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The first flight from Zurich to Male in the Indian Ocean is scheduled to begin on November 17. Beond Airline has a special development: There are only business class seats and the plane flies twice a week. According to the slogan: Luxury holidays.
This is in addition to the arrival of a new airline to Switzerland’s largest airport; Beond competes with established airlines such as Lufthansa subsidiary Edelweiss and golf carrier Emirates, which is already based in Zurich and offers the route. New options are opening up to customers. Until now you have been able to fly direct from Kloten to Malé with Edelweiss. Emirates stops in Dubai. Both companies have not only business class but also regular economy. There is also a first for Emirates.
However, the machines Beond uses are only equipped with business class chairs that can be expanded to create a flat bed. Beond wants to start with the 44-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. This aircraft was previously in service with the German charter company Sundair and was converted and repainted. Later, Beond will also have the Airbus A321 with 68 flat-bed seats.
However, the Beond A319 aircraft needs to stop in Dubai for refueling. Passengers don’t have to go out, but this isn’t a true direct flight like, say, Edelweiss.
The Beond concept is already available in France, where airline La Compagnie offers business-only flights between Paris and New York.
As for the ticket prices of Beond customers: an example from the “Handelszeitung” shows that round-trip flight prices from Zurich at the end of November 2023 are between 1,600 and 2,100 francs, depending on the booking class. There are three booking classes: Delight, Bliss and Opulence, which differ in cost and service depending, for example, on whether a limousine pick-up service is selected or how large the luggage allowance is.
High demand for business class flights
Beond’s entry into the market can be expected to create a change in the price structure on the Zurich-Maldives flight route, which will further benefit consumers.
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This article was first published on the paid service of handelszeitung.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.handelszeitung.ch.
Beond is betting that there are enough travelers willing to dig deeper into their pockets for the Maldives experience. However, according to Beond, this is not a classic business class offer that companies pay primarily for their employees and aims to earn miles: rather, business class is needed in the entertainment and holiday segment – Great experiences.
In fact, many airlines have been experiencing strong demand for business class tickets for some time. Traveling during the pandemic was almost impossible, and after the end of Corona, many travelers treated themselves again. It is not yet known how long this premium trend will last.
Beond is confident and explains that it is “not an airline, but a lifestyle brand with luxury aircraft.” Expansion plans are even more ambitious: Initially, the Beond service will be available only from Zurich, Munich and Riyadh to Malé. It is expected to have 32 aircraft with 52 non-stop connections in 26 countries within the next five years. Beond’s marketing materials even show Basel on the map.
Whether the promise of growth can be fulfilled is another question. Especially since the aviation industry is currently experiencing frequent delivery bottlenecks. This means that new aircraft are not available at all or become available very late.
Swiss tour operators still cautious
In addition, in order for the airline to operate the route profitably, there will need to be a sufficient number of people in the Swiss market who are interested in flying to the Maldives on a business class aircraft. Meanwhile, local tour operators are still very cautious. DER Touristik Suisse (other brands such as Kuoni, Helvetic Tours and Maldives specialist Manta Tours) told “Handelszeitung”: “We are discussing with Beond about a possible collaboration.” A spokesperson said they were currently working to “clarify questions regarding bookings”. “For now, we will make reservations with airline companies as before for our customers going to the Maldives,” he said.
Bookings for subsequent flights on Hotelplan have been available since September 30, but according to the Migros subsidiary, a large volume of bookings for the new luxury holiday airline have not yet been realized: “We see the flight as a suitable product extension for this destination. “Time will tell how the demand for Beon flights will develop.” Two other organisers, TUI Suisse and Globetrotter Group, are working with Beond but no bookings have been taken yet.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
