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La Compagnie’s Brand-New All-Business A321neo Enters Service Early

May 31, 2019
3 min read
La Compagnie Airbus A321neo Exterior
La Compagnie’s Brand-New All-Business A321neo Enters Service Early
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La Compagnie, the all-business-class airline that shuttles passengers between Newark (EWR) and France, took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo on Thursday. The plane was originally slated to enter service June 6, but already took to the skies for its first passenger flight.

The plane — registered F-HBUZ — is the first of two A321neo aircraft joining La Compagnie's fleet and the first to be operated by any French carrier. This is also La Compagnie's first jet to have fully lie-flat seats, a massive upgrade over the outdated angle-flat seats featured on its Boeing 757s.

La Compagnie’s angle-flat seats on its Boeing 757-200s.

The new cabin uses Collins Aerospace (formerly known as B/E Aerospace) Diamond seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration across 19 rows. These are the same seats you'll find in business class on American Airlines' A321T and most long-haul United planes that don't feature the new Polaris seats.

a321 neo
La Compagnie Airbus A321neo Cabin (Photo courtesy of La Compagnie)

Every seat features 15.7" touchscreen entertainment and universal power outlets. The plane is also equipped with unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi courtesy of Viasat.

a321 neo
La Compagnie Airbus A321neo Cabin (Photo courtesy of La Compagnie)

The plane is currently enroute from Paris (ORY) to Newark (EWR).

Image courtesy of FlightRadar24.

If you're looking to fly on the plane's first flight out of the US, there are seats available for its 7:00pm departure out of Newark tonight for $3,500 one-way or about $4,000 round-trip. Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to book award flights using miles as the airline isn't a part of an alliance or a transfer partner of any of the major points program.

If you don't have to be on the inaugural, you should be able to find much more reasonable fares. For instance, we're seeing fares for $1,300 round-trip between EWR and ORY most days in September. The airline also has somewhat frequent sales with fares as low as $998 round-trip.

For now, you'll find the new plane on the 7:00pm departure out of Newark (EWR) — flight B0 101 — and the 10:30am return from Paris (ORY) — flight B0 100. The airline recently introduced seasonal service to Nice (NCE), but those flights will be operated by the 757-200s. Stay tuned for a full TPG review, coming soon!

Featured rendering of Airbus A321neo courtesy of La Compagnie.

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Featured image by LA COMPAGNIE

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  • Intro Offer

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    $325
  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • 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.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • 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.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $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.
  • Terms Apply.