Summary
- Beond, an all-business class leisure airline, plans to launch in November 2023 with routes from Zurich and Munich to the Maldives, using Riyadh as a refueling point.
- The airline aims to tap into the growing market for luxury leisure travel and provides affordable luxury to leisure travelers with its specialized A319 aircraft featuring lie-flat seats.
- Beond incorporates low-cost elements into its strategy to make luxury travel affordable, such as operating a single type fleet and reducing weight onboard. Tickets are already available for sale on the launch routes.
All business class leisure airline Beond has today revealed the first routes for its launch later this year. Flying an Airbus A319 with just 44 seats, all lie-flat, the carrier is targeting two European connections and one in the Middle East for its first flights. Launching in November 2023, the European routes will be from Zurich and Munich to Male in the Maldives.
Of course, the A319 cannot fly from either Munich or Zurich to the Maldives without stopping. As such, Riyadh will serve as a refueling point for the flight. A route map shared by the airline indicates that future connections would be made to Delhi, Mumbai, Paris, Vienna and even points in the Far East. Destinations such as Osaka and Seoul would use Hanoi in Vietnam as a refueling stop.
Image: Beond
With such a strong focus on the Maldives, you would be forgiven for thinking that Beond was a Maldivian carrier, but it’s not. Rather, this is the reinvented ‘Arabesque,’ the UAE startup that has been floating around in the aviation space for a couple of years now. Its mission is to provide affordable luxury to leisure travelers looking for something a bit better from their flight, operating only the A320 family of aircraft, at least for the foreseeable future.
Luxury leisure is a growth market
Speaking to media at a roundtable today, CEO of Beond, Tero Taskila, noted that the segment the airline is targeting is believed to be a fast-growing market. He commented,
“We’ve all been witnessing a significant take up of premium travel. All the airlines in Europe are reporting that the current business and first class cabins are filled by people who are actually traveling for leisure. rather than the corporates. Luxury leisure travel is the fastest-growing market segment. We are tapping into that one with a very specialized aircraft.”
Photo: Beond
The aircraft in question is a single A319 to start with. It has just 44 seats, all in a proper lie-flat business configuration. Taskila revealed today that the seats will be developed with Italian designer Optimares, and will include lavish touches such as Italian leather construction, but also with carbon fiber elements to reduce the weight onboard.
Photo: Beond
Photo: Beond
The executive team was unable to fill in all the details about the onboard service today but indicated that they are taking a less conventional route with the inflight entertainment (IFE). Without saying too much, the team noted that it wouldn’t be the usual underseat boxes, miles of wiring and hefty seatback screens. Chief strategy officer Max Niolv explained why:
“The in-seat video and cables and electronics add some 25kg per passenger, per seat. So that’s why we’re taking on some very innovative solutions from a world-leading IT and entertainment manufacturer. I cannot disclose the name at this point, but it is clearly something very, very special.”
Making luxury travel affordable?
A key point that was reiterated during today’s press call was that this airline was all about making luxurious flying affordable. As such, it is incorporating some low-cost elements into its strategy, such as operating a single type fleet, and reducing weight on board wherever possible.
Photo: Beond
Of course, affordability is a matter of opinion. Beond is pricing its segments to the Maldives at $2,000 from Europe and $1,000 from the Middle East. That’s competitive against other options, which range from $3,500 return with Qatar in business up to $6,000 plus with Etihad (from Munich, mid-November). The biggest benefit for Beond will be the lack of competition on the routes, with no airlines offering nonstop business class services from any of the three launch cities identified today.
Tickets are already for sale on the launch routes, and the airline will be offering three tiers of fares. Of course, everyone will get a luxury lie-flat seat and the same exemplary catering and IFE, but the pricier fares begin to unlock other benefits, both in the sky and on the ground. The highest fare tier, which Beond calls ‘Opulence,’ comes with a limo service to and from the airport, and the firm is eyeing adding luggage pick up in the future too.
Photo: Beond
Although Beond will launch with only one aircraft, it expects to have its second, an Airbus A321ceo, in place before the end of the summer season. The A321 will have 68 lie flat seats, and will be joined by more A321s and A319s as time goes on. By the end of next year, the airline is targeting a fleet of 8 – 10 aircraft and a route map that spans 12 – 14 worldwide destinations.
Will you give luxury leisure a go and fly Beond to the Maldives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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