At 11am on Thursday 15 May, a new British airline is due to make its maiden flight. A giant Airbus A380 plane in the colours of Global Airlines will lift off from Glasgow airport in Scotland, destination New York JFK .

The founder has pledged to “take passengers back to the Golden Age of Travel, reinvigorating the onboard experience with elevated service”. But plans for a five-cabin aircraft, including a new “gamer class”, have been dropped.

The promised regular scheduled links across the Atlantic are very much on hold. After a transatlantic round trip from Glasgow and a second this month from Manchester, no other flights are currently on offer.

So what is the story behind Global Airlines – and what are the chances of success? These are the key questions and answers.

What’s the big idea?

The key word is “big”. Global Airlines will be using the double-deck A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane – across the North Atlantic between the UK and US.…