French airline Air Caraibes is offering a non-stop premium economy deal from Paris to Punta Cana, Guadeloupe and Martinique, starting at just €864. This deal includes 2 x 23kg checked luggage, as well as onboard food and beverage service.
The destinations where you can take advantage of this deal are:
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Skyscanner with your selected flight dates.
All these routes are operated by Air Caraibes Airbus 350 aircraft. While 2×23 kg of checked luggage are included in each ticket, the airline has two different premium economy products on their Airbus A350 fleet.
The Airbus A350-1000 features seats in a 2-3-2 seating pattern with generous 97 cm seat pitch. This cabin is actually better than what most legacy carriers offer. The Airbus A350-900 carries a vastly inferior product, utilizing a 3-3-3 seating pattern (this is what other carriers use for the economy section) with 89 cm. So you are basically sitting in economy with a hint more of extra space.
The following flight numbers have seen regular Airbus A350-1000 traffic:
- Martinique: TX 510, TX 511, TX 516, TX 517
- Guadeloupe: TX 540, TX 541
- Punta Cana: Mostly Airbus A350-900
On some days, their Airbus A330 fleet operates flights to the Caribbean. Their 2-3-2 pattern in premium economy isn’t as good as the A350-1000 version, but way better than the Airbus A350-900.
Air Caraibes can swap planes without further notice and has done so in the past. Even if you end up in the worse version, you are not entitled to reimbursement.
Search & Book
A minimum stay of three days or a Saturday overnight stay, and a maximum stay of three months applies.
Depending on the destinations, the availabilities are:
- Martinique and Guadalupe: July
- Punta Cana: July & August
You can find suitable dates using our calendar above or with the help of Google Flights. We recommend booking directly on Air Caraibes’s website, but you can find cheaper prices with Skyscanner. However, booking on OTAs has its downsides.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Getting the Better Premium Economy Class
As mentioned earlier, the differences between the Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A350-1000 premium economy cabins are like night and day. To make sure you end up in the right plane, pay extra attention during the booking process:
Another way to make sure you get the right plane is opening the seat selection page and being greeted by a 2-3-2 seating pattern instead of a 3-3-3.
Miles & Points
This ticket is issued in booking class V, but you can only earn miles with the Air Caraibes frequent flyer program.
Cover Picture: Photo by Daniel Öberg on Unsplash