Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.
I recently enjoyed a phenomenal holiday in the Maldives, where I stayed at the archipelago’s four most exclusive ultra-luxury resorts. You can expect the following reviews in the coming weeks:
- Review: Beond Airlines A319 Business Class from Zürich to the Maldives (today)
- Review: One&Only Reethi Rah Maldives
- Review: Cheval Blanc Randheli Maldives
- Review: Soneva Fushi
- Review: Soneva Jani
- Review: Etihad Airways B787 Business Class from Male to Abu Dhabi
- Review: Etihad Airways A380 First Class from Abu Dhabi to London
I was supposed to also stay at Soneva Secret, Soneva’s newest island resort, but the opening was delayed by a few weeks (it has since opened to raving reviews). I hope to stay at Soneva Secret next year!
Today: Review of Beond, new all Business Class airline to the Maldives
For my flight to the Maldives, I decided to try out a completely new airline – Beond, the world’s first premium leisure airline. Launched in 2023, Beond is a carrier based in the Maldives and founded by former Lufthansa managers, an investor from Dubai and a Maldivian hospitality group. The airline currently flies with an all Business Class Airbus A319 aircraft – with seats arranged in a 2-2 layout – between the Maldives and Zürich, Munich, Milan, Riyad, Dubai and Bangkok. Beond Airlines aims to grow its fleet to more than 30 Airbus A320s within five years to fly to 60 destinations around the globe.
My flight with Beond took me from Zürich to the Maldives, with a scheduled fuel stop at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC), the emirate’s newest airport. The fuel stop is definitely one of the weaker points of the Beond flight experience since it disrupts a good night’s rest. During the fuel stop – which only takes one hour – there’s a change of the flight & cabin crew, but passengers can stay onboard (which is far better than having to disembark and change aircraft in the middle of the night, as is the case with the big Middle East airlines). Also, Beond does not follow a direct flight path to the Maldives over the Indian Ocean since the carrier has not yet received ETOPS authorization (adding some 30 minutes extra flight time). However, once Beond acquires the longer-range A321neos, the required fuel stop in Dubai and the ETOPS issues will be eliminated.
There were several things I liked about Beond, such as its nice branding, access to a First Class airport lounge, luxurious leather seats, great onboard amenities and excellent food offering. But there were also some things that I didn’t like that much, such as the stopover in Dubai, the lack of onboard WiFi, and the short length of some of the onboard flat beds. Also, it’s important to mention that Beond has cancelled some of its flights during its launch phase due to low occupancy. It happened to me as well: two weeks prior to my departure to the Maldives, I was informed that the return flight, which would take me to Münich, was cancelled (since Munich was downgraded from a permanent to a seasonal destination). I was only offered an (unacceptable) option to travel to Zürich instead, either two days prior to or after my originally scheduled travel date. Luckily, I was able to book an award flight with Etihad instead. I do hope that that Beond Airline will become more reliable as its grows and expands.
Have you ever flown with Beond Airlines? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.
- Trip: Züruch (ZRH) to Male (MLE) via Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC)
- Airline: Beond
- Aircraft type: Airbus A319
- Aircraft registration number: 8Q-FBA (ex-Easyjet plane)
- On time departure: 10 pm (yes)
- On time arrival: 1:40 pm (+ 1 day, yes)
- Miles: 4850 miles (7810 km)
- Flight time: 6 + 4 hours
- Seat: 5D
- Class: Business Class
In this review (more information & photos below my YouTube video):
- Lounge at Zürich International Airport
- Beond fleet
- Beond Business Class rates
- Business Class cabin
- Business Class Seat
- Amenities & bedding
- Meals
- Onboard entertainment & internet
- Other inflight experiences
- My verdict (score)
1. LOUNGE AT ZÜRICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
At Zürich International Airport, Beond Airlines’ passengers have access to the Aspire Lounge, which is located one floor above the main concourse of the E Gates. The Aspire Lounge is a third party lounge, which comprises a main section to the right of the reception area (used for Business Class passengers of other airlines) as well as a “hidden” private room to left of the reception area (reserved for First Class passengers of other airlines as well as Beond’s passengers).
The intimate private room features a luxurious design and feels more like the lounge of a stylish boutique hotel than an airport lounge. Large windows offer great views of the airport apron. There are several seating options, ranging from single seats surrounded by a shelf (offering privacy) to comfortable sofas arranged around coffee tables. One end of the lounge features a self-serve buffet but guests can also enjoy à la carte dining at one of the nearby dining tables.
During my visit to the lounge, I ordered the beef carpaccio and butter chicken from the First Class menu (both tasted ok-ish).
One major disadvantage of the lounge is that the space does not have restrooms or showers, so unfortunately, guests must go outside to use public facilities.
2. BEOND FLEET
Currently, Beond has a fleet of 2 Airbus aircraft: one Airbus A319 (20 years old; ex-Easyjet plane) and one Airbus A321(22 years old; ex-British Airways plane). At the moment, the airline is using only the A319 for its flights to & from the Maldives as the A321 remains parked at Male International Airport (it has been parked there for the last couple of months). The carrier aims to have a fleet of 32 Airbus A320s within five years to fly to 60 destinations around the globe.
3. BEOND BUSINESS CLASS RATES
Beond airline has three different rates for Business Class, and there’s quite a bit of differentiation between them:
- The Delight Experience fare class includes 40kg of checked bags, 10kg of cabin baggage, offers seat assignments for a fee, doesn’t offer lounge access, and only offers ticket changes for a fee.
- The Bliss Experience fare class incrementally offers seat assignments for free (except for ottoman seats) and lounge access.
- The Opulence Experience offers seat assignments for free (including ottoman seats), 60kg of checked bags, 15kg of cabin baggage, and free ticket changes.
4. BEOND BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
Beond’s Airbus A319 features 44 Business Class seats, arranged in a 2-2 layout and spread over 11 rows (there’s also a 12th row at the rear of the aircraft with seats reserved for the cabin crew). In comparison, a commercial version of the Airbus A319 aircraft features around 110 to 156 Economy Class seats.
Beond’s 2-2 seat layout is not the most up-to-date Business Class configuration: it doesn’t allow direct aisle access for all seats and it may feel weird for a solo traveler to be seated next to a stranger. However, the four abreast configuration may work well for the airline since most of its passengers are couples, families and friends who are traveling together and probably prefer to be seated together. Moreover, the 2-2 configuration is the same one you find on other all Business Class narrow body aircraft, such as the Airbus A321s of French airline La Company and the Four Seasons private jet.
The chic and luxurious cabin design of Beond’s A319 immediately catches the eye. The leather seats are care designed by Optimares, a leading Italian seat manufacturer and Red Dot Award winner. Their ivory white color contrasts nicely with the dark seat shells and the black, luxurious carpet on the aircraft’s floor. The warm rust orange color tone of the bedding amenities – which are placed on the seats by the crew prior to boarding – add a subtle and classy touch to the cabin’s color palette.
5. BEOND BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
Beond equipped its A319 cabin with pretty standard Business Class seats. Each pair of seats shares a central armrest holding the seat controls, a tool for securing a tablet (more on that below) and a tray table which can swivel 45 degrees, allowing passengers to get out of the seat. There are no privacy dividers between seats, which might be problematic for solo travelers. Each seats goes fully flat, and upon request, the flight attendants can put a mattress topper on the seat and wrap the pillow in a cotton pillowcase.
Among the 44 Business Class seats, there are two seat variants that differ marginally:
- The most exclusive seats are the eight ottoman seats, which are located in rows 1 (bulkhead row) and 5 (overwing emergency exit row). These seats come with a larger ottoman and thus with more space for stretching your feet and legs. Beyond also charges an extra fee for selecting one of these seats (except for passengers who booked the most expensive fare, the “Opulence Experience”). But although these ottoman seats have a wider footrest, they only have a length of 170 cm (67 inches) in the lie flat bed position (so taller passengers will only be able to sleep and rest with bended knees).
- The 36 other seats have a much smaller footrest on the side, making them not as good as the ottoman seats at first sight. However, when the footwell connects with the rest of the seat when fully reclined, the length of the lie-flat bed is longer and more comfortable compared to the ottoman seats. The seats on the aisle have the disadvantage though that your feet can easily drop off the footwell due to its small size (something that cannot happen at the window seats where your feet are ‘locked’ in place by the aircraft’s wall).
For a seat map of Beond Airlines’ Airbus A319 aircraft, click here.
6. AMENITIES & BEDDING
Beond offers the following amenities on its flights to and from the Maldives:
- A black leather pouch amenity kit, which contains a dental kit, earplugs, hand sanitiser, and Bottega Fiore toiletries (body lotion + perfume).
- Wireless Beats headphones are offered, which are certainly a step above the typical ones you get on a flight.
- Bedding amenities, which include an orange velvet blanket (wrapped in a bag), a pillow and a mattress topper.
7. MEALS
Two three-course meals were offered on this flight from Zürich to the Maldives. A dinner was served shortly after takeoff from Zürich as well as a delicious breakfast while flying over the Arabian Sea.
I choose the following dishes from the dinner menu on the Zürich to Dubai flight leg:
- Starter: prawn & citrus cocktail
- Main course: sole meuniere, served with parsley potatoes and lemon caper butter
- Dessert: lemon meringue tart and fresh fruits
And I choose the following selection from the breakfast menu on the Dubai to Male flight leg:
- Starter: smoked salmon, herb cream cheese
- Main course: grilled beef sausage and parsley omelette
- Dessert: lemon chiboust, mix berries
The food was beautifully presented and plated on custom-made designer tableware created in association with William Edwards, Chilewich, and Robert Welch, a heritage English manufacturer.
MEN
MENU
8. ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & INTERNET
Instead of using screens for in-flight entertainment, Beond offers an iPad (with excellent screen quality) to every passenger. The entertainment selection includes movies, games, series, podcasts, documentaries, and flight maps.
Unfortunately, onboard WiFi is currently not offered by Beond Airlines.
9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: the cabin crew on this flight was very friendly and courteous. They provided excellent and personalized service, which might also be partly explained by the low number of passengers onboard (only 14).
# LAVATORY: Beond Airlines’ Airbus A319 has two lavatories: one behind the cockpit and one at the rear of the plane.
10. MY VERDICT
- Cabin design: 9/10
- Seat comfort (upright): 8/10
- Seat comfort (bed position): 6/10
- Seat privacy: 5/10
- Food (quality): 8/10
- Food (quantity): 9/10
- Amenities: 8/10
- Inflight entertainment : 8/10
- WiFi: 0/10
- Service: 9/10
- Overall experience: good 7/10
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