What It's Like to Fly on an All-Business Class Airline
Traveling for business is just that–work, not play. Boarding an approximately six-hour flight for a short stint in London or Paris requires a certain level of in-flight comfort to ensure no dark circles, crabby attitudes or the struggle of not falling asleep in your salad ni?oise at a power lunch at The Wolseley. However, when you're climbing up the career ladder and booking last minute, first class can sometimes be a work-trip pipe dream. Trust us, it's best not to be the entitled employee who backs up an all-expenses paid trip to Paris–no matter how stressful or short it may be–with a request to fly in first.
La Compagnie was designed for this very rock/hard-place travel conundrum and feels like the great equalizer of aviation, offering business class roundtrip airfare from New York to London as well as New York to Paris (via Newark Liberty International Airport) starting at a competitive $1,500. Gone are the eye rolls that ensue when you're asked to move to accommodate your seatmate's Yorkie, as well as that awkward this-is-where-I-leave-you moment when boarding a flight with your boss (the one where you head back to your seat in row 47 as she tucks into her first-class seat that more closely resembles a twin bed). There are no middle seats and no differentiation in seating from the front to the back of the 74-seat plane. All seats are fully-reclining and adjustable in every which way to ensure maximum zzz's caught in-flight, and Samsung tablets take the place of backseat screens, allowing guests the option to sift through a carefully-curated selection of films and TV shows as they recline.
The champagne served in-flight is actual champagne–from famed house Piper Heidsieck–and guests board each flight to find a fluffy pillow (we momentarily considered taking ours to go upon landing; they were so plush!), blanket and an iPad-sized pouch of essentials including a toothbrush, Caudalie products, shoe bag, eye mask and ear plugs placed on each seat. The in-flight food on La Compagnie is strategically served; you'll never be awoken to eat on this flight, like you would on a commercial jet, and red-eye flights don't come with oddly-placed meals that feel gratuitous. While the food served is not necessarily groundbreaking, it's certainly more fresh and edible than your standard plane fare (thus, no need to hoard snacks from duty-free to sustain yourself for a six-hour trip). Luggage weight and size are basically irrelevant: passengers are allowed to check two bags weighing 70 pounds each at no added cost in addition to a carry-on. Oversized sports equipment like golf clubs and skis are also checkable at no extra fee. Similar to a first-class experience, airport lounges and fast-tracked security protocol are available at each of the airline's three ports.
The young airline has only one flight from its three destinations (Newark, Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle) per day, and near-future expansion plans are to rev up the number of flights available before expanding to more business-focused cities internationally. The sharply-dressed cabin crew is thoughtful and attentive without feeling overbearing, and while there is no WiFi available onboard yet, an unplugged experience allows for restful overnight flights. While this flight is in no way first class, the airline makes every effort to go above and beyond; on a recent flight from Paris to New York, a man seated near the cockpit was enjoying a cake purchased by the airline to celebrate his birthday in the air.
