In a move that surprises no one given the recent shuttering of business-class-only jet services MaxJet Airways and Eos Airlines, Silverjet, the last of the three, has folded. The London-based company failed to get a necessary $5 million in emergency funding to continue operations. The rise in the price of jet fuel doomed the business which was never profitable in its 16-month run. Lawrence Hunt, the chief executive of Silverjet, says on the Silverjet website that it might not be over yet, if he is able to get new investors with deep pockets the company will start up again. Unfortunately given the track record of business-class-only airlines, which despite the obvious appeal, seemed doomed to failure, he will have a tough road ahead.

As some business jet services like MAXJet and Eos are folding, while fuel costs and other annoyances plague private plane owners, a company called Talon Air apparently sees nothing but clear skies ahead. The on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service just added the ultra-luxe Legacy 600 (pictured here) to its fleet in order to meet increasing demand. We asked Adam Katz, Talon's owner and founder (and full-rotation pilot) to explain his apparently incongruous bullish outlook.

"The luxury travel sector will continue to improve," Katz tells Luxist. "The absence of those jets in the market just increases the demand for ultra high-end services like ours. Operators providing safe, luxury travel with all the amenities that are associated with these services will continue to prosper." As for onerous tariffs, "The government's inclination to impose further taxes on the general aviation and corporate or luxury travel operators will not change the broad demand for high end services," he insists. "People will always be willing to pay a fair price for exquisite, safe and convenient travel."

The twin-engine Legacy 600 (see the gallery below) can accommodate up to 13-passengers in its plush, Wi-Fi equipped 6-ft. tall cabin. It cruises at a speed of up to Mach 0.80 and has a range of 3,250 nautical miles, enough to fly nonstop from New York to London, from London (or Geneva) to Dubai, and from Singapore to Beijing. And judging from the glowing testimonial on Talon Air's website, tennis ace Pete Sampras is a big fan.

When MAXJet, one of the airlines doing the London to New York business class flights folded last December I wondered who might be next. Now it seems that the answer is Eos Airlines. The NY Times reports that the company has stopped flights and filed for bankruptcy protection. When MAXJet stopped operations it was Eos that picked up their stranded passengers. Eos ran their final flights on Sunday.

In February, British Airways announced a new business-class service from London to New York. The airline has two Airbus A318 to service the new route, fitting them with lie flat beds for 31 passengers. They will likely be competing against Silverjet, the remaining small carrier doing business flights from London to New York. Eos had offered flights on Boeing 757s reconfigured with 48 seats that turned into flat beds. The flights offered gourmet foods and wines and individual DVD players at the seats for prices ranging from $3,500 to $9,000 roundtrip. The airline was a success but was simply not making enough money and failed to raise a necessary $50 million additional financing to help pay debts.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show these past few days, the folks at the Audi stand have quite the uniform. The dress is tasteful black suits covering pressed white shirts or blouses -- but these are anything but your run-of-the-mill duds.

Audi has signed Michael Michalsky on to design its own Corporate Fashion Line for employees working auto shows, the Audi Forum and in dealerships. In the forefront of the fashion design world, Michalsky will also serve as an Audi brand ambassador.

The effort marks Audi's foray into the world of fashion, a role played by sibling brand Volkswagen several months ago when it launched high-end garments such as cashmere scarves to accompany the launch of its Jetta-based Eos convertible.

Check out Audi's full press release after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

The already competitive London to New York flight market is about to get a bit tighter. We've already covered Eos and MAXjet which both offer the same route.  Silverjet Limited will offer low fare, all business class flights. CNN reports that Silverjet is currently raising money to get on London's Alternative Investment Market in May. They expect to start business class service from Luton to Newark within six to nine months after getting on the market. They eventually plan to run ten aircraft to a variety of destinations. Like MAXjet, Silverjet will offer around 100 seats which are flatbeds. The average roundtrip is expected to be $1,700.