Luxury Airlines don’t have a good track record. No matter if start-ups like Silverjet, Eos or MGM Grand in the US, L’Avion from France or the offspring of big network airlines like British Airways’ all-premium product Open Skies, they never lasted long.
The exception is Paris-based La Compagnie, started in 2014, currently linking Paris-Orly, Nice and Milan with New York-Newark, flying two Airbus A321neos. All the start-ups in the premium-only segment so far were focused on transatlantic flights aimed at business travellers.
Now there is a brand new attempt at an all-premium operation, this time totally different: Beond Airlines is based in the Maldives, a premium leisure destination close to the southern tip of India. And it introduces the all-premium airline idea to upmarket holiday-makers.
As luxury resorts in the turquoise Maldivian waters of the Indian Ocean charge US$2000 and some much more per night, this seems to be a logical target market to lure affluent travellers. Those who look for an alternative between renting a private jet for themselves or succumbing to mass market carriers from the Persian Gulf, usually require a plane change at their hubs in the dead of night.
Beond Airlines started services initially from Munich, Zurich and Riyadh to Male Airport in the Maldives on November 15. The airline was founded by three former employees of Lufthansa Consulting, an investor from Dubai and a Maldivian hospitality group registered in the island state.
It currently flies a single, 20-year-old Airbus A319, formerly in service with easyJet, among others, which operated it seating 156 passengers. “Our plan was to fly non-stop with an A321neo or LR, but these aircraft are currently just unavailable for start-ups,” CCO Sascha Feuerherd, one of the founders, tells Airlineratings.
Beond has outfitted its A319 with 44 leather seats in four abreast configurations, but the twin is forced to make a fuel stop between Europe and its destination Male at Dubai World Central (DWC) airport. “That’s a deterioration of our original plan, but still a better option than changing planes at 3 am in Dubai”, says Feuerherd.
Airlineratings had a chance to try out the new product, flying from Munich to Male before Christmas. Starting the journey came with a little shock – the reporter was told he is the sole passenger booked that night, something never experienced on a scheduled flight in 35 years of aviation journalism. Inbound from Male just seven people were on board. Given that Germans tend to book early, especially for major holidays, this is probably not surprising, as Beond only started selling tickets about three months before it launched operations in mid-November. Fares for return flights from Europe to the Maldives currently start from about US$3200, slightly lower than what the Gulf carriers charge for the same route in Business class.
Being the only passenger on board is an odd experience, as all four cabin crew’s attention is focused just on one customer. As the flight left Munich on time at about 10 pm local time, there wasn’t much time or appetite to try out the ample menu options offering four main courses and desserts, respectively, as the fuel stop in Dubai was only about six hours of flight away.
When trying a mix of tasty appetizers, melon with ham and shrimp cocktail with citrus fruit, the sophisticated style of Beond’s inflight product became obvious: Custom-made designer dishes, glasses and cutlery, all very elegant, and food presented like in an upmarket restaurant in a way that not many airlines get delivered even in First class.
But there are drawbacks: IFE is provided by iPads handed out to passengers with a rather limited amount of content, no wifi connection available and an interactive map constantly freezes. If you are above about 1.70 meters in body length, the so-called premium seats in rows one and five are not the way to go, as the ottomans and flatbeds provided here are painfully short for taller persons.
Seat pitch is currently 60”, and Beond will increase that to 62” once the first A321ceo is put into service from July, then additionally serving Milan, Bangkok and DWC in its own right (currently only a fuel stop). In regular seats on the Beond A319, there are no real lie-flat options as in other airlines’ long haul Business class beds, just a corner of the front seat offers space to place your feet, which works best on window seats.
And landing in Dubai while trying to sleep on a long journey, in the middle of the night as per the body clock, is a bit of a showstopper as well, forcing everybody to sit upright with the early morning sun shining into the cabin. The fuel stop takes over an hour, and as there is a crew change and a flow of people in the cabin, so sleeping through is not an option.
The breakfast menu on the second leg is a positive surprise, as it is not as predictable as the usual omelette offerings elsewhere, with interesting options such as “North African mesfouf” (slightly sweet couscous) or “Lemon Chiboust” (lemon cream with fresh berries). In such details, the sophistication of upmarket Maldivian resorts is mirrored.
“The idea of a luxury holiday airline absolutely makes sense from our point of view,” says John Comber, an Australian Resort Manager on the island of Baros, just a 20-minute speedboat ride from Male airport, whose clientele is exactly what Beond focuses on.
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“And the new Bangkok route is promising, also for the many expats working here in the Maldives,” he adds. It remains to be seen if Beond has the stamina to persist against the odds of many other failed all-premium carriers. And they are not short of ambitious expansion plans: “At the end of 2024 we aim to have five aircraft, and with each, we launch three new destinations,” says CCO Sascha Feuerherd.
Within five years, a fleet of 32 aircraft serving 60 destinations is envisaged, ultimately reaching all continents except the Americas. If proven, Beond wants to transfer its concept to other holiday destinations with new affiliates, up to ten are in the business plan, and the first new shall be added within three years.
