La Compagnie Is Selling Tickets for Unlimited Business-Class Flights for a Year
Update 7/21: As of today, these passes are now on sale for $35,000 each, including taxes and fees. Call 1-800-218-6820 to place your order by July 30, 2016.
La Compagnie is an all-business-class carrier that offers passengers the chance to fly transatlantic in one of its premium products for a price that won't break the bank. TPG flew La Compagnie from Newark (EWR) to Paris (CDG) and had a mediocre experience, concluding that it's not the best business-class product in the skies, but for the price, it gets the job done.
Now, the carrier is launching a new product called L'Unlimited, which offers customers unlimited flights between London, Paris and New York — the three cities it currently serves. On July 18, L'Unlimited passes will go on sale for $35,000 each — La Compagnie is only releasing 10 of them for members of the public to buy.
Somewhat offsetting the high cost is the fact that the L'Unlimited ticket actually lives up to its name — as long as there's a seat on a flight you want, you can grab it. However, you can only reserve up to two round-trip flights at a time — still a good amount, though, especially if you plan to use it for last-minute bookings.
So, is it really worth it? One of the nicest perks of L'Unlimited is that there isn't a close-in booking rule or fee, so you can book any flight as long as there's an open seat — no matter how soon the flight is. Presumably, if you're going to purchase a La Compagnie ticket close to the time of travel and you're going to fly more than a few times a month, the $35,000 ticket could easily be worth the investment. If a close-in ticket hovers around the $3,500 mark and you fly even twice in one month, you're definitely getting good use out of the full-year ticket. However, if you book far enough in advance for one of the carrier's $1,600 round-trip tickets and don't fly more than a couple of times a month, it's hard to tell if L'Unlimited would actually be worth it.
If you're considering signing up for the ticket, note that the financial future of La Compagnie isn't all that secure. If you're considering buying a L'Unlimited ticket, definitely look into paying with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred because of its travel insurance protection, which covers up to $10,000. You'll also earn 2x Ultimate Rewards points for making the travel purchase.
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