Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel, flight or destination review.
Today: Beond Airlines celebrates its first anniversary with an attractive offer
Beond Airlines – the world’s first premium leisure airline, celebrated this week its first anniversary. Launched in 2023, Beond is a Maldives based carrier founded by former Lufthansa managers, an investor from Dubai and a Maldivian hospitality group. The airline currently flies with all-Business-Class narrow-body Airbus aircraft – with seats arranged in a 2-2 layout – between the Maldives and Zürich, Munich, Milan, Rhiyad, and Dubai. Beond Airlines aims to grow its fleet to more than 30 Airbus A320s within five years to fly to 60 destinations around the globe. I flew with Beond – which markets itself as “Be0nd” – last year and you can read my review here (with pros & cons).
“This is only the beginning of beOnd, and we are proud of our track record to date,” said Tero Taskila, CEO of beOnd. “Our goal this year has been to exceed every expectation of our customers from the moment they book with us until they arrive in the Maldives, and we have achieved that. We are focused on growth in the market and ensuring the trust of our customers and partners as we do so.” Beond has served more than 8,000 customers since its launch last year and the carrier has maintained its vision of affordable luxury, offering attractive fares at around €3,000 roundtrip, including taxes and fees.
Since I flew with them, some good changes seem to have happened with Beond Airlines:
- The Maldivian carrier features now two Airbus aircraft (instead of one), featuring premium lay-flat seating and luxurious onboard amenities. The aircraft — two specially designed Airbus A319 seating 44 passengers and A321 seating 68 passengers in stunning hand-painted dark charcoal and copper livery — incorporates many elements of Italian design. For example, the plush white leather seats feature leather from Poltrona Frau, a renowned furniture and automotive designer founded in 1912. The seats were designed by Optimares, a leading aircraft seat designer and manufacturer, also based in Italy.
- Beond is unreliable when it comes to its flight schedule (which is a huge problem). The carrier cancelled many flights during its launch phase due to low occupancy. It happened to me as well: two weeks prior to my departure to the Maldives last year, I was informed that my return flight to Munich was cancelled (since Munich was downgraded from a permanent to a seasonal destination). But the carrier now seems to be dealing with this problem by having introduced the “Free Flight Guarantee”, industry-first initiative:
- In the event of a flight disruption, Beond will rebook passengers in Business Class with a different carrier, and offers refunds or exchanges for other eventualities.
- If rebooking in Business Class isn’t available with partner airlines, Beond will rebook passengers in Economy Class and provide a 100% refund on the cancelled sector.
- If you prefer to reschedule your flight instead instead of a rebooking, Beond will exchange the value of the cancelled flight for a travel voucher with an additional 20% value, valid for one year from issuance.
- Ansett Aviation Training is now providing training for Beond’s flight crew members, underscoring the carrier’s commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards. With Ansett Aviation Training’s state-of-the-art pilot training facilities and expertise, Beond’s crew will receive extensive training at Ansett’s network of training centers, including the Dubai South facility.
- The airline has a began a successful charter business, transporting celebrities and sports teams, such as the Norwegian football team and the Al Ahli Football Club. While charter operations are not Beond’s focus, the offer has apparently resonated in the marketplace.
- Beond not only flies to the Maldives, but now also serves the Zurich (Switzerland) to Dubai route, as part of Fifth Freedom authority granted between the respective aviation authorities.
- Beond has replaced the traditional paper boarding pass by exclusive boarding tags designed to resemble stylish luggage tags. Made from high-quality, durable materials and customized with each passenger’s details, these boarding tags are not only practical but also double as a bespoke souvenir from each journey and they reflect the airline’s commitment to providing a luxury experience at every touchpoint.
To celebrate its first anniversary – which coincided with Black Friday – Beond has launched a very attractive offer, called “BeOnd’s Golden Friday”, offering 25% off all flights and the chance to win a Golden Ticket—a complimentary return flight for future travel for every 50th issued booking:
- How To Book: flybeond.com with promo code GOLDENFRIDAY24
- Booking Period: Until 30 November 2024
- Travel Period: Until 28 March 2026
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