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La Compagnie, a new French airline with an all Business Class fleet, is offering $1,007 roundtrip fares from Newark to London-Luton for travel from April 24 to June 30, 2015.

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Even though La Compagnie has the worst transatlantic Business Class, the offering is far better than anyone else’s economy or Premium Economy, and at a lower price, so this is a great deal.

The Deal

La Compagnie begins service from Newark to London-Luton, which is an airport dominated by low-cost carriers like easyJet and Wizz Air, on April 24, 2015. I flew Wizz Air from Luton to Ljubljana, Slovenia last year. I went to the airport by train and bus, and hung out in a Priority Pass lounge for a few minutes. It’s no more inconvenient than Heathrow and Gatwick for me.

On La Compagnie’s home page, you can run your search.

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I found the promo fare available basically every day until June 30. Promo fares were indicated by the date saying “FROM $557.” Miles tickets are often harder to find for Friday and Sunday departures–departure days that maximize vacation while minimizing vacation days–so it is nice that this fare is available every day of the week.Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 7.34.34 PM

Oddly since $557 + $557 = $1,114, selecting two $557 fares brings up a total of $1,007 roundtrip. My search was for two passengers, so the total is $2,014.

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This is unbeatable for Business Class, which usually goes for several thousand dollars. Even economy fares for Friday-until-the-next-Sunday nine day trips for June are going for about $1,000 roundtrip from the New York area to London.

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Note that the change fee is listed as $500 and there is no cancellation of these promo tickets.

The Product

I feel a little weird calling La Compagnie’s offering Business Class. Its seat is worse than every Business Class that flies across the Atlantic.

But the seat is better than economy and Premium Economy.

This is what La Compagnie says about the 74 Business Class seats that make up the all-Business flight:

Integrated in fixed shells, our seats offer passengers ultimate privacy and comfort. Our seats recline to a 180-degree angle with a built-in massage feature for added comfort during your journey. Arranged in 2×2 rows, our comfortable seats are spaced by a pitch of 62 inches.

The seat height is 46 ½ in. with a width of 26 in.

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Photos make it very clear that not all seats have direct aisle access. The seat does is not parallel to the ground, so it’s an angled flat seat.

I would rather fly any flat-bed seat and most angled flat seats, but this is at least a lot of legroom plus it comes with some of the perks of Business Class.

Free Bags

  • Two checked bags up to 70 pounds each (one more than coach usually gets to Europe)
  • Two carry ons (one more than coach gets)
  • One personal item

Free Lounge Access in Newark

It doesn’t look that great, but it is better than a United Club or the terminal.

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No lounge access is listed for London. If you have Priority Pass access from a Citi Prestige® Card, there is an OK lounge in Luton.

Inflight Entertainment

You get a Samsung Galaxy Pro tablet at your seat loaded with entertainment options.

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Free Food and Wine

They’ve got a chef with a French name and sommelier’s with “personal relationships with harvesters.”

The point I’m trying to get across is that it sounds like somewhere between a Business Class product and a Premium Economy product. If I bought someone one of these tickets as a surprise, I’d just tell her we are going to London and let her expectations be exceeded by the Business Class instead of telling her we were going in Business Class and leaving her expectations unmet.

Full details on The Services and Good to Know before travel at the links. Here is a full trip report of flying La Compagnie Business Class. The money line: “The La Compagnie seat wasn’t angled flat, but rather angled in three different directions. Within a minute of reclining I put it back in the upright position.”

Bottom Line

If I didn’t have miles, I’d fly La Compagnie Business Class for $1,007 roundtrip in a heart beat. Because I do, I’ll skip it and look for fully flat beds.