I’m leaving for a short trip to Europe in the next few weeks. The truth is, I haven’t booked my flights yet. This isn’t unusual for me, as award tickets are often best booked last minute. To be honest, I’ve been wavering on and off about some aspects of this trip.
As long-time OMAAT readers know, I plan my trips a little differently than most other people. For me, it’s not about which airline has the most direct flights or the most comfortable product, but rather which premium product that I haven’t reviewed recently would be the most interesting to review. So I thought I’d share my current thoughts with you, OMAAT readers, in hopes of getting some feedback.
This transatlantic Air Caribe itinerary fascinates me…
For those who don’t know, Air Caribe is an airline based in the French West Indies with bases in Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) and Fort-de-France (FDF). The airline has a fleet of 12 aircraft, 9 of which are wide-body aircraft (6 of which are Airbus A350s, including both -900s and -1000s).
I love reviewing premium products from major global airlines, but also enjoy reviewing products from smaller, more exotic airlines where expectations are lower. I know what the hard product on Air Caribbean’s A350 Business Class (flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration) is like, but I’m curious about the soft product.
With that in mind, I found a great transatlantic fare in Business Class on Air Caribbean’s A350 that suited my schedule perfectly, especially since I’ll be departing from Paris on the return flight.
Well, to be fair, a one-way business class fare from Paris to Pointe-à-Pitre is $1,839, which is expensive.
![](https://cdn.onemileatatime.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Air-Caraibes-Business-Class-2.jpg)
But if you add a connection to Fort-de-France the next morning, the fare drops to a very reasonable $1,029 (how you interpret this is up to you).
![](https://cdn.onemileatatime.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Air-Caraibes-Business-Class-1.jpg)
So, I am very tempted to book that fare, but then I realize the real challenge here is getting from the French West Indies back to Miami.
First of all, I need to spend the night in Pointe-à-Pitre, do any of you OMAAT readers know of any suitable places to stay overnight in Guadeloupe that are not too far from the airport?
Then I was surprised at how hard it was to get from Pointe-a-Pitre back to Miami. I would like to catch Air France’s Island Hopper but it’s not open on the day I need it. Instead, Air Canada via Montreal is the best option… Ouch!
Still, I am seriously considering the option, so would an Air Caraibes business class review be interesting (if not useful) or a waste of time? Has anyone flown with this airline, and if so, how was it?
I too am struggling with outbound…
I am trying to figure out the best way to get to Europe, but am also struggling there. Given the timing, I would love to try the soon-to-open Delta One Lounge at JFK, but Delta has not yet announced entry requirements.
Delta typically doesn’t offer affordable business class awards last minute, so I’m curious to see if a Virgin Atlantic upper class ticket would allow me to redeem points last minute to access the lounge. I’m also curious to see if Delta applies the same 3 hour rule to this lounge access as they do to the Delta Sky Club, which might make an evening review more difficult (given how busy the lounge gets in the evening).
Of course, there are a few other products I would love to review, but ultimately I will limit myself to what I can purchase with miles or for a reasonable fee. Believe it or not, late June to early July is not the easiest time to cross the Atlantic… who would have known? 😉
Here are a few things I’m noticing:
- I would like to try out Austrian Airlines’ new 787 Business Class, but I don’t yet know the availability of award tickets for the dates I need.
- You could also fly Icelandair via Reykjavik, but fares are much cheaper departing from Europe than from North America, so you might want to use that on the return trip instead of Air Caribbean.
- I would like to fly Scandinavian Airlines A321LR Business Class, but there are no award seats available.
- I want to fly Air Algerie between Montreal and Algiers, but the fare is much cheaper going west than going east.
- Azores Airlines A321neo Business Class via Ponta Delgada is always available and reasonably priced, but I’d avoid non-flat beds on an overnight flight if possible.
So, I’m just trying to decide what to do here. I have solid plans for Europe, but haven’t planned the outbound and return trips yet, so we’ll see what happens…
![](https://cdn.onemileatatime.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Austrian-787-Business-Class.jpg)
Conclusion
I’m planning a last minute trip across the Atlantic. In fact, I’ve been planning this trip for a long time, except for the flight… but alas. I’m not necessarily looking for the most direct route, but the most interesting products that I haven’t reviewed yet. For some reason, Air Caraibes seems to be one of the most attractive options, but the only difficulty is getting from French West Indies to Miami.
Do you have any thoughts on Air Caraibes or other options? What transatlantic flight reviews would you most like to read?