While the US dollar hasn’t been this strong against the British pound in years (at $1.48 to the pound), you won’t be seeing any break in the airfares this spring: NYC-to-London round-trip flights are averaging $1,200 in economy, while flying in business will run you around $6,000.
Enter the all-business-class airline La Compagnie, which will launch a Newark-to-Luton route on April 24 for as little as $1,798 round-trip (Luton is 30 miles northwest of London).
On average, flights are priced 30 to 50 percent below the major legacy carriers.
Decked out in the company’s signature baby blue hue, the Boeing 757-200, with 74 seats in a 2-by-2 configuration, is almost — if not quite — equal to a typical business-class experience.
There are roomy leather seats (which recline to be nearly, though not completely flat), personal entertainment systems (Samsung tablets, loaded with reading material but with limited movie and TV selections), tasty meal options (from a Michelin-starred chef), all the premium booze and champagne you can drink, a Caudalie amenity kit, and, of course, business lounge access on both sides.
Plus, thanks to the small number of passengers, getting on and off the plane is a breeze.
Flights to London will operate four times weekly, with plans to increase service come summer.
The airline launched last July with a Newark-to-Paris/Charles de Gaulle route that now flies daily.