I flew on a new all-business-class airline from Italy to the Maldives. It's worth splurging for, even with the odd fuel stop. (2024)

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I flew between Milan and Male, Beond's newest route that launched in July.

Milan joins Beond's four other routes to Male, including Riyadh, Dubai, Zurich, and Munich.

The airline's website has a map of other potential destinations, including Bangkok, Tokyo, and Perth, Australia — but it's unclear when these will begin as the airline awaits more planes.

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Just one plane, a nearly 21-year-old Airbus A319 fitted with just 44 business-class seats, is currently operating Beond's network.

A second plane, a 22-year-old Airbus A321, is being reconfigured with 68 business-class seats with plans to soon join the fleet, the company said.

In May, Beond CEO Tero Taskila told Aerotime Hub that the airline plans to fly 32 all-business-class planes to dozens of global destinations by 2035.

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The A319 makes a scheduled fuel stop in Dubai on flights to and from Europe.

The A319 doesn't have the range to make the nonstop journey between the Maldives and Europe on its own, so it stops for about an hour at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Center, in both directions.

This involves a crew swap and catering, but passengers can stay onboard. Passengers who booked just the leg to Dubai (which Beond also offers to certain cities) can disembark at DWC.

Taskila said most of the company's future planes will be longer-ranged A321neoLR and A321XLRs, which would negate the fuel stop and open more routes.

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A non-stop flight would improve Beond’s service, but I think it's still better than a layover.

Unlike a layover — would would be required when flying to Male from most cities in Europe — Beond's fuel stop doesn't require passengers to gather their stuff, disembark, and navigate an airport terminal to switch planes.

You also don't have the risk of missing a connecting flight due to a delay, and it's a quicker detour than a connection.

Travel times between Milan and Male on competing airlines stretch at least 12.5 hours on the outbound and 13 hours on the return, including layovers in their respective hub cities. That's all longer than Beond's 11-hour and 12-hour rides, fuel stop included.

The downside for Beond, however, is that it interrupts sleep after the nearly midnight takeoff, as Dubai is only about a six-hour flight. Other carriers have more frequency options, by comparison.

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There's no online check-in.

On both sides of my itinerary, check-in was only available at the airport as Beond's web systems are not yet set up. Instead, I had to go to the counter to get my boarding pass.

I'll admit the counter was a little difficult to find in Milan — it was all the way at the end of the check-in area. More signage would help.

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The Male airport has more branding around the check-in desk.

Considering it's a Maldives-based airline, this makes sense.

The agent did weigh my carry-on bag at check-in in Male, which didn't happen in Milan. I was worried I'd be forced to check it, but the agent let me keep it with me.

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All of the agents were friendly and efficient. Within minutes, I had my boarding pass and was off to the lounge.

Beond has three fare categories: Delight, Bliss, and Opulence. Customers who book the Bliss or Opulence fare get perks like more baggage and lounge access. The latter also gets a free change until 30 days before the flight and a free transfer.

On the Milan side, the lounge is called Montale. On the Male side, customers can go to the Leeli Lounge. Neither space had the glitz and glam of an Emirates and Singapore Airlines lounge, but both had free food and drinks. That's all I need, personally.

Further, in Male, my boarding pass gave me access to the business and first-class lines, meaning I skipped the long queues for security and passport control. According to Beond, this is available for all fare types at participating airports.

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The gates were simple, but boarding differed at each airport. Male’s embarkation was a lot more fun.

In Milan, everyone boarded via the typical jetbridge.

But in Male, we were bussed to and from the plane for boarding and deplaning. Some may find it inconvenient, but my nerdy self loves riding along the tarmac and right up next to the plane.

In both cases, because Beond's A319 only holds a few dozen people, there wasn't any crowding or congestion to check in or board (and I was happy to avoid the pesky "gate lice" that clutter the gate area on other airlines).

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I was assigned an aisle seat on the outbound and a window seat on the return.

The plane is configured with lie-flat business class with two seats on either side of the aisle.

This differs from the norm. Airlines have largely abandoned installing two lie-flat business class seatson the outer sections of the cabin because the aisle seat, when in lie-flat mode, blocks the window passenger from freely accessing the rest of the plane.

It can turn into an awkward waking of a stranger to go to the bathroom, for example.

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I was nervous about the 2x2 layout because there's no direct aisle access for the window, but it’s not a big deal.

Most of the other people on my flight were families or couples. From what I could tell, I was the only solo person onboard.

Considering the Maldives is largely a romantic or family destination, I figure the risk of having two strangers next to each other on a Beond flight is pretty low.

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There aren't sliding doors or giant flatscreen TVs that have become commonplace on competitors.

Airlines like Turkish Airlines and Air India have added doors to their planes as the demand for privacy grows and they want to better compete with the likes of Qatar and Etihad.

There was also no middle divider. Still, none of this would deter me from flying Beond again — especially since the high number of couples and families would make privacy between seats less important.

But, if you're looking for the most private seats, I'd recommend a window as far back in the cabin as possible.

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While the lack of TV may be odd, I like Beond’s in-flight entertainment setup.

Instead of a television, Beond provided noise-canceling Beats headphones and big iPads fully loaded with content and games.

The Beats were easily the best pair of headphones I've had on a plane. The tablet could be mounted on a retractable ledge situated in front of the seat.

Unpopular opinion: I love this setup.

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I love the tablet holder on American Airlines and I like Beond's version, too.

Although I did watch some Beond-provided movies like Interstellar on the iPad, I largely like to watch my own pre-downloaded shows when I fly (mostly reality TV, like Big Brother and The Traitors).

The little slot created for Beond's iPads is similar to the tablet holder on American Airlines planes, and I could prop my Kindle Fire on it easily. Plus, I could connect the Beats headphones to my Kindle — another win.

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There was no WiFi, though.

While it looks like from the pamphlets onboard and the tablet that Beond has WiFi, but it actually doesn't — its just the portal to connect to its IFE.

Beond is targeting leisure customers, however, rather than business so I imagine WiFi isn't a top priority — but it would make it more competitive, even with vacationers.

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Beond also offered a universal power outlet, a tray table, slippers, an amenity kit, and a lie-flat bed. But storage was lacking.

The storage space was mostly small pockets in front of and beside the seat, as well as a small tabletop. I thought this was lacking compared to other airlines I've flown, and I struggled to get organized.

Fortunately, the seat next to me was open and I used it to store things like chargers, my laptop, and book. I imagine people traveling together would use the overhead bins or floor space in front of their seats for storing stuff.

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The lie-flat bed was long enough to accommodate my 5’3” tall self. The footwell was small, which I've found on other carriers, too.

I could easily sleep on my side or back, though trying to sleep on my stomach (my preferred sleeping position) was a little less comfortable because of the narrow footwell.

Taller travelers may also consider the bed length when booking, as BI's Pete Syme previously reported during a media tour in November that those over six feet tall found the footwell to be tight.

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Beond does have a solution for the footwell in its eight ottoman seats.

These seats are located at the front of the cabin and in the exit row, which widens the footwell.

Passengers can pay an extra fee for the seat, but Opulence ticketholders can get one assigned for free.

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Linens were provided, including a mattress cover, a pillow, and the softest blanket I’ve ever felt on a plane.

The pillows and mattress cover were okay in terms of comfort but nothing to write home about. And, frankly, the pillow could have been less firm.

However, the blanket was shockingly soft and cozy. If I could have taken it home to keep as my permanent movie night blanket, I would've.

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When not sleeping or watching TV, there was plenty of food.

I was never hungry on Beond. Since one was served after takeoff during each leg, I had four full meals total, including bread, an appetizer, a main course, and dessert.

Everything from chicken and pasta to seafood and brisket was available. Not pictured here is the selection of cheese and cold cuts and the cake and seasonal fruits I also had.

I could also order mixed drinks, wine, and champagne, as well as nonalcoholic ones like soda and juice.

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I liked the range of options and even tried some odder ones, like goose liver pate. My favorite was the lobster.

Somehow, Beond managed to cater entire lobster tails on my flight between Male and Dubai, which were delicious.

My other favorites were the brisket and the salmon tartare. The fluffy bread with each meal was a good touch.

The liver, though, I think is an acquired taste. But my foodie self will always try something once.

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Beond was an enjoyable experience that was quicker and cheaper than competitors.

Beond touts itself as an affordable luxury airline, and I consider it almost like a private charter — minus the conveniences of skipping security and crowded airport terminals, of course.

While it's not the modern business class with sliding doors and a giant television like on some other airlines, everyone gets a bed and multi-course meals for just a few grand. Once airborne, you'll likely forget the other passengers are even there.

Plus, the things I thought I'd dislike — like the fuel stop and the aisle access — weren't a big deal.

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BI paid a $200 media rate. Roundtrip fares start around $2,000, which is more affordable than competitors.

For example, the lowest-tier fare on a mid-September roundtrip flight between Milan and Male is $1,900, though ticket prices fluctuate with season and demand.

By comparison, Qatar and Emirates' websites show the same Milan-Male itineraries in business class are about $3,000 and about $3,200, respectively, and include a layover in Doha and Dubai.

However, around the holidays, the price difference is bigger. For a Milan-Male roundtrip flight in late December, the price is about $4,100 on Beond, about $7,800 on Qatar, and $9,600 on Emirates.

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Beond has already reduced some flying, like suspending its Munich route until October due to low demand.

A Beond spokesperson told Aerotime Hub in July that the airline has also reduced some Zurich service, citing the low seasonal tourism in the Maldives between May and September.

But, they said the plane was available for charters — another potential revenue stream for Beond.

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Beond also needs to work on its reliability, though all four of my flights were right on time.

According to FlightRadar24's log of Beond flights, they often arrive late, though typically only by about an hour.

This is another problem with startups — there are far fewer crew and planes to use as replacements when crew hit legal time limits or maintenance issues arise.

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Plus, turning loyal flyers away from the likes of Qatar and Emirates will be a challenge.

Because Beond flies fewer routes less often, customers can't rack up loyalty status like they can on carriers like Qatar and Emirates, which fly to hundreds of cities and have airline partners to feed through.

It'll be difficult for Beond to poach loyal flyers, but Max Nilov, the airline's chief strategy officer and cofounder, told BI in November that it's "not afraid to compete with anyone."

Beond will also need to overcome thesupply chain hurdles delaying aircraft deliveriesand the overall high costs of running an airline that operates in a highly seasonal market like the Maldives.

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I hope Beond finds a profitable sweet spot in the industry. It's an enjoyable and unique service that I'd personally splurge on.

The all-business class planes once flown by British Airways and Singapore are no more, and BermudAir's barely even left the ground.

French boutique airline La Compagnie, however, has managed to survive for a decade now, flying all-business-class Airbus narrowbodies across the Atlantic. It also earns money from chartering the jet for luxury tourism.

So, while many industry professionals (including myself) have their doubts, I'm giving Beond a chance — even if the odds are stacked against it.