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Take a Tour of La Compagnie's All-Business Airbus A321LR

June 18, 2019
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3 min read
La Compagnie Airbus A321LR Tour ZH
Take a Tour of La Compagnie's All-Business Airbus A321LR
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La Compagnie has made a name for itself with unbelievable (and very frequent) business-class sales between the East Coast and Europe. But, until a few weeks ago, the carrier's product was lackluster — to say the least.

At the end of May, one of the carrier's daily round-trips between Newark (EWR) and Paris (ORY) got a massive upgrade, in the form of a brand-new Airbus A321LR with true lie-flat seats, on-demand entertainment and speedy ViaSat Wi-Fi. I was able to take a tour of the aircraft on the ground at the Paris Air Show. Here's what I saw:

This is the first A321 with an exclusively business-class configuration — 76 seats in total, in a 2-2 arrangement.

La Compagnie opted to install B/E Aerospace's Diamond seat, the same model you'll find on narrow-body American, Delta and United jets used primarily for transcon and transatlantic flights.

With a total of 19 rows, it is a very large cabin.

There are two lavatories at the rear of the cabin, along with one upfront, just behind the cockpit.

Most rows are more or less identical, but seats at row 9 have a bit of extra room due to the over-wing exit. Rows 15 and 16 are missing one window.

Passengers at the window seats will need to step over their neighbor to get out; while direct aisle access would certainly have been a plus, it's not practical for a single-aisle plane.

Forward storage is limited to a shelf beneath the 15.6-inch display, in addition to a compartment beneath the ottoman that's large enough to accommodate a small bag.

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You can store loose items to the side of the seat, which is also where you'll find noise-canceling headphones, a headphone connector and USB charging port.

My only real complaint is that the windows are obstructed by (what I imagine was well-intentioned) art. Fortunately, it's only temporary — some windows are already clear, and unobstructed views are coming to the rest soon!

If you've been avoiding La Compagnie because of the carrier's dated Boeing 757 and angle-flat seats, you now have a really great reason to fly. While this is hardly an industry-leading product, the all-business cabin is fun and unique, and the carrier's sale fares cannot be beat.

La Compagnie has just one Airbus A321LR at this point, though the carrier expects to take delivery of a second in September, at which point it'll retire one of its two Boeing 757s. Both lie-flat A321s should be used for both daily Newark-Paris flights shortly after, with an angle-flat 757 remaining on the sole Newark-Nice flight, which may be extended beyond the fall.

Do note that substitutions are possible in the meantime, though, and it's not yet clear whether or not the company will re-accommodate passengers facing a Boeing 757 swap.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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