La Compagnie begins all-business class A321neo New York-Paris flights
By David Flynn, June 6 2019
French boutique airline La Compagnie ('The Company') is sharpening its appeal to executives and other high-flyers jetting between New York and Paris with this week's debut of a new Airbus A321neo all-business class jet.
This first of two advanced single-aisle sprinters, these jets also upgrade the trans-Atlantic experience with 76 fully lie-flat business class seats from tip to tail.
Based on the popular Collins Diamond design, the A321neo's flatbed seats are a definite step up from the angled 'sloping sleepers' of La Compagnie's previous and rather crusty Boeing 757s seen below.
Each passenger is treated to a 15-inch touchscreen for inflight entertainment, paired with noise-cancelling headphones – and when it's time to grab some shut-eye on the seven hour flight, the flat bed is fitted with a mattress topper.
The 2-2 configuration might not be everyone's idea of modern business travel but with a generous 62" pitch it's arguably sufficient for this 8½ jaunt, especially on the red-eye leg departing New York-adjacent Newark Airport at 7.30pm to reach Paris' Orly Airport at 8.20am the next morning.
La Compagnie is also providing free unlimited broadband WiFi above the clouds.
"We want our passengers to experience the internet just like they do at home or in the office," suggests Jean Charles Périno, EVP of Sales and Marketing for La Compagnie. "Our mission is to make business-class more accessible to everyone at the most attractive fare."
La Compagnie runs twice-daily flights between Gotham and the City of Lights and pampers its premium passengers with anti-allergenic pillows, large soft blankets and a Caudalie travel care kit, along with restaurant-grade meals from renowned chefs.
Also read: What it’s like to travel on an all-business-class flight
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
21 Apr 2017
Total posts 50
Now that's the way to configure a narrowbody!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Mar 2018
Total posts 15
Great stuff, however I feel the Apex Suite would be better suited for a 2-2 config.
Cathay Pacific - Asia Miles
25 Apr 2013
Total posts 542
I agree – an Apex Suite-configured narrowbody would be spectacular. That would basically be a longer version of Korean Air's 747-8 upper deck, which I've flown, and is spectacular.
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
You could actually have something like an Apex Suite but increase the density substantially by using Formation Design's "Passage" Suites (think like a hybrid of Apex Suites and BA's Club World). Not to mention, Aviointeriors offers 5-abreast flatbeds with direct aisle access in narrowbodies (their Adagio product), and the Thompson Vantage Solo can give fully flat beds with direct aisle access as well (and at only slightly less density than the Diamond product La Compagnie is using).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Mar 2015
Total posts 94
Would be worth giving a go, if, big if, the NEO is quieter than standard 321.
01 Sep 2018
Total posts 25
Newer engines are generally quieter than the predecessors.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
The A321neo is quieter than the A321ceo.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 780
*sigh* flashback to OzJet.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Albeit with an efficient new jet, rather than a well used hand me down
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Dec 2016
Total posts 42
Let's hope Virgin can replicate this in their transcontinental 737s :)
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
I think Virgin Australia will try to retain direct aisle access though. This design makes direct aisle access impossible.
Turkish Airlines - Miles & Smiles
08 Jun 2014
Total posts 262
I thought they put a halt on the 737 new J... since the new guy came in. Am I correct David?
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
You are correct. However the comment you are replying to, was made 9 months ago. This story is just an update of an old story
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Sep 2017
Total posts 162
Great to see lie-flat J/C is more than achievable on NB aircraft. A petty that Euro carriers can’t even get proper J/C seats on their aircraft at all.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
I am hugely surprised by this move. Certainly, a great fitout of the A321NEO no doubt, but how long will this service operate? There is already some talk that BA may consider the axing of their NB LCY-JFK-LCY and if you have trouble making this work, then ORY-EWR-ORY has got to be somewhat suspect.
I hope that I am wrong and that La Compagnie can make this work profitably - but it will undoubtedly be a route to watch.
12 Aug 2017
Total posts 75
I flew on their 757 from London Luton to Newark. Very impressive to get such a good seat and service at a third of usual business class fares. At the time they were not the most reliable as they only had two planes. I had no problems.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
Is it a standard A321neo or the A321lr? It would make sense to use the A321lr for trans Atlantic travel.
KLM - Flying Blue
05 Feb 2019
Total posts 36
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1427
Aircraft lover I am not sure where your wide body narrow body engineering theory comes from. They have both being designed for both since the 1970s with 707s, 757s, and A300s, 767s et al.
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
Perhaps I am missing something, but I think I would struggle to get comfortable in this seat in bed mode. Our esteemed reviewer describes their 62-inch (five feet two inches!) seat pitch as "generous" for what he also describes as a "fully lie-flat" seat. I'm about 75 inches tall. I find it hard to get comfortable in BA's 72-inch actual-length* fully lie-flat seat, so I am not sure how this would work given there doesn't seem to be any overlap (eg cubbyholes for feet) between rows. Has anyone flown this sort of configuration so they can shed some light? Perhaps the seat is extra-wide so one can curl up within the (one-and-a-half-feet-shorter-than-me*) space? Although that would require quite a wide seat, which doesn't seem to be borne out by the photographs...
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