La Compagnie

Newark to Paris CDG with La Compagnie, and worth the money. That is saying a lot because I am a frugal person. Professional flight crew, food was great, gourmet and unique to the French culture. The reclining seat was the best part. The I-pad was just a so-so feature.

My La Compagnie flight from Newark to Luton on 15th October was cancelled one hour before the flight was due to leave, technical fault. Promises of being sent the next night, 24 hours later. Eventually put in hotel by La Compagnie and assured we'd receive communication the next day. No communication whatsoever, all chasing done by passengers. Passengers not advised, not answering emails either. Lunch time of 16th told flight (after my call to them) would leave following morning at 7.15 am - approx. 33 hours after original flight. Offered at 5.00 pm on 16th a flight to Paris for that evening. Too late and lost confidence with La Compagnie - flew with Virgin back home.

La Compagnie from Luton to New York was excellent. Easy and friendly check-in, fast track through security. Lounge at Luton currently WIP but when finished will be good - plenty to eat and drink. Walk from lounge onto plane - only downside no jetty. Plane only 60% full so made it feel even more exclusive. Quiet, calm and relaxing. French flight attendants very professional. Good food and drink, slept 4 hours and I had no problem with the angled seat. They now have a proper amenity kit. Best part from the arrival gate to taxi at Newark just 30 mins including picking up luggage. Great flight times - leaves 5.45pm out of Luton so can work most of the day and into New York by 9pm. Amazing value and excellent experience.

Just completed a round-trip on La Compagnie. The upgraded setting is wonderful, less than 80 passengers per plane, reclining seats, great service. Their schedules are a problem - delayed both ways, and late schedule change because they sometimes combine the flight returning from Europe. We missed our connecting flight but they put us up in a hotel.

We booked 2 tickets to Newark with La Compagnie on a special offer (2 seats for a little over £1600). Our experience was very positive (I do wonder what some people expect sometimes). The lounge at Luton Airport is not on par with Virgin lounges at Heathrow or Gatwick, and Luton airport serves charter and low cost flights. There was some upgrade work taking place when we flew out which was a little noisy, and the lounge was somewhat full as it accepts Priority Pass holders but we found a seat and it was adequate for our needs. Check in was smooth and painless with the advantage of using a priority security clearance lane, where everybody was polite and jolly which was a pleasant change. We were called to the gate from the lounge just before boarding with the gate being a short walk from the lounge. We were offered drinks before take off - cranberry juice with or without champagne and handed amenity kits which contained all the basics (socks, eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, moisturiser etc) - again I have read criticisms in some reviews. The cabin crew on both trips were extremely polite and attentive (both legs had empty seats which is a bit of a concern because I hope La Compagnie are successful with the Luton to Newark route). The Captain was very jolly, again a nice touch. All the food I tried was delicious - we had one gluten free meal and one regular. A small basket of "snacks" was put out for anybody who had room for nibble during the outbound flight (mars bars, kit-kats, haribos) but I didn't notice anything similar on the return (everybody was sleeping so probably not required). It took me a while to get the hang of the seat positioning controls, but I find my mobile difficult to get to grips with. The bed doesn't lie flat completely horizontally but I was still able to sleep (I put my back and a spare pillow at the foot of the seat to raise my legs a little). I liked using the tablet and whilst the latest block busters were missing, I was able to keep myself entertained with the films which were available (and I loaded a couple to my iPad just in case but didn't really need them). Even Newark customs security was having a good day - within 20 minutes of landing we were waiting for our car in the arrivals hall. The lounge a Newark on the flight home is before security but does not present a problem. You can get a hot meal but the nibbles are very limited. Again we were called to our flight by the staff in the lounge and it only took about 10 mins to get through security (a much less jolly experience than Luton!) after the short walk from the lounge. I have flown first and business class with other airlines (AA, BA and Virgin) and considering the cost of the tickets and service we received I was delighted.

Fantastic airline featuring Business Class only seats, flying from Luton to Newark. We paid about £900 each return, cheaper than BA economy on the dates we flew. It is a small airline but one of the best flights I've had. It's not going to compete with the likes of Qatar Airways but you can't beat the value. The seats aren't completely lie flat but the seat pitch is 60" and very acceptable. The staff were exceptional and the experience was like being a guest on a small family outing. They couldn't do enough to help and we were really impressed. I hope they succeed.