BeOnd is a new premium airline that promises to revolutionize the luxury travel market.
This airlinewhich offers business class flights for a fraction of the costsays he is creating a new niche in luxury travel. Registered in the Maldives and based in Dubai, BeOnd It made its inaugural flight from Munich to Male in November last year. Eight months later, it has just launched a new route from Malé to Milan, which joins the existing ones from Dubai, Riyadh and Zurich.
Tero Taskila, CEO of BeOnd, is an industry veteran with a 30-year career in aviation companies around the world. Taskila believed that he was the Right time to launch an all-business class boutique airline after seeing that the sector was at a crossroads.
“We are now at a perfect moment in aviation history, where technology is meeting demand, and we have the opportunity to create something niche for that specific segment and focus a lot on it,” he says.
In September, BeOnd will launch its first destination in Asia-Pacific: Bangkok, Thailand. The route will open a gateway to an important market that many airlines are racing to capture.
What is it like to fly with BeOnd?
BeOnd has opted for a narrow-body Airbus A319, with only 44 seats on a plane that can carry up to 156 passengers if it were in economy class.
The airline will soon expand its fleet with the Airbus A321, which will have 68 seats. preferential class, still spacious for a plane that can carry 220 passengers. BeOnd reclining seats have been designed by Optimares, with Ferrari carcasses and details of italian leather.
A team of top-notch chefs prepares on-board menus inspired by the flavors of different destinations. But beyond the good food and elegant interiors, Taskila says that most positive comments that you have received they refer to the crew.
“Our crew is our greatest tribe of loyalty. People love our crew. “I recently received the greatest compliment from a customer, who told me that he was very impressed by a very knowledgeable and attentive cabin crew member, and that it was his first day on the job,” he says.
“We don’t have to be outrageously expensive”
Although BeOnd presents itself as a luxury airline, Taskila says it doesn’t mind being seen as a company with a good value for money. “We don’t need to be outrageously expensive. But we have to be able, at the price we offer, to exceed that value, so that we are creating value“, he states.
How much does it cost to fly with BeOnd? At the time of writing, a round-trip flight from Munich to Male in October sells for around $2,800 or €2,600.
The same route with Lufthansa costs more than 4,500 euros, with at least one stopover.
BeOnd offers Apple virtual reality headset and headphones Beats. BeOnd has also chosen to do without the standard integrated screens for its in-flight entertainment system. Instead, the company has chosen to offer the Apple’s latest iPad Pro tablets and Beats by Dre wireless headphones. “If it’s about who has the biggest IFE screen, someone will always have a bigger one than you, right? That’s easy to copy, but you can’t copy the experience,” says Taskila.
BeOnd has announced that it will be the first airline to offer Apple Vision Pro on its flightsallowing passengers to fully immerse themselves in onboard content such as movies and games.
Facing the challenge of sustainability
Launching a new luxury airline at a time when the sector is facing significant scrutiny over carbon emissions may raise a few eyebrows. But Taskila believes BeOnd can lead the sustainable air transport. “We are committed to being the largest operator of sustainable aviation fuel in the world,” he tells Euronews Travel.
“Obviously, we are not the largest airline, so in terms of volume we are not the largest, but in terms of percentage of sustainable fuel of the total we consume, we will be the first. “We will be the fastest to implement that 100% in the aviation industry.”
ADVERTISINGIt’s a audacious goal when large airlines are watering down their emissions reduction targets due to low supply and high prices for sustainable fuel.
In an effort to reinforce its green credentials, the airline does not use single-use plastics in any of its products, and has also partnered with CarbonClick, to allow customers to offset their carbon footprint.
How is BeOnd creating its own style?
With no immediate plans to launch a loyalty program or join a global airline alliance, BeOnd is content with chart your own path in the luxury travel market.
Pero Taskila does not rule out partnering with airlines that can help them reach more customers. “Being different doesn’t mean we can’t partner with some. Ultimately, customers create a journey. We want to make it easy for them, so we look for interline partners and co-president partners to help them come to our network,” he says.
ADVERTISINGHe hopes these collaborations will help BeOnd achieve its aim of fly to 54 destinations non-stop with its fleet of 27 aircraft by 2028. The airline also plans to carry more than 405,000 passengers by then, which will fuel its target operating value of $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion).
