In the next couple of weeks, I’m taking a brief trip to Europe. The thing is, I haven’t actually booked my flights yet. That’s not unusual for me, since often award availability is the best at the last minute, and frankly I’ve kind of been going back and forth on certain aspects of this trip.

As longtime OMAAT readers know, I plan travel a bit differently than most others. For me, the question isn’t which airline has the most direct flight or the most comfortable product, but rather the question is which premium product would be most interesting to review, which I haven’t otherwise reviewed recently. So I figured I’d share what I’m currently thinking, as I’d love some feedback from OMAAT readers.

This transatlantic Air Caraibes itinerary is tempting me…

For those not familiar, Air Caraibes is an airline based in the French West Indies, which has hubs in Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP) and Fort-de-France (FDF). The airline has a fleet of a dozen aircraft, nine of which are wide body planes (and of those, six are Airbus A350s, including both the -900 and -1000).

While I like reviewing the premium products of major global airlines, I also enjoy reviewing the products of smaller and more exotic carriers, where I have less of a sense of what to expect. I know what Air Caraibes’ A350 business class hard product is like (flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration), but I’m curious about the soft product.

Along those lines, I came across an intriguing transatlantic fare for Air Caraibes’ A350 business class, which works really well for my schedule, especially since I’m looking to originate in Paris for the return.

Okay, in fairness, the one-way business class fare from Paris to Pointe-a-Pitre is $1,839, which is steep.

However, if I add a connection to Fort-de-France the following morning, the fare drops down to a very reasonable $1,029 (and, you know, make of that what you will).

So, I’m mighty tempted to book that fare, though I’m realizing that the real challenge here will be getting from the French West Indies back to Miami.

First of all, I’d have to spend a night in Pointe-a-Pitre, so do any OMAAT readers have thoughts on a decent place to spend the night in Guadeloupe that’s not far from the airport?

Then it’s surprising how tough it is to get from Pointe-a-Pitre back to Miami. I’d love to take the Air France island hopper, but it’s not opening on the date I need. Instead, the best option is via Montreal on Air Canada… ouch!

But still, I’m seriously considering the option. So I’m curious, would an Air Caraibes business class review be interesting (even if not useful), or am I wasting my time? Has anyone flown with the airline, and if so, how was it?

I’m also struggling with an outbound…

I’m trying to figure out how best to get to Europe, but am struggling there as well. Based on the timing, I’d sure love to visit the Delta One Lounge JFK, which is expected to open in the coming days. However, Delta hasn’t published entry requirements yet.

Since Delta basically never has any reasonably priced last minute business class awards, I’m curious if a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class ticket would get me access, since I could redeem points for that at the last minute. I’m also curious if Delta will use the same three hour rule for access to this lounge as it does for the Delta Sky Clubs, which could make an evening review tricky (given how crowded I imagine the lounge will be in the evenings).

Of course there are some other products I’d love to review, but I’m ultimately restricted by what’s available with miles, or at a reasonable fare. Believe it or not, late June and early July isn’t the easiest time to cross the Atlantic… who knew? 😉

Here are a few of the things that I’m keeping an eye on:

• I’d love to try Austrian’s new 787 business class, but I don’t see award availability yet for the dates that I need
• I could fly Icelandair via Reykjavik, but I see much better fares when departing Europe rather than when departing North America, so maybe I could do that on the return in lieu of Air Caraibes
• I’d like to fly Scandinavian Airlines’ A321LR business class, but I don’t see any award availability
• I’d love to fly Air Algerie between Montreal and Algiers, but the fares are much better westbound than eastbound
• There’s always Azores Airlines’ A321neo business class via Ponta Delgada, which is reasonably priced, but I’d rather avoid a non-flat bed on an overnight flight if I can

So yeah, I’m trying to decide what to do here. I have firm plans in Europe, but I haven’t planned the outbound or return, so we’ll see how this plays out…

Bottom line

I’m trying to plan a last minute trip across the Atlantic — well, the trip has been planned for a long time, except the flight… oops. I’m not necessarily trying to find the most direct routing, but rather the most interesting products I haven’t reviewed. Somehow Air Caraibes is looking like one of the most tempting options, with the only challenge being getting from the French West Indies to Miami.