We flew aboard BeOnd, the airline that will start flying "all business" between Milan and the Maldives: our review
Since late last November, BeOnd's Airbus A319 has been plying the skies between Europe, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives. It [...]
BeOnd
ZRH
Maldives
DAt the end of last November, BeOnd's Airbus A319 was plying the skies between Europe, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives. It is a unique aircraft not only because it is the only one in the fleet of the Maldivian-Emiratian airline (which will also soon receive a more capacious A321), but also because of the all-business interior configuration with only 44 seats.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A319
- Class:
- Business
- Treat:
- ZRH - MLE
- Price:
- Press trip
- Book
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Starting next July 3, the carrier will also begin operating from Milan Malpensa, with two weekly flights (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) to Malé. The Flight Club had the opportunity to test in a preview for Italian passengers how to fly with BeOnd thanks to an invitation received from the airline itself. Test that took place On a flight from Zurich, which with Munich (this destination made seasonal only and discontinued as of March 31) makes up the company's European network.
The trip began with a train transfer from Milan to the Swiss airport, which is connected to the Swiss rail network. With the scheduled departure time of flight B4091 at 10 p.m., I arrived Kloten airport around 6 p.m., when Company check-in counters were still closed. I loitered for a while among the stores in The Circle, the mall that sits on a middle floor between the railroad tracks and the terminal check-in floor, before Show up at reception area number 2 shortly after 7 p.m..
There, amidst the long lines of passengers departing with Oman Air and Emirates, were the three benches of Beond. In front of me, just an elderly Swiss couple with a big pile of suitcases. Having already checked in online, I would only have to collect my boarding pass and send off my suitcase.
But the officer greeted me by saying, For reasons of weight distribution on board, she had dared to change my selected seat, 2A, to 6A, always window and always on the left side of the cabin.
I replied that there was no problem for me, put my suitcase on the belt, and left for security, immigration, and the lounge. Total time for check-in, including seat 'change': less than one minute.
BeOnd offers the opportunity to book its flights with three different rates: Delight, Bliss and Opulence. The first entitles you to free choice of seat and fast track at security checkpoints, the second adds lounge access to it, and the third, in addition to increased carry-on and checked baggage allowances, entitles you to free change of reservation and chauffeur service from home to the departure airport. BeOnd had gotten me a Bliss package, with lounge access included.
Like all non-Schengen flights departing from Zurich, B4091 departed from Kloten's Satellite E, which is located, isolated, a few hundred meters from the main terminal. Therefore, quickly passed security checks thanks to the fast track and immigration thanks to the E-gates, I embarked on the Automated train connecting the terminal to satellite E.
The journey, lasting about 90 seconds, is enlivened by the Projection of images of the Swiss mountains on one of the walls of the train, followed by the moo of a cow announcing the arrival at the destination.
Going up a couple of flights of escalators, I followed the directions to the Aspire Club Lounge, which Beond reserves for its guests.
An hour and a half later, and about twenty minutes before the departure time, one of the agents standing at the check-in desks came to the lounge, calling the 'BeOnd vacation group' at the boarding gate and then escorting us to gate E23.
A very small group, as I counted 14 of us including myself. As already checked in, Embarkation also took place very quickly. The cabin manager, upon my arrival on board, introduced himself and welcomed me, then having one of his colleagues accompany me to seat 6A.
I would say that the word that best describes the impression made by the cabin set up by BeOnd as soon as you board is 'amazement'. For the space and theairiness and for the ivory white of the leather of the seats, which under white light (the plane has no mood lighting system) is glaring.
I touches of orange and shades of bronze of the carpet and the structure that 'wraps' the pairs of seats recall the style of another unique (and very luxurious) aircraft: the Four Season Private Jet. Here, there is no stand bar at the end of the cabin, but at the emergency exit located above the wing there is a space of a couple of meters without seats that adds to the airiness of the environment.
On my seat I found a black leather vanity kit, a pouch also black and leather with headphones for the IFE, an orange velvet-covered pillow (not placed in a cellophane container) and A pure orange bag that contained the overnight comforter. On the center armrest was the menu., while there was no sign of slippers, which are very dear to those who as soon as they get on the plane take off their shoes as if they were in the living room of their home.
Just enough time to settle in and one of the four flight attendants (one man and three women) came by first with a hot towel, then with a tray with some juices and smoothies offered as a welcome drink. At my request to have champagne instead, he returned moments later with a glass of bubbly.
Meanwhile, the doors had already been closed and the appropriate tractor was pushing us back. Incredulous, I looked at the clock (which read 10 p.m. on the dot) and I realized that little more than ten minutes had passed since we had arrived at the gate. A record time, which is impossible to match by any normal commercial aircraft and which made me think of the boarding and departure of that one time in my life when, years ago, I had traveled on a private jet.
By 10:10 p.m. we were in the air, with the seatbelt sign going off just five minutes after takeoff. At that point came a small bowl of salted almonds and peanuts accompanied, again at my request, by another glass of champagne (again not poured into the place).
Scrolling through the menu waiting for dinner, I noticed how there was no trace of the wines. I asked if there was a separate list, but was told no.
So, when the flight attendant came by and took the orders, she was the one who told me what was in the ship's cellar: having opted for An appetizer of goose foie gras followed by stewed Wagyu beef with potatoes, she limited herself, on my instruction, to the reds, asking me. Whether you would prefer a Banfi Rosso di Montalcino or a Pio Cesare Barbaresco. I opted for the former, however, remaining not a little puzzled by the absence of a wine list.
For each meal (breakfast, lunch, or vein whatever), BeOnd offers a choice of three different appetizers, four main courses and three desserts, in addition to the classic cheese assortment.
The service began just under an hour after departure from Zurich with the laying of a placemat on which a steel 'frame' was laid on the table in which there were bread (three different kinds), a packet of salted butter and a saucer salt cellar/pepper shaker, a water glass and a napkin containing forks and knives. From plates to glasses to cutlery, everything was branded by sophisticated British brands: William Edwards the chinaware, Robert Welch forks, knives and spoons,.
The foie gras block arrived garnished with yellow edible flowers, accompanied by a mint sauce, two scoops of dragon fruit, cherry tomatoes, savory panna cotta, and an outstanding fig compote. Beautiful, delicious and definitely hearty.
The wagyu stew was served with potatoes, zucchini, and red peppers. The cheese plate contained as many as five different varieties, including gouda, camembert, a very aged emmenthal, and blue cheese, and was accompanied by grapes and the same fig compote as the appetizer.
At the end of the dinner, served at a perfect pace (neither too slow nor too fast-paced), thanks in part to the limited number of guests (with A passenger-to-flight attendant ratio of less than 4 to 1) no tea or coffee (which were also on the menu) was served and no wet wipes were distributed.
At that point, some passengers, including yours truly, made themselves mount on the appropriate bracket (removable from the center armrest between the seats) and connect to the on-board IFE the Ipad that BeOnd uses as an on-board entertainment device, as the seats did not have individual screens. Instead, others had their beds made up by flight attendants, who had spread a kind of thin mattress of spongy towel-like cloth on the seat, and they wrapped the pillow in a cotton pillowcase.
The IFE experience has been very disappointing, despite the generously sized Ipad and Beats headphones with excellent sound quality: in-flight entertainment, in fact, consisted of a dozen Arabic movies in Arabic language and without subtitles, as many music albums, almost all of them Arabic music except for a couple of classical music and electronic music, half a dozen American TV series (in English and without subtitles), a few documentaries and sports programs e A one-dimensional map with the flight path, without moreover information on altitude, speed time remaining, and arrival time.
To put it briefly, the poorest entertainment system I have ever seen on an aircraft deputed to long-haul travel.
I put the Ipad back, I also had my bed made., to find out The 'weak' point of the seat chosen by Beond: the space where you put your feet when you are in the horizontal position, which is laughably small and set back from the center axis of the seat.
Which, of course, certainly did not help the quality of sleep. For those sitting on the aisle side, then, this small space has no 'shelter' with respect to the corridor and is therefore possible to be bumped during sleep by those passing by.
The only seats with generous foot room are those in row 1 and row 5 (immediately behind the emergency wing exit) Who have in front of them a real armchair (ottoman), far more comfortable for sleeping (as I experienced on the return trip).
These places can be pre-selected at an additional cost of $150 for those who have booked the Delight rate and $100 for those who have booked the Bliss, while they are selectable free of charge for those who have opted for the Opulence tariff.
Another limitation of the seat, for those who value privacy, is the total lack of a screen between the two seats placed on each side of the booth.
Now, it is true that the 99% of those who go to the Maldives is made by pairs or families, but at least a bulkhead that can be lowered or raised depending on the situation (similar to what is between the seats aboard the only other all-business company in existence, the French La Compagnie) should have been provided.
Otherwise, the seat has very basic equipment: the electric seat controls are on the inside of the center armrest, a reading light is not provided (although you can use the one located under the overhead compartment, which all planes in the A320 family have) and No storage space for personal items (although bags or jackets can be put in the hat boxes).
A universal power outlet and a USB-C socket were available to each seat on the front of the console separating the pairs of seats.
Before I lay down, I wanted to inspect the vanity kit, from which I noticed two glaring absences: the eye mask and the socks, which are now by default part of any beauty case distributed in any business class).
My sleep, in a very quiet cabin given the small number of occupants, was interrupted after a couple of hours by the voice of the captain who, bidding us good morning, announced 40 minutes to landing at Al Maktoum Airport, the secondary stopover in Dubai where we would refuel before continuing the flight (with a new crew) to the Maldives.
Stopover for refueling can be considered a hassle. And it certainly is If you compare it with the experience of flying direct because, of course, passengers have to interrupt their sleep to put the seat in an upright position. But it is far more comfortable when compared to any flight to the Maldives with a stopover in the Gulf, although some of the lounges of carriers in that area are always tempting.
In fact, in this case, breakfast being served in the second flight portion, you are awakened just 30-40 minutes before landing, maximizing your sleep time. Best of all, you don't have to get off the plane, wander around the airport and then board another one.
Instead, one stays on board, with the lights dimmed and the new crew serving drinks or hot beverages upon request. One can also lie down and re-hang out. After about 50 minutes, when the first light of dawn (in the case of our flight from Zurich) breaks in the east, you buckle up and take off to the islands of paradiso.
Another positive aspect of BeOnd's in-flight food & beverage service is that you do not have to choose at departure, the night before, what you will have for breakfast. Instead, flight attendants have been picking up orders for What could well be called a brunch (three courses) twenty minutes after takeoff from Dubai (leaving, of course, those who were lying down to sleep and then, as in some cases, serving them their meal later).
I, who was fully awake, opted for a smoked salmon and cream cheese appetizer followed by a omelet with beef sausage (no pork) and by a platter of assorted fresh fruit.
The table was set in the exact same way as for dinner. Again, nice and good went hand in hand, with the fruit platter containing six different varieties. Only the omelet was, perhaps, a bit dry, if you really want to nitpick.
The service, this time, ended with tea, coffee and butter cookies.
Finished the meal, I turned on the Ipad on the flight map, I read and dozed until, four hours after takeoff, the captain announced that we had begun our descent to "the beautiful Maldives."
I noticed that the A319 followed a different trajectory than that flown by, say, Emirates and Qatar Airways: not straight to the archipelago but, rather, arched to summarily follow the coastline of the Indian peninsula (with a modest lengthening of flight time, quantifiable in 20-30 minutes). Trajectory that the A319, as can be seen in the photo below, also followed during the return flight from the Maldives to Zurich. This is because Beond has not yet received ETOPS authorization that allows it operations on the sea at a greater distance from the coast.
Having seen me fumbling with the camera and camera, ten minutes before landing the flight attendant came to confide in me that the approach to Malé airport would be from the north and that, therefore, the best view would be enjoyed by sitting on the right side of the airplane. Extra personal attention that Has further raised the bar for the level of on-board service During the 10-plus hours of travel.
Given the wide availability of vacancies, I moved to 1F, which was free, while the flight attendant, already sitting on his landing pad, was giving me 'thumbs up.'
Thus, with the 'best possible view' concluded a journey that is certainly unique and that in many respects (except for the IFE and the comfort of the seat in the horizontal position) went 'beyond' (i.e., 'beyond,' as the company's name, BeOnd, also states.) the expectations of a 'classic' business class flight.
Pro
- The booth
- The gastronomic proposal
Against
- IFE