- Maldives-based Beond is a new all-business class airline that will begin flying next month.
- The airline flies between Male and cities in Europe and Asia, with round-trip fares starting at $2,000.
- Beond will start with one Airbus A319 aircraft, equipped with lie-flat seats, but will also stop for refueling on some routes.
The Maldives is a little more accessible.
Maldives-based startup Beond, which bills itself as the world's first “premium leisure” airline, will begin point-to-point flights between cities in Europe and Asia and the capital Male from November.
At a press conference in Dubai on Wednesday, the new luxury airline unveiled its first plane, an Airbus A319 with a unique all-business class interior. The airline said it expects to take delivery of the Airbus A321 next year.
Take a look at what customers can expect onboard the airline's newly announced A319, which has been customized to provide a “private jet” experience.
Founded in January 2022, Beond has an ambitious goal of acquiring 32 aircraft and serving 60 destinations within the next five years.
So far, the airline has one A319 aircraft in its fleet.
The airline emphasized that it is not a “business” airline targeting corporate travelers, but rather a “luxury leisure” airline focused on leisure travel.
Driving its rapid expansion goals is the significant premium leisure demand Beond sees in the region.
Beond is tapping into a fairly niche market with its point-to-point luxury leisure network, which will connect Male to Zurich, Munich and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, starting in November.
The Riyadh route will depart on November 9th, the Munich route will begin service on November 15th, followed by the Zurich route from November 17th.
Milan and Dubai were announced as additional routes on Wednesday, and are scheduled to begin service in late March 2024.
As the Maldives is primarily a tourist destination, Biondo plans to attract high-income leisure travelers with all business class flights.
The idea is to provide an affordable yet high-end experience for travelers looking for luxury with a little extra.
“We believe in affordable luxury,” Beond CEO Tero Taskila told the media on Wednesday.
The A319, unveiled on Wednesday, features 44 lie-flat seats in a 2×2 configuration.
According to Airbus, the A319 airliner can carry up to 160 people.
The customized cabin was designed by Italian manufacturer Optimares, who also designed lie-flat loungers for Four Seasons and TCS World Travel private jets.
Biondo's on-board facilities are rare in the airline industry, with France's La Compagnie the only other long-haul airline currently using a similar business model, flying across the Atlantic on Airbus A321neo jets. Upstart airline Bermuda Airways also offers business class only, but without the lie-flat feature.
However, this layout means that passengers in window seats do not have direct aisle access.
When an aisle seat passenger extends the bed, the window seater no longer has direct access to the aisle without waking the person next to him or having to step over them.
This probably won't be a big deal for the people you're traveling with. But it's an issue that major airlines are actively addressing as they introduce new business class seats.
This seat also doesn't have a proper in-flight TV, instead it has an Apple iPad with wireless headphones.
The tablet has a designated slot in the seatback for display.
Customers can use iPads to explore food and drink options and watch movies and shows. It also has Bluetooth functionality.
Customers will continue to enjoy the convenience of flatbeds and power ports, as well as fine dining on board.
Some routes will fly for up to 12 hours, Beond said. This means you need to sleep and eat to create a great long-distance experience.
Travelers also have access to limousine transportation and airport lounges (where available).
Some travelers may prefer the comfort of a narrowplane compared to a widebody aircraft on long-haul routes.
Airlines such as JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, which fly across the Atlantic with narrow-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, have both business and economy products.
Small, single-aisle airliners are particularly useful for airlines because they allow quick turns. Beond says jets can be reoriented within his hour, optimizing aircraft utilization.
Despite the luxury rooms, Beond says it will keep its fares competitive.
“we [in] “We have a unique position in that we don't have any heritage, we're a start-up, we've come up with innovations, and that's why we're able to have cost efficiencies that allow us to maintain very competitive prices,” Taskira said Wednesday. ” he said.
Depending on the season and route, starting fares for round-trip flights can range from approximately $2,000 to $4,000.
Taskira told the media on Wednesday that a round-trip ticket from Riyadh costs $2,000, “which I think is quite competitive considering the other options.”
Beond's price is just below Saudia's $2,050 business class fare between Riyadh and Male in mid-December, but the Jeddah-based airline's seats are on Boeing 787s and have direct aisle access.
Flights to Europe are expected to be the most expensive. Currently, round-trip flights from Zurich to Male with Beond in December cost approximately $3,740.
Tickets for the same period on Swiss airline Edelweiss, which serves the same route, cost about $6,400 at the time of writing.
However, there are no refueling stops on Edelweiss' mostly expensive flights.
Biondo said the overall cost was lower because of efforts to reduce weight and because there was only one type of aircraft.
Building an all-Airbus fleet streamlines crew and maintenance operations.
Beond expects further cost savings with the introduction of its upcoming A321 aircraft.
However, there is one problem with the current A319 aircraft. Flights to Europe require refueling in Dubai.
The refueling stop at Dubai World Central is far from Dubai's main international hub, so flights connecting Male to Zurich and Munich airports will still have to make a “transit”. .
While this may take away some luxury, Taskira said he believes this is still the “fastest and more convenient” option, adding: “Technically you could just stop in Dubai for refueling and then I’m just heading to the Maldives.”
Beond's route map also shows refueling stations in Hanoi en route to Seoul and Osaka, but neither service is officially scheduled.
A route map published by Beond on its website shows several additional cities that the airline will likely serve someday.
These include Hong Kong, Taipei, Vienna, Paris, and Astana, Kazakhstan, in addition to the two Asian cities mentioned above: South Korea and Japan.
However, the inconvenient fuel diversions in Dubai and the planned Hanoi are expected to become actual direct flights once the A321LR/XLR variant, which can manage distances, enters service, Taskira told media on Wednesday.
Another potential inconvenience is that the flights are not daily, but Taskira said this was intentional.
“When you travel to the Maldives, you don't just go for one night,” the CEO told the media, adding that the company is initially starting with two frequencies, but depending on demand, it can be used for different purposes. He said up to three or four frequencies could be used per region.
“You can stay in a destination for four days, you can stay in a destination for seven days, you can stay in a destination for 10 days or 14 days,” Taskira continued.
Although Beond has big dreams and a unique business model, it still faces stiff competition.
Beond is entering a market where established airlines already have some market share and a loyal customer base.
Several other airlines already fly the route Biondo plans to open, including Edelweiss from Zurich and Saudia from Riyadh.
Rob Morris, global head of consultancy at aviation data firm Sirium, told CNN that Dubai is already “currently well served by Male.”
According to Cirium data, in August 2023, flydubai and Emirates operated an average of seven round-trip flights a day between Dubai and Male.
“This includes about 12% of premium class seats. Competition on this route will be tough,” Morris told CNN in August.
He noted that “there may be additional opportunities” on the underserved route between Male and Delhi, India, which is on Biondo's list of planned destinations.
Nevertheless, Beond's ambitious plans are all set to begin in November, as the boom in international travel continues post-pandemic.
“We are a niche airline in the sense that we operate a purely private jet experience with a full premium class cabin, and we are a niche airline in the sense that we operate a purely private jet experience with a full premium class cabin,” Taskira told the South China Morning Post in August. There are people who appreciate it,” he said.
Despite the unusual strategy, Biondo believes luxury leisure travel is the industry's “fastest growing market segment” and that wealthy customers will pay for premium experiences to the Maldives. said.
