Wow, I didn’t see this coming. All business class transatlantic airline La Compagnie has historically only flown between Newark States and France (Paris year-round, Nice seasonally), while the airline will now be expanding with two new routes. This follows the airline having been grounded for well over a year due to the pandemic.
La Compagnie launches Paris to Tel Aviv route
La Compagnie has put tickets on sale for a new route between Paris Orly (ORY) and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). The new route is expected to operate 3x weekly between July 22 and October 19, 2021, with the following schedule:
B0400 Paris to Tel Aviv departing 10:10AM arriving 3:40PM
B0401 Tel Aviv to Paris departing 5:10AM arriving 9:00AM
The flight will cover a distance of 2,043 miles in each direction, and will operate eastbound on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and westbound on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
La Compagnie will be selling tickets both between Paris and Tel Aviv, as well as between Newark and Tel Aviv, given that these flights are timed for connecting passengers. La Compagnie’s Paris to Newark service operates with the following schedule:
B0100 Paris to Newark departing 10:30AM arriving 1:00PM
B0101 Newark to Paris departing 7:00PM arriving 8:40AM (+1 day)
As you can see, this is a pretty efficient routing for those traveling between the United States and Israel, as the layovers in each direction are only around 90 minutes.
La Compagnie launches Newark to Milan route
Not only is La Compagnie adding a new service between Paris and Tel Aviv, but the airline is also adding a new transatlantic route. La Compagnie has put tickets on sale for a new route between Milan (MXP) and Newark (EWR). The new route is expected to operate 4x weekly between November 29, 2021, and March 12, 2022, with the following schedule:
B0300 Milan to Newark departing 1:35PM arriving 5:10PM
B0301 Newark to Milan departing 9:50PM arriving 12:15PM (+1 day)
The flight will cover a distance of 4,010 miles in each direction, and will operate eastbound on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and westbound on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and westbound on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
What are fares like on these new routes?
La Compagnie is known for its attractive business class fares, and fares here are quite good:
- Roundtrip Newark to Tel Aviv (via Paris) fares start at $2,000
- Roundtrip Paris to Tel Aviv fares start at 1,000€
- Roundtrip Newark to Milan fares start at $1,700
- Unfortunately one-way fares seem to be significantly more than half the cost of a roundtrip for now
This initial pricing is allegedly valid for flights booked through July 15, though it’s capacity controlled, so you won’t find that kind of pricing on all dates. La Compagnie is known for constantly running fare sales, so I’d expect to find these kinds of fares in the future as well if you’re flexible.
My take on La Compagnie’s expansion
While La Compagnie was a bit of a mess when it launched back in 2014, the airline has come a long way. La Compagnie operates two brand new Airbus A321neos with an excellent onboard product. The airline offers a unique value proposition in the markets it operates in.
I really want to see La Compagnie not only survive but also thrive, because I think there’s huge value to customers in having a more consistently affordable long haul business class airline.
Furthermore, La Compagnie has had it especially tough during the pandemic. The airline was grounded for about 15 months, given that it exclusively flew between the United States and France, and there was virtually no demand for such flights. I’m happy to see that the airline has managed to survive through these tough times.
That brings us to these two new routes:
- The new Paris to Tel Aviv service seems like it could be a smart move, given that the airline can serve both the Paris to Tel Aviv market, and the Newark to Tel Aviv market, both of which are sizable
- A winter-only service between Newark and Milan is puzzling to me, though; that route is counter-seasonal, and the New York area to Milan is already one of the most competitive transatlantic routes, and it’s also a fifth freedom route that Emirates serves
- It takes a long time to build brand awareness in a market, so I question the viability of these routes being offered for just a few months at a time
- I find it interesting that La Compagnie’s second transatlantic route isn’t from France to another city in the United States, but rather than from another country to the United States
I’m curious to see how these new services play out, and if they do in fact both launch.
Bottom line
All business class airline La Compagnie has been grounded for well over a year due to the pandemic. The airline is finally resuming operations, but not just in the markets it previously served. Rather the airline is launching two new routes that I didn’t see coming — first we’ll see a Paris to Tel Aviv route this summer and fall, and then we’ll see a Newark to Milan route this winter.
I can make sense of the Paris to Tel Aviv, while the Newark to Milan route is a bit more of a mystery to me, especially given the counter-seasonality.
What do you make of La Compagnie’s new routes?
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