yipper

Hi,

This is new all business class airline flying between Newark and Paris. The prices are good. My son who lives in the NYC area is looking into using them for a spring trip to Paris. My only advise is to get trip insurance in case the company does not survive. Have any of you used this airline?

Christina

They are good fares compared to regular business class, but still a lot higher than regular flights, even for economy plus seats. I've read about them, they've been around a while, but there have been several other of these type companies that don't seem to last for long.

Trip insurance often does not cover financial default, so you have to be careful about reading the policy (and they may have a list of specific companies they won't cover, in addition).

how bad could it be, if the price is right and he can afford it, I'd do it. see http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/20...flight-options

yipper

Thanks for the info. My son and daughter-in-law are tall, 6'3" and 5' 11". I am always surprised to have such a tall son, as neither I or my husband are tall people. They would be more comfortable in this plane. Any way the info about insurance is helpful. Thanks.

Mathieu

Here's a passenger experience/review I remember reading over the summer that you might find useful.

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...newark-review/

max21ge

The review from onemileatatime is very misleading. It is written by someone who uses miles to fly business class and it fails to take into account the whole point of this airline: value. I have just flown round trip and it is by far the best value I have ever experienced on this route. It is not at par with established carriers business class but pretty close and the price is so much cheaper...you get 80% business class for 50% of the price. Highly recommended.

yipper

Thanks for the info. I figured that review was from someone who was comparing it with business class on other airlines. I figured the amenities would not be the same. It really is about the space not the food and drink.

janisj

yipper: Note that max registered just to post that. His review is <i>possibly</i> no more objective than the other one. Maybe <i>if</i> max decides to come back and post again we'll know better (Most hit and run first timers don't but he might be an exception)

max21ge

yes I am an exception! Before I flew with the airline I researched the web and eventually found that the OMAAT review was quite misleading. And since I travel on the route quite often I would hate to see the company go down because it is just an incredible value so im trying to set the record straight. I'm flying again in one month for $1600 vs $6500+ for regular carriers! With that kind of difference I dont care about the food or pre drinks...

Mathieu

If the attractions of this airline, as explained by the people who use it, are just the seat space and fewer passengers overall, and not other services including food and drink that people who mainly fly Economy class and expect more for the occasional Business Class trip, then maybe the airline should call itself a 'Premium Economy Airline'. That would seem to be the equivalent level of service expected/provided, having flown PE on a few airlines. Or call it an airline for frequent flyers of that route with a few extra perqs, but not Business Class. I know several people who fly long distance routes almost weekly for work who only want privacy and a comfortable night's sleep, nothing else.

I know I'd expect more at that price for it to feel like a Business Class bargain, including the food and drink they are providing. Then again, I'm familiar from experience of the cabin classes and know comparatively what I want, expect and will pay for.

Christina

good point, I flew premium economy/economy plus on United to/from Europe last Fall, and it was great. I only care about the leg room which really made the trip so much more comfortable. I don't care about food, it's just an airline flight. Now United does charge about $7 for a cheap bottle of wine, which is chintzy (free on Air France).

But Premium Economy on United doesn't really cost that much, which is why I bought it. I think it was only about $120 more each way. I think it's more on some other airlines.

So if that's the only reason, I wouldn't pay that much if I could get the same thing cheaper on United or some other airline.

aliced

Just learned about this airline yesterday, checked our (already reserved w mileage) dates to/fro Paris in September and came up on La Compagnie with an $850 r/t with totally restricted change/refund policy, $897 with slightly eased restrictions. For a lie-down seat with only 74 people?? Seriously... this is pretty great!!! We too are tall people and comfort is our first consideration. The food we can bring on. We have our headsets & electronics and our own reading material. So, "next time" it'll be for us.

Christina

I don't think the fare you saw was $850 RT, I bet it was $850 each way if you book a RT flight, for a total of around $1700. Because that is typically what Compagnie charges, about $1700-1800 RT. Did you actually go to the end of the booking process and see the total fare?

aliced

You are right Christina; I put in for r/t, and the website layout included both dates so made an assumption (never good idea!) $3400 r/t for two of us. It will be interesting to see how this company does.

kakoundi

This airline is unreliable, careless, and fraudulent. Tho the trip itself was ok, the airline charged my card twice. I travelled last week of March and contact them initially on March 30th. I have sent them copies of my credit card statement, spent countless hours on the phone (6 calls total), been promised that the matter should resolved somewhere between 20-30 days (they have recognized the $4000 double charge), promised to have a manger or employee call me back (I have not received a single call from them) and have not seen a resolution to this matter. To be clear I have not received my reimbursement. This airline is a fraud. If that is how they treat financial matters and customer service, I would hate to think what kind of care they put into their planes. Fly at your own risk. In a backdrop of empty seats, the apparent financial duress, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go bankrupt in the near future. Their reviews are not great already. So expect one day before your trip to get a cancellation notice w/o recourse.

Christina

I've had my CC card charged twice a couple of times by various companies as a mistake (I don't believe they did it deliberately).

I never ever try to negotiate with companies to fix those kind of errors, I call up the credit card and let them handle it. That's what they are supposed to do. Banks have more clout than you and and rescind the money electronically, I believe. I think they give you credit and then do research and you win of they can't substantiate the charges, which I think includes if they don't respond. It's sort of like if someone doesn't show up in small claims court, I believe, they lose by default.

So I don't know why you are dealing with them instead of your card. I'm not sure if it matters that it is a foreign company or if you just wanted to do it that way, but I refuted a charge on my Schwab ATM card which was from Mexico, and they handled the whole thing--and I got my money back. Mine was a little different, I tried to use it in an ATM and they charged my card but I never got any money, but it was a major international bank that did it (not an American one, though). I think you are playing with fire if you haven't notified your credit card as time is running out and it may be past the time when you can do that at two months past the charge. The time limit to dispute a charge is usually 60 days from the date the charge appeared. It sounds like it is now past 60 days.