bridges to reach a Long Island airport.

Scheduled airlines fly more than 1 million passengers in first- and business-class between New York and London each year, he said. “That’s a pretty big pie. We’re only looking for a small slice of it.”

Bliss Jet initially plans to use Jet Access Aviation of West Palm Beach, Florida, to provide the 14-passenger Gulfstream aircraft for the service, though Rimmer said his company likely will get its own aircraft eventually.

Flights will leave from Westchester on Sunday nights and arrive at Biggin Hill Airport in London on Monday morning. Return flights will leave from London Friday afternoon.

Rimmer previously was president of JFI Jets, based at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale and at Long Beach Airport in California.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.