One of the most interesting airline startups of the year has been La Compagnie, the all business class airline operating 757s exclusively between Newark and Paris. They had some operational issues when they started, and I was really excited to fly them between Paris and Newark. At 550EUR one-way, the ticket was dirt cheap for…
Continue reading: La Compagnie’s Business Class Fares Still Great
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i would not have a problem to fly them... if one has the right mindset - i'm paying coach price and that's what i am getting - why not?
I would have no problem flying them but would not want to book a ticket more than a month out. As you say, their financials dont really make sense and I want to be able to contest and not pay the ticket price if they go under before I am able to fly.
Sounds like the 26" must be the full width of the seat frame plus armrest (roughly 1.5x the normal 17"-wide 757 coach seat), whereas some of the other figures quoted more accurately reflect just the width of the seat pad.
That said, while the writer is at fault for failing to acknowledge AA's forthcoming newer business class seat, he is probably right that a 2x2 configuration on a 757 yields wider seats than a cramped 2x2x2 configuration on a 767, even if that width just ends up in the armrests. And while Air France is rolling out a new seat, they're not rolling it out particularly quickly, and they (annoyingly) don't seem to be making any commitments to have important markets like JFK operated by all flat beds by any particular date, as other carriers have done with such transitions.
Keep in mind, also, that AA has been using 757's on the JFK-CDG route for years, all with those angled seats. This is certainly competitive with that product.
But I have to ask whether lie flat seats on a 6.5 hour flight is really that important, other than to those who are, let's just say, a bit precious. Business travelers lived without them for years and years, espousing to their friends and colleagues the luxury of their Business class semi-recliners with a 38" pitch. Flat is awesome on truly long haul flights, but for these nonstop trans-Atlantic hops, it seems to me like the difference between Tumi and Victorinox cabin bags. In other words, who cares?
In the end, no matter what seat you have, you get off the plane feeling a bit like s#$t.
If I had a reason to go to Paris, and their ticket price were comparable or less than economy, of course I would fly them. Until recently, this might have been a tough decision because I would have wanted to collect United miles. But instead of collecting 7000+ miles for the trip, soon UA will allow me to collect only 1500-2000 (based on the price of the ticket). That amount is just noise in the UR and similar miles I get from credit card spend. So I have almost zero incentive to stay loyal to UA, and at current prices I would choose La Compagnie with very little hesitation.
But unfortunately I have no need to go to Paris anytime soon.
I'v been following these guys for a while now as I was very interested to see how will they grow. I have to say that the price they offer is simply unbeatable. To fly on a flat bed in business class, transatlantic, for 50% cheaper than the big guys is an offer that cannot be refused.
And yes, even though they say they are not the best business class in the sky, they still do offer all the perks of business class. Lounges, fast TSA track, flat/comfy bed and a good food, so, like they say, they are definitely the best business class value.
I must notice that in past month or two they have not had any cancellations or delays, all the glitches from beginning of operations seem to be fixed and they are cruising steadily and on time.
Whether I am flying for business or for pleasure to Paris, I think I found my airline of choice. Finally someone was brave enough to disturb the world of ridiculously high prices for business and first class travel. I hope they stay around, good luck La Compagnie !