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- Beond is an airline where all seats are business class-like and have lie-flat beds.
- Most seats had small footrests and felt cramped.
- In most cases, it’s cheaper than its competitors’ business class, but we expect prices to be closer to that on future routes.
Beond bills itself as “the world’s first premium leisure airline” and took to the skies for the first time in November.
It was displayed at the Dubai Air Show before it began flying its first three routes (all from Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland via the Maldives).
Chief strategy officer and co-founder Max Nilov told Business Insider this was the result of a “20-year dream.”
“We’re not afraid to compete with anyone,” he said, explaining how the first three routes were chosen based on demand.
Looking inside the cabin, Beond doesn’t feel as luxurious as other airlines’ business class. There are no privacy dividers, so the sense of exclusivity can be lost if everyone is in the same cabin.
And the current network will likely use La Compagnie, an all-business class airline that connects Europe with Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
On its current routes, the Beond is cheaper than its competitors’ business class cabins, so it’s probably worth it, but that could change as the airline expands to other routes with smaller price differences.
Co-founder Max Nilov told BI that Beond is “two to three times cheaper than our competitors” on these routes, including on Edelweiss Airlines.
A one-way ticket in January on Beond between Zurich and Maldives’ capital Male costs about $2,600.
For Edelweiss, economy class costs $1,250, while business class costs about $5,000.
Current narrowbody aircraft in service cannot fly that far, but the Airbus A321XLR scheduled to fly next year should be able to do so.
We saw the Airbus A321XLR make its debut at the airshow, and we’re confident it will be a game-changer for the aviation industry
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