Crystal said that it would not fly six air tours that it had
previously offered, but instead use the Boeing 777 for a charter in China.
The plane, the Crystal Skye, has been chartered for an
inaugural 10-day "Golden Week Holiday AirCruise" departing Sept. 29 from
Hong Kong.
The charter will be managed by Genting Hong Kong, Crystal's
parent company. The Crystal Skye will then be available for charters and other
special interest AirCruises.
Crystal said the shift of the Crystal Skye to special
interest charters "provides a distinct luxury option that is in great
demand and is unmatched by any hotel, resort or cruise line in the world."
Anyone who has booked a Crystal AirCruises journey in 2017
and 2018 will receive a full refund and a complimentary Crystal ocean or river
cruise in 2017 or 2018.
Specifics of the Crystal air tour product were unveiled in
October 2016 at a joint event in New York held by Crystal and Peninsula Hotels.
The inaugural tour, departing Aug. 31, was to have been a month-long excursion
to 10 cities that have Peninsula hotels for 80 passengers paying $159,000 each.
That tour has been scrubbed, along with other announced
departures on Oct. 21 and Dec. 22, 2017 and March 31, June 1, Sept. 8, and Oct.
13, 2018.
Crystal said it will take delivery of the B-777 on August 1
from Greenpoint Technologies, a company that does custom interiors for business
jets. It said itinerary details of the Golden Week charter would be disclosed
by the end of June.