The French airline La Compagnie is currently the only airline in Europe that offers an all-business-class service. But what does that mean exactly? The entire aircraft, in this case, an A321Neo, is equipped with 76 business-class seats. Consider that in such a short- and medium-haul aircraft, there would otherwise be around 219 passengers. Reason enough to subject this service to a review on the route from Milan Malpensa (MXP) to New York or Newark (EWR).
La Compagnie Airline
The French airline La Compagnie was founded in 2013 and is based at Paris-Orly Airport (ORY). Since 2019, the airline has two A321Neo aircraft exclusively configured with business-class seats. Before the A321Neo, flights were operated with Boeing 757-200.
The route network is concise but well-thought-out. Flights operate on the routes Paris-Orly (ORY) – Newark (EWR) and Milan Malpensa (MXP) – Newark (EWR). Seasonally, in the summer months, the route Nice (NCE) – Newark (EWR) is also offered.
La Compagnie is currently the only remaining all-business-class airline surviving in Europe. All other market participants are no longer active.
Check-In
The La Compagnie check-in at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) takes place in Terminal 1. However, the check-in is in a separate area, and access to this area is only possible during La Compagnie check-in opening hours. This means the terminal area can only be entered two hours before departure. Access is verified by airport staff. Generally, this restriction is not a problem, as there is no need to be at the airport so early. If needed, there are enough restaurants and bars available in the normal Terminal 1 area to pass the time. I was early enough on-site due to driving from Switzerland, which took about three hours and wanted to be on the safe side due to traffic conditions.
An advantage with such a small number of passenger seats is that the check-in is smooth and relaxed without any waiting times. Perhaps it was the most relaxed check-in ever. Not a single passenger was waiting. The usual security questions for US flights were completed within a few minutes. The check-in process itself was polite and attentive. I was also offered a seat change to the emergency exit for more space. I accepted the suggestion, although it later turned out that the difference in space was not really significant.
Montale Lounge Milano Malpensa (MXP)
The Montale Lounge is a freshly renovated lounge shared with passengers from other airlines. Clearly, La Compagnie, due to its size and flight offering, cannot operate its own lounge. However, the solution with the Montale Lounge is very good.
The lounge was well-visited at the time of the visit. There are plenty of seats with sofa seating, regular tables, and high tables at the panoramic windows overlooking the apron. Here, aircraft and their handling can be observed live.
The food and beverage offerings are worthy of a corresponding lounge. There is a good selection of small snacks, which can be either warm or cold. These include salads, meats (e.g., salami), nuts, soup, pastries, various sweet desserts, and much more. The drink selection is also impressive, ranging from mineral water, sodas, coffee, and teas to a large selection of alcoholic beverages.
Boarding and Crew
Boarding took place punctually. The aircraft was on an external position, so boarding was done via a bus gate. After about a five-minute bus ride and no waiting time on disembarking, the aircraft could be entered. Here, too, the few passengers make a difference. The process proceeded without a crowd.
The flight attendants with very stylish and modern uniforms, greeted each passenger warmly. It is clear that attention is paid to stylish details. The color concept of the cabin, the thoughtful uniforms, everything here gives a very coherent impression. Details are indeed taken care of. From the first moment, it is noticeable that the flight attendants have plenty of time for the manageable number of guests. This is completely contrary to the mass processing at other airlines.
Seat Product and WIFI
The modern aircraft cabin is a truly beautiful, tidy, and not an everyday sight. For me, it was the first time standing in a pure business-class cabin on a short- and medium-haul aircraft like the A321Neo. The configuration is 2-2, meaning there are two seats on each side of the aisle, providing enough privacy compared to other passengers.
The seat can be transformed into a completely flat bed upon request. There are also very comfortable pillows and a blanket. Storage options with various compartments (e.g., for shoes) are also available. At the seat, there is also a bottle of water and a carefully assembled amenity kit. This kit includes comfortable socks, earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and much more.
The seat also features an HD touch screen. Perhaps one of the best screens I have seen so far. The playback was smooth and in high resolution. The screen also responded to touch inputs with the finger without delay.
La Compagnie aircraft are equipped with Wi-Fi. The connection quality was exceptionally good and, above all, stable. Even during the flight, videos could be streamed or even video calls conducted without any problems. A completely new experience 12,000 meters above sea level, suddenly making video calls. Welcome to the future!
Catering
At the beginning, still on the ground, champagne or a non-alcoholic alternative is offered, along with a small savory snack. Shortly after, a warm cotton towel is also provided for hand and/or face cleaning.
The current menu can be accessed via the screen. It consists of an appetizer, a warm main course, and a dessert. The drink selection can also be accessed.
The catering was created in collaboration with Michelin chef David Toutain. For the appetizer, there was couscous with shrimp, accompanied by freshly baked rolls in two variations.
For the main course, I chose the cod fillet on warm oven-roasted vegetables. Again, various bread variations were served. The dessert was a round chocolate pastry, similar to a donut. It was indeed delicious! The appetizer and main course were okay in terms of taste, but there are significantly more flavorful options in comparable business-class products.
The complete catering is served on a tray. This means the dessert is included from the beginning, and the respective plates (appetizer, main course) are simply exchanged.
The drink selection includes two different red and white wines each. Rose wine and champagne are also offered. Of course, the usual sodas and water are also available.
About 90 minutes before landing, a snack is served. This consisted of a pumpkin soup and a sandwich. The pumpkin soup tasted excellent. The sandwich was also quite delicious.
The catering product is prominently advertised in various places, including on the website. The collaboration with Michelin chef David Toutain is also highlighted. However, this point, namely the catering, is perhaps the biggest criticism of the entire La Compagnie product.
It was by no means bad. However, it was not on the level of an international long-haul business-class flight with comparable legacy carriers. Neither in terms of quality, presentation, nor quantity. The portions were also modest.
I actually left the aircraft a bit hungry, and that has never happened to me after a long-haul business-class flight. Between the main course and the snack before landing, five hours can pass.
It is worth mentioning that the toilets were clean and tidy throughout the entire flight. In the front of the aircraft, there is one toilet, and in the rear part of the cabin, there are two. The cleanliness is probably due, on the one hand, to the small number of people on board and, on the other hand, to the crew regularly checking the toilets. In any case, I rarely found such clean toilets.
Landing
The landing at Newark (EWR) took place in the early evening and was about 10 minutes earlier than planned, despite significant headwinds of up to 300 km/h.
About 10 minutes after landing, the aircraft was at the gate, and after another 5 minutes, I could leave the aircraft. Actually, the friendly crew and the so far most relaxed long-haul flight are remembered. Flying over the Atlantic with so few passengers undoubtedly has only advantages. By the way, it also has the advantage that there is enough space in the overhead compartments above the seats. Normally, it is pure chaos there.
I found Newark Airport (EWR) to be extremely pleasant. Immigration took about 30 minutes, competent and efficient. The transfer time to the airport by Uber to the city center (Times Square) was about 40 minutes and comparatively went smoothly. The transfer time by car between John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and the city center is significantly more problematic in terms of traffic. Only the prices for taxis and Uber remain exorbitantly high in both cases.