Kids fly free on La Compagnie to celebrate the airline’s five year anniversary. The catch? The deal is limited to kids born in 2014 (i.e. the year of the company’s founding). La Compagnie’s “High Five” promotion, is valid on flights between July 1 – August 31, 2019. The airline only flies between New York and Paris, Nice, and Monaco so that restricts this promotion for some travelers.
I remember when La Compagnie started operating, they had recliner style angled seats, which were not the most attractive. La Compagnie has since upgraded to a fully flat seat on the A321neo.
The airline did (and still does) offer really great fares on business class seats between New York and Paris. Even now, there’s a $1,000 airfare sale which, unfortunately, falls outside of La Compagnie’s kids fly free promotion. If you can get in on this $1,000 fare that’s obviously ideal. If you’re traveling with a child that happens to be born in 2014, you could score business class tickets for less than that.
Families flying La Compagnie
Families who fly La Compagnie will appreciate some of the family-friendly touches the airline offers. These include pre-boarding lounge access, priority security, kid-friendly meals, and these cute Oeuf crowns to make kids feel special. As if flying in a flatbed seat wasn’t special enough for a kid.
Summer fares
Regardless of whether you take advantage of La Compagnie’s kids fly free deal, La Compagnie has some pretty great fares. Their lowest Promo fare during the “High Five” promo period is $668.20 one-way from New York to Paris.
The cheapest return flight I could find was $1,080.17.
In total, a roundtrip La Compagnie business class ticket between New York (EWR) and Paris (ORY) could be as cheap as $1,748.37 per person during this promotional period. That’s incredible for a summer business class fare to Europe, but tack on free airfare for a 5 year-old and it becomes even more of a bargain.
Note: Keep in mind that Promo rates are nonrefundable and a $500 change fees applies if you need to rearrange your flights.
How to book the free kids fare on La Compagnie
To take advantage of La Compagnie’s “High Five” promotion, you’ll have to call to book your ticket: 1-800-218-6820. It’s a bit of a hassle to have to call a number rather than book online, but honestly at those low rates it’s a small tradeoff.
La Compagnie business class fare vs. redeeming miles
You’re probably wondering how La Compagnie’s business class fare stacks up against redeeming miles with a frequent flyer program. Some people base this on how much they value their miles.
For example, let’s say you need 120,000 United miles to fly business class roundtrip to Paris and you’re valuing each mile at 1.5 cents. That means 120,000 miles are worth $1800 which is $51.63 less than the La Compagnie paid fare. Factor in the ~$150 in taxes you have to pay on that award ticket and the La Compagnie fare might be a better deal.
Maybe you’re earning these miles via manufactured spending rather than credit card sign-up bonuses. In that case, you’ll want to compare how much you’ll have to spend in order to earn miles vs. cash back. To generate enough cash back for a $1,748.37 La Compagnie business class fare, you’ll need to churn about $87,419 worth of Visa gift cards. You’ll incur $253 in fees:
- $166 in fees via Giftcardmall (after portal cash back)
- $87 in money order fees
Meanwhile, manufacturing 120,000 United miles will cost anywhere from $222.40 to $333.60, depending on which card you use and whether you earn 1 point per $1 spent or 1.5. This also doesn’t factor in category bonuses, which could cut the cost down 1/5.
Is La Compagnie’s business class fare a good deal?
The point of all that excruciating math was to show that how you earn miles determines whether La Compagnie’s business class fare is a good deal. Specifically, when paying for business class makes more sense than redeeming airline miles.
I would go with the paid fare option if I lived on the East Coast. Especially considering low business class award availability during the summer months. Factor in the free child fare and paying becomes a no-brainer.
I’d love to hear from you guys: Are you going to take advantage of La Compagnie’s free kids fare? What do you think of their low business class fares to Paris? Would you pay it and apply cash back rewards or redeem miles instead?
