Many families: luxury airline Beyond surprises its customers

And now it really starts. The new airline Beond began operations – first in Munich and now also in Zurich. The premium leisure airline flies to the Maldives on an Airbus A319 – with a stop in Dubai, where it refuels the aircraft and changes crew. Passengers remain on board.

Beyond did not reveal in detail how busy the first flights will be. The fact that this rate is lower in the first rounds is normal, says co-founder and head of trading Sascha Feuerherd on the sidelines of an event in Zurich. The plan aims to achieve capacity utilization of 75 percent or more of the standard.

Lots of families on board

You yourself are surprised by who books the flights. A large percentage of bookings come from families traveling with children. In fact, Forherd says, couples were expected to make up the largest percentage. The percentage of families was supposed to be 5 to 10 percent. In fact, it’s now about a third, according to the commerce chief.

Children are welcome on board from the age of two. Reason: There are no cribs currently approved for the cabin. This meant that the airline did not have to ask itself whether, as a premium service provider, it even allowed young children. “The decision has been made for us,” Feuerherd said.

The Airbus A319 once flew for Sundair and Easyjet

Beyond’s Airbus A319 is about 20 years old. He flew for Easyjet, Sky Airline and in Germany as D-ASMF for Sundair. It now holds Maldives registration 8Q-FBA. It is owned by the leasing company BBAM.

There are 44 business class seats on board in a 2-2 configuration. Therefore, not everyone on board has direct access to the aisle. However, given the composition of customers, this is not a big problem, Beyond says. There is no in-seat entertainment system. But travelers get an iPad Pro that they can mount on a stand themselves, as well as wireless headphones. This also saves significant weight.

The comfort of the strange crew

There are two toilets available for travelers. These galleys are neither larger nor significantly changed compared to the regular configuration of the Airbus A319. Curiosities are places where crew members can rest. Six economy seats were reserved for them in the last row. It is separated from the rest of the cabin by a curtain.

The Airbus A319 now flies to the Maldives from Munich and Zurich twice a week. But this should only be the beginning. Over the next five years, the company plans to add 32 aircraft and 60 destinations. The destinations to be traveled to are primarily luxury leisure destinations. “In the long term, we have selected seven luxury leisure markets that are comparable to the Maldives and will serve as our hubs in the future,” Chief Strategy Officer Max Nilov recently told aeroTELEGRAPH.

In the photo gallery above you can see photos from the cabin of the Beyond plane.