How is the experience on the all business class airline Beond? In 2023, a new player appeared in the skies with the airline Beond, or beOnd, as it calls itself.
The airline describes itself as the world’s first “premium leisure airline”. Its concept is based on offering exclusively business class travel and connecting various cities in Europe, the Middle East and later Asia with the Maldives.
Recently, beOnd took delivery of its second aircraft, an Airbus A321. However, beOnd has been operating most of its flights with a converted Airbus A319 since the start of operations. The airline’s route network currently includes cities such as Milan, Zurich, Dubai, Riyadh and Munich.
The long-term plan is for beOnd to fly non-stop from Europe or cities such as Bangkok to the Maldives with Airbus A321XLRs. However, as these are still a long way off and the current regular Airbus A319s and A321s do not have sufficient range for a non-stop flight, a stopover will be made in Dubai for refueling on the flights from Munich, Zurich and Milan to Malé.
On the route from Zurich, the segment to and from Dubai is also sold separately as a fifth freedom flight. We took a closer look at the flight experience with beOnd on this route.
Check-in & lounge in Zurich
beOnd currently flies to Zurich twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, in the winter timetable. Departures are either in the late afternoon or in the evening at 7.45 pm.
After a flight time of just under seven hours, a stopover is made in Dubai and the Maldives are reached the next morning or morning.
The beOnd check-in opens three hours before departure in Check-in 2 at Zurich Airport. The very friendly check-in agents take our luggage and inform us that the flight is relatively empty today and that we have therefore been given new seats due to the balance.
As a beOnd passenger in Zurich, you have the option of using the fast track at the security checkpoint. After that, it’s just a few minutes to Terminal E, where beOnd departs. The airline provides the Aspire Lounge as a lounge, which is also located in area E near gate E52.
The lounge is an elongated room along a large window front. There are various seating options here, from armchairs to larger sofa corners for groups of up to six people. At the back of the lounge is the buffet area with bistro tables. The lounge offers two hot dishes, various cold snacks and sandwiches as well as a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer and spirits – an Aperol Spritz can also be mixed.
The terrace overlooking the apron of Zurich Airport is the highlight of the lounge when the weather is fine.
Business Class cabin on the beOnd Airbus A319
The aircraft itself is something special and makes a very classy impression: it is painted completely in dark gray – almost black. The beOnd lettering and the copper-colored logo stand out from this.
The cabin of the beOnd conveys a certain “private jet feeling”. This is because there are only 44 seats on board, spread over eleven rows.
Added to this is the bright design of the beOnd Business Class cabin, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Four Seasons Private Jet, for example. The seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration, which is of course not ideal for solo travelers. However, as beOnd positions itself as a premium leisure airline, the target group is mainly couples or families. This is also reflected on the flights.
The beige-colored seat covers in combination with the dark seat shells convey a high-quality and pleasant cabin feeling. It is also striking how beOnd has paid attention to the branding: elements of the beOnd logo can be found in various places, for example on the carpet. The apricot-colored blankets and cushions also add subtle color elements to the cabin.
All seats can be converted into a flat bed. Although this is a pure Business Class cabin, there are two different seat types: In rows one and five there are so-called ottoman seats, which have a larger footrest.
All other seats are identical. They have a triangular footrest that merges with the rest of the seat in the reclined position. In addition, all seats are slightly inclined: the seat by the window faces slightly towards the window and the aisle seat faces in the same direction.
Business Class service & culinary experience on board beOnd
During boarding, we are warmly welcomed by the four-person cabin crew and escorted to our seat.
Shortly afterwards, we are served a welcome drink. This is where beOnd differs from other airlines that also want to integrate Maldivian culture into their service. In addition to water, the welcome drink includes various smoothies such as mango, banana and dates, green smoothie or beet with carrot and ginger.
An amenity kit is also waiting at your seat. Here, too, the stringent branding is striking, with both the packaging and the contents bearing the beOnd branding throughout.
The menu is handed out on the floor. There is a choice of three starters, three main courses and a selection of desserts and cheeses. The drink requests are also already recorded.
The service begins with an aperitif of your choice and warm nuts. We opt for a glass of champagne, in this case Piper Heidsieck.
Even though we remain loyal to champagne on this flight, the selection of wines and spirits is impressive. In addition to two red and two white wines, there are classic spirits such as Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, Tamqueray No. 10 Gin, Johnnie Walker Black Label and Ciroc Vodka.
Some long drinks such as Bloody Mary, Cuba Libre, Kir Koyale Vodka Spritzer or Whisky Highball are also prepared by the crew.
For starters, we choose the bresaola with antipasti and the Tiger-Prawn cocktail, both of which are delicious. For the main course, we opt for the lamb chops, which are also very tasty and not at all tough, as is often the case with lamb on board.
The dinner is rounded off with a delicious chocolate mousse and a cheese platter that is almost too big.
The well thought-out branding by beOnd is also noticeable in the tableware: the bowls for the nuts are in the dark grey-copper color combination of the aircraft paintwork and the plates also have copper tones. We also notice positively that the table is set before the meal, including with coarse salt and pepper and a bread basket. This is always good service.
The catering on the return flight to Zurich is also consistently positive. Here we choose a lemon and herb chicken with sesame dressing as a starter and a slow-cooked fillet of beef as our main course.
As there is a maximum of 44 guests on board the Airbus A319 from beOnd, and a maximum of 30 on our flights, the service is very personal. For example, care is taken to ensure that glasses are never empty and you are constantly asked if you would like anything else.
Entertainment
What is of course noticeable about the seats on board are the lack of screens. This is because beOnd relies on a mobile entertainment system and distributes iPads during the flight, on which a selection of films and series can be found. This is currently still relatively limited, so it is advisable to take your own favorite films and series with you on a tablet.
A well thought-out feature of beOnd Business Class is that all seats are equipped with a tablet holder so that the iPad never gets in the way and always has its place.
It is also noticeable, especially on daytime flights, that the aircraft do not yet have wifi. While this doesn’t bother us as much on a night flight, it can make a long day flight from the Maldives to Europe a little longer.
