French airline La Compagnie, known for its all-business class service between Paris and New York, flew its final Boeing 757-200 flight on October 28th. With one already retired earlier this year, the carrier is replacing this last Boeing 757 - a 25 year old jet - with a pair of Airbus A321LRs.
The final flight
According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft flew from Paris Orly airport to Newark Liberty International as flight B0102 with a total flight time of seven hours and 55 minutes.
Interestingly, the airplane then took a five hour journey from Newark to Phoenix Goodyear Airport. The area is known as an aircraft boneyard and storage facility. This is what AirplaneBoneyards.com had to say about the airfield:
"Airliner "boneyards" in the deserts of the State of Arizona serve several functions: temporary storage, maintenance, parts reclamation, and scrapping...This facility in Phoenix, Arizona was originally constructed during World War II as a naval air facility known as NAF Litchfield Park, and later renamed Naval Air Station Litchfield Park."
Out with the old and in with the new
Speaking about the new aircraft choice in a 2017 press release, Laurent Magnin, CEO of La Compagnie said the following:
“I’ve always been an advocate for the French industry. By selecting Airbus and its A321neo, we are able to illuminate our French touch while reinventing the La Compagnie experience. I am very proud to be the first French airline to employ this particular aircraft.”
According to AviationNetOnline, the outgoing aircraft has registration F-HCIE and is a lease from AerCap. Airfleets reports that this aircraft in particular first served with Britannia Airways in 1994 through to 2005. After this it joined the Thomson Airways fleet from 2005 to 2014. Finally, for the last four years it has flown with La Compagnie.
The replacement to these 757s are two brand new Airbus A321LRs. Onboard the wifi-equipped A321LRs is a single business class cabin arranged in a 2-2 configuration. The seats are BE Aerospace Diamond lie-flats that are slightly angled. These seats should offer more privacy than those of the outgoing 757s. Furthermore, with the new A321neo's technological advancements, there will likely be a quieter cabin and an improved experience.
Here's how the airline describes La Compagnie's transatlantic experience:
Offering competitively low business-class fares, La Compagnie is outfitted with 74 lie-flat seats and provides thoughtful amenities including Samsung Galaxy Tablets, Caudalie cosmetic kits and a unique dining experience offering fresh menu items by renowned New York and Paris based chefs.
Conclusion
Comparing the experience of the new A321LRs to the 27 year old 757 doesn't seem too fair. It would be interesting to see if anyone actually prefers the 757s rather than the newest cabins. Have you ever flown on La Compagnie? If so, we'd love to know about your experience! Let us know by leaving a comment.
We contacted La Compagnie for an official statement or more details about the fate of this Boeing 757. We have yet to receive a response from the airline.
