La Compagnie Review
When Ro and I were wrapping up our London, Lisbon, and Paris trip in November 2022, we decided that Paris and the South of France would be our next trip.
I can’t recall how we came across La Compagnie, but I mentioned it to Ro and we decided to try to go for it. We flew to Europe the previous times for less than $400, so we felt justified and financially able to afford the ticket.
La Compagnie is a boutique airline only flying the following routes:
Newark to Paris (and back)
Newark to Milan (and back)
Newark to Nice (and back)
There are only 76 seats on the plane, all lie-flat, so they market it as a business-class only airline. Though if the entire plane is one “class,” I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a business-class only flight.
For $2900, we got the following included:
Ticket to and from your destination (we flew the Newark to Paris route)
Gourmet meals on-board prepared by Michelin-starred chefs
French wine pairing with your meals, plus a welcome glass of champagne
Lounge access prior to your flight
2 complimentary checked bags
Unlimited wifi onboard
Premiere access to customs and TSA
Lie-flat seats
Amenities kits with Caudalie skincare products
Large TV screens with noise-cancelling headphones
Seats
The seats were pretty comfortable! They have a touch remote built in to adjust the seat, though it was a bit finnicky and it does lie down completely flat, not at an angle which is nice! For bedding, you get a down comforter and pillow.
You get an ottoman and a shelf in between the seats towards your head to place some small items (like your purse, technology, or water); however, there was not much storage space besides these 2 options.
You also have a foot well, however, it is a little small and narrow. I felt like my feet couldn’t both comfortably fit unless they were completely straight up, so I feel this may have been a slight design flaw personally.
The restrooms are the exact same as an economy restroom on a normal flight which is honestly a bit of a bummer. With the plane having significantly less seats than your typical transatlantic plane, I would hope for a bit of a nicer or larger restroom.
Food
The food and drinks were unreal. When you are seated, you get a welcome glass of champagne or juice. It was the best champagne I’ve ever had. You are also given a warm hand towel to clean your hands, which was a lovely touch.
We got a soup/salad, cheese course, and light dinner, then a filling breakfast on the flight to Paris. The dinner was a leek soup (delicious) and I opted for the fish salad, similar to a tuna salad with seasonal vegetables on top. I loved it. You also get a cheese course, which this route offered a blue and a goat cheese. Ro got the beef salad with chilled beef with a dijon sauce and seasonal vegetables.
The breakfast options were an apple-filled pancake, with fruit and a croissant or an omelet with mushrooms. I chose the pancakes and they were pretty good! Nothing life-changing, but better than a croissant or yogurt you normally get.
On the flight back, we had a heavy lunch and light snack. The lunch was a chilled lobster claw with seafood bisque, cheese course, a caramel dessert (SO good) and a baguette, then they brought out an option of cod or veal. I opted for the cod and it was great.
The snack was an option of miniature pastries or the quiche. I opted for the quiche and it was so good and a perfect snack.
Boarding/Airport Experience
We’ll start with the lounge access. On the flight leaving Newark, the lounge was closed. They gave us a $30 voucher for any of the restaurants in our terminal; however, there were only 2 restaurants with the same menu and a 1 drink cost $20, and the food cost a minimum of $25, so the voucher, while helped, wasn’t the same as accessing a lounge. This was pretty disappointing.
On the flight back, we did have access to the lounge and it was okay! We had a breakfast buffet (limited options of breads, yogurts, and oranges/red delicious apples/yogurt and granola), drinks, and access to outside to see the planes take off. There was no bartender, so if you wanted a cocktail, they had just handles of alcohol at the breakfast buffet to make your own drink (take that as you will - a positive or a shock). The most disappointing aspect though were the restrooms… They were extremely dirty and had no toilet paper or soap.
You also get “priority access” to TSA, which is great if you don’t have TSA PreCheck. However, if you do have PreCheck, it is a bit frustrating since you can’t use it and have to take all of your electronics and liquids out and take your shoes off, which is part of the benefit of having PreCheck. I would much prefer an option to use your PreCheck if you have it. We did get priority access through customs once we landed in Paris, which made it go by a bit more quickly.
Boarding is extremely quick. Boarding opens 30 minutes before take-off and since the plane offers so few seats, you don’t feel rushed or cramped or harried trying to get your items put away and get settled. It was the nicest boarding experience I’ve encountered. We had plenty of time to arrive, board, get situated, and relax before we took off.
Also to note, they do allow small dogs onboard. So if you’re traveling with a smaller dog, this would be a great airline for you to book.
Amenities
The amenity kit on the flight to Paris was a bit disappointing as well. We got sachets of skincare by the brand “comfort zone,” and eye mask, socks, and a pouch for your shoes. An amenity kit is nice, but I would’ve preferred a bit of a larger sample size as these were a one-time use size.
The amenity kit on the flight back was better. We got a hydration mask from Caudalie and a nail/hand hydrating cream, which was a great find!
The screens offered a great movie selection along with meditation offerings. I really enjoyed that touch since I get a little anxiety on planes.
You also get unlimited wifi the entire flight. I could not figure out how to connect on the first flight until we had about an hour left of it, which is definitely user error. The flight back the internet was intermittently working. A nice touch to have on the flight, and I used it for sure, but I do also enjoy disconnecting for a few hours on a flight personally.
Good size screen, but as you can see, the foot well is quite narrow
Overall Thoughts
The plane was extremely hot on the flight over, to the point where Ro nor I could sleep, and this is the main thing I remember about the experience. We asked if we could make the cabin cooler, but it did not adjust. It was so deeply uncomfortable and I was so upset I couldn’t sleep which was disappointing as this was the first time I’ve ever had a lie-flat seat and the first time I’ve not been able to sleep on a plane. The flight back was a much better temperature and I was able to sleep thankfully!
The staff were extremely kind and helpful, and I did enjoy my experience, though there were quite a few things lacking (lounge access, temperature, amenities). Some aspects seem really well thought-out, and some seem a big miss. If the price is more than what you’d typically pay (like us), some of this was very disappointing. If you normally fly business class, this may still be nice for you!
I would probably fly with them again, but may wait for a sale. I enjoyed the experience, with the food really being out of this world. Also, comparing these prices to business class prices in general, this airline is at a great price for everything included.