Crystal AirCruises has passed another milestone with the official handover of the new brand’s Boeing 777, dubbed the Crystal Skye.
The ceremony took place at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, where the new airplane was delivered to Crystal CEO and President Edie Rodriguez. Billed as the largest privately owned tour jet in the world, the new plane will be christened in Las Vegas on August 12.
Crystal Skye has a capacity of 88 guests and a nonstop range of 19.5 hours. Onboard, seats can convert to 180-degree life-flat beds, and the plane also has a social lounge with a stand-up bar, as well as meals prepared by an executive chef and paired with an extensive wine list.
Crystal collaborated with Greenpoint Technologies on development of the Crystal Skye.
Looking ahead, Crystal AirCruises is planning to fly its inaugural itinerary during China’s “Golden Week.” The 10-day, nine-night “Golden Week Holiday AirCruise” will run September 29, 2017, to October 8, 2017, from Hong Kong. That inaugural voyage replaced a number of previously scheduled itineraries, including the “Peninsula Grand Inaugural Crystal AirCruise” that had originally been scheduled to depart August 31.
Crystal AirCruises is the latest part of Crystal’s big brand expansion of the past few years. That includes the debut of the first newbuilds for Crystal River Cruises, the Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, which are set to debut August 13 and September 30, respectively. Four more newbuilds are on order for the river cruise line. Last year the company also launched the Crystal Esprit as part of its new Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises brand, which will also add the Crystal Endeavor starting in 2019. Crystal is also building new Crystal Exclusive Class polar ice-rated cruise ships that will house Crystal Residences.
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