BeOnd or La Compagnie? I've traveled on both all-Business companies, and here's what I'll tell you

I don't know if this can be considered bragging rights, but are one of the few people in the world who have flown with the only two all-Business airlines in existence: the French La Compagnie and the Maldivian-Emiratian BeOnd.

The assumption stems from the fact that the former caters mostly to business travelers, the latter to leisure travelers, from the fact that one flies to the States and the other to the Maldives and the cities from which those flights originate are not the same. In fact, La Compagnie flies to New York (Newark) from Paris, Milan and (in summer) Nice, while BeOnd flies to Malé from Zurich, Munich (but only until the end of March) and Riyadh.

The number of travelers who have flown with both companies is likely to increase from July, when the two networks of La Compagnie and BeOnd will have a connecting point: Milan Malpensa (which will become so the only airport in the world served by two all-Business companies). For now, however, I can probably claim membership in a rather small circle, and I take the opportunity to compare what I have experienced on my flights to New York and to the Maldives.

The fleet

The Compagnie, after operating two Boeing 757s for fifteen years, now flies two Airbus A321LR (long range) received (new) in May and September 2019. BeOnd currently has only one airplane in its fleet.: an Airbus A319 entered service 20 years ago with low-cost easyjet and arrived in the fleet in August 2023. In a few weeks it will put into service a larger Airbus A321, the age and history of which, however, is currently unknown.

Both have two extremely 'eye-catching' liveries, that catch the eye, albeit in an extremely elegant way: metallic blue with anthracite tail and large 'La Compagnie' lettering on the fuselage the first, black with bronze rings and large BeOnd lettering on the sides the second.

The booth

The Compagnie has outfitted its two A321LRs with 76 seats and rows of four seats each in 2+2 configuration. The pairs of seats look outward from the cabin. The colors are light blue, anthracite and white.

BeOnd has installed on its A319 44 seats in rows of four seats configured 2+2. The seats look forward, nearly parallel to the cabin walls. The colors are ivory, bronze and orange.

The seat

Each of La Compagnie's 76 seats can be transformed into a perfectly horizontal bed and has a 17.7-inch in-flight entertainment screen. The rows are spaced 157 centimeters apart, and the length of the bed is 183 centimeters. The seat is upholstered in leather, with a leather headrest. Although far from the suite concept, it offers a minimum of privacy due to its orientation toward the cabin wall and thanks to a partition that can be raised between pairs of seats.

The distance between the rows of seats, on BeOnd, is such that by stretching my legs (I am 175cm tall) I was still at least ten centimeters away from being able to touch my feet to the back of the seat in front of my. BeOnd's seat transforms into a perfectly horizontal 178-centimeter bed. It is fully upholstered in leather and Does not have a video screen for the IFE. Passengers are given an Ipad with movies, TV series and music, just as La Compagnie did when it was still flying Boeing 757s.

Privacy is almost nonexistent, since apart from the low seat backs, there is no divider separating the pairs of seats although it must be said that in the Maldives most people go in pairs and the divider is less essential than it would be on other routes. As for sleep, I must confess that I slept better and more comfortably on La Compagnie.

Food & Beverage

On its menu, after the welcome drink and an aperitif, La Compagnie offers an appetizer and a choice of two main courses, followed by dessert and a choice of dessert or cheese.

Beond skimping on Champagne in the welcome drink (on the outbound flight they gave it to me, on the return flight they did not). But after the aperitif (accompanied, in this case, also by champagne) presents a menu from First Class, as far as choice is concerned: Three appetizers, four main courses, and three desserts, in addition to the cheese plate.

As for the beverage, being French La Compagnie has a wine list and carefully chooses its proposals, matching them with menus constructed by chefs in some cases starred.

BeOnd does not have a wine list and the presentation of the bottles (two champagnes, two reds and two whites) is left to the flight attendants.

However, the offerings are of a high standard and include French (e.g., Chablis and Burgundy among the whites) and Italian (Rosso di Montalcino and Barbaresco) labels. The offerings are repeated several times over the course of meals.

IFE

La Compagnie's made a remarkable leap forward when it the IFE was integrated into the seats with the introduction of A321LRs in 2019. Today it offers about sixty movies (not many in Italian, however), about 40 music playlists as well as TV series, games, and mappAnd allowing for 3D flight tracking.

The wi-fi is very fast, with great signal from start to finish, free of charge, and allows you to work, send emails, or download and follow movies and other content on your personal devices.

The Ipad delivered to BeOnd passengers contains a dozen unsubtitled Arabic movies, some American TV series, a dozen music albums almost all of Arabic music with a few classical exceptions. The map that allows flight tracking is one-dimensional and does not provide any information on altitude, speed, travel time.

The absence of wi-fi and an Internet connection does not help in this respect either. The entertainment offering Is definitely substandard, by far the worst of those I have experienced on long-haul flights.

On-board service

It is necessary to point out that La Compagnie completed 20 years of operation in 2023 and therefore should be considered, despite its small fleet of just two airplanes, a highly experienced and highly structured company, including in terms of on-board service, which is very well established.

In contrast, BeOnd has been in existence for only four months and must therefore still 'learn' many things. On-board service Is, however, more 'personal' than that of La Compagnie, partly due to the smaller aircraft and fairly light passenger loads, except for the route between Riyadh and Malé.

In general, while being an all-business with a high level of service and customer focus, Compagnie is more like 'traditional' companies than BeOnd, on board of which one definitely feels more pampered.' as if you were not in a commercial aircraft, but On their own private jet with a group of friends and with a crew that takes 'individual' care of their guests.

In conclusion

Flying with La Compagnie you know you will find. an established high-end product. Flying with BeOnd, experience is certainly more exotic and more appropriate for a type of passenger who in 99% of cases is flying to go on vacation. But at the same time, still improvable.

• A319