La Compagnie, the French all-business-class airline, has earned its Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification from IATA. IOSA is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. La Compagnie says the certification allows it to publicly affirm the compliance of its operation in terms of safety.
IOSA certification paves the way for IATA membership
La Compagnie joins over 400 airlines on IATA's IOSA register. IATA calls its certification process the benchmark for global safety management in the airline industry and makes it a requirement of IATA membership. La Compagnie was assessed on the eight most important aspects linked to the safety of airline operations, including organization and management system; flight operations; operational control and flight dispatch; aircraft engineering and maintenance (security and maintenance procedures); cabin operations (maintenance of crew); ground handling operations; cargo operations: and security management (monitoring of safety standards within the airline).
"We are proud to have successfully completed this intricate audit. The quality and rigorous safety of our operations, which are, of course, our main priority, are now recognized on a global scale. With this certification, we reach a new milestone in La Compagnie's development, opening us up to strategic opportunities and potential agreements with other airlines," said La Compagnie President Christian Vernet.
Future strategic airline partnerships on the radar for La Compagnie
The allure of strategic opportunities and agreements with other airlines might be the icing on the certification cake for La Compagnie. The cost-competitive all-business class airline normally jets between France and the US, pandemic interruptions notwithstanding. But since first launching eight years ago, La Compagnie has very much flown on its own, lacking the bells and whistles of interline agreements and partner airlines.
Of course, not having those agreements in place makes running an airline simpler and cheaper - and when competing on price, ongoing operational costs matter. But business class types traveling beyond La Compagnie's key ports of Paris Orly (ORY) and New York Newark (EWR) generally like heading straight to the lounge and not having to worry about collecting bags and checking in again.
An odd easyJet pairing
Picking up the IOSA certification allows IATA membership, and that gives La Compagnie a certain degree of mainstream airline respectability, at least from a safety and regulatory perspective, making the airline a more attractive partner proposition for other IATA member airlines. Interestingly, La Compagnie's existing partner airline is easyJet - an odd pairing considering the very different demographics the two airlines pitch their product at.
"Our goal is to become a point of reference beyond the in-flight experience; we want La Compagnie to be an inspiration for everything related to the destination's lifestyle: from self-care and food to design," said Mr Vernet in March in a comment distinctly at odds with the easyJet partnership. "Our clientele is consistently looking for a smart, upscale, and thoughtful experience onboard La Compagnie, and we are eager to attract both business and leisure travelers."
Meanwhile, in addition to flying between ORY and EWR, La Compagnie sends its 76-seat Airbus A321neo jets between Newark and Milan (MXP) and will run flights between EWR and Nice (NCE) over this Northern Hemisphere summer season.