On the Ground: Check-in at Newark Liberty’s Terminal B opened at 5 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. departure. With four dedicated ticket counters handling up to 90 passengers, the process was smooth and efficient. However, the remainder of the ground experience was disappointing. L’Avion markets itself as offering “a new travel standard of exclusive business class service between New York and Paris,” yet it does not provide access to a proper business-class lounge. Instead, a small snack table stands next to the departure gate where an attendant hands out a limited selection of snacks, beer, soda and bottled water. Typical lounge amenities—complimentary wine and spirits, a full range of newspapers and magazines, Wi-Fi and large-screen television—were not available. (15/20)
On Board: Boarding the cabin, bilingual flight attendants greeted passengers and directed them to seats. Soft music—“Strangers in the Night”—played before departure while crew members moved up and down the aisle, but there was no offer to hang coats or serve a pre-flight beverage.
L’Avion operates a specially configured Boeing 757-200 with 90 seats instead of the standard 220. The cabin layout places two seats—window and aisle—on each side of a wide central aisle. Legroom is generous, with rows spaced nearly four feet apart, and seats recline to about 140 degrees. (30/40)
The Experience: The dining fell short of typical business-class expectations. There was no printed menu or wine list; meals were presented without formal service, the two hot entrees arriving wrapped in foil that was removed at the last moment. Wine choices were limited to a single white and a single red. Breakfast served about an hour before landing consisted of four small fruit slices, one croissant and a cup of yogurt—both the portion sizes and the quality felt closer to economy-class catering than business-class standards. In-flight entertainment used individual DigEplayers with eight-inch screens, offering a reasonable selection of movies and music, though the screens are smaller than many modern systems.
Many of these issues may be attributable to L’Avion’s status as a new carrier—service began in January—and some shortcomings could be resolved as operations mature. Despite the warm welcome from the crew and the comfortable seating, the limited lounge access and modest catering keep the overall experience below full business-class expectations. (30/40)
Total Score: 75/100