Business class at an economy price: French airline offers comfortable flights from New York to Europe

La Compagnie is a French airline offering business class flights to Europe at the price of economy class. Although it has a somewhat limited schedule compared to the larger airlines, it offers rollaway seats for a fraction of what you'd pay the big airlines - sometimes as little as 4x the price. The Travel and Leisure edition told in more detail.

Where La Compagnie flies

La Compagnie's two hubs are Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey. It offers daily flights between them in each direction with additional flights depending on the season. La Compagnie also operates several weekly flights to Milan and seasonal flights to Nice.

What do business class seats look like?

La Compagnie has a fleet of two Airbus A321neo aircraft, each with 76 reclining seats in a 2-2 configuration. All seats recline to a fully horizontal position and have storage space for things like a water bottle, tablet and shoes. The in-flight entertainment system has a touchscreen, although there is also a remote control for when you lean back and can't reach the 15,6-inch screen. This offer is on par with other business-class products in narrow-body aircraft, but it is not as private as luxury-style seats in wide-body aircraft, where each seat has direct access to the aisle in a 1-2-1 arrangement.

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What facilities does La Compagnie offer

La Compagnie provides passengers with access to a pre-flight lounge in other people's lounges (it doesn't have its own like major airlines do), a glass of champagne before departure, French cuisine, wine, an amenity kit with Caudalie toiletries, and free fast Wi-Fi via Viasat. Also worth noting is that La Compagnie's baggage allowance is two checked bags weighing up to 70 pounds (32 kg) each per passenger, as well as hand luggage and personal items that can weigh a total of 39 pounds (18 kg).

How much is a flight La Compagnie

Fares between Newark and Paris start at $2400 round trip; between Newark and Nice - $2550; and between Newark and Milan – $2200.

It is not uncommon to see business class fares between the same cities reaching $8000 or more with other carriers. La Compagnie sometimes offers fares as low as $1000 round trip, so keep an eye out for them. When booking, you can choose from three fare classes: Promo, Smart and Flex. They differ in their cancellation policy: Promo is non-refundable, Smart is refundable minus a $600 fee, and Flex is fully refundable. Rates also fluctuate based on demand and time of year.

Does La Compagnie have a loyalty program

Yes, La Compagnie has its own loyalty program where you earn points on every flight based on your fare class. These points can be redeemed for free flights. Frequent flyers seeking elite status should be aware that La Compagnie is not part of any of the three major alliances, nor does it partner with individual airlines for the mutual benefits of elite status.

What else you need to know about La Compagnie

With only two aircraft in La Compagnie's fleet, the airline's schedule is subject to cancellations and delays. If one flight is delayed, subsequent flights may be affected and there are no spare aircraft available to deal with the problem. And if one aircraft has a maintenance problem, it can completely disrupt the schedule. For what it's worth, La Compagnie's on-time percentage typically hovers around 67%. By comparison, large airlines in the United States typically have a 75% or higher on-time percentage.