From the GoldenPass and Glaicer Express to the river cruisers of Basel, Switzerland is a country known for taking luxury travel to the next level. Now, a brand new airline is set to offer a business-class-only service between Zurich and the Maldives.
Promising to be the “first premium leisure airline” in the world, Beond revealed its brand new plane and service at an event in Zurich Airport on November 21. Along with its flights from Munich and Riyadh, the company has now launched a twice-weekly service from Zurich to the Maldivian capital Malé - which includes a short refuelling stop in Dubai.
In something that is currently unique to airlines that fly out of airports in Switzerland, instead of the 138 seats usually fitted to the plane, Beond's Airbus A319 only has 44 premium business class seats. This means it is significantly more peaceful than the services operated by Edelweiss Air - the only other company to offer direct flights between Switzerland and the Maldives.
The seats are arranged in pairs - something sales manager Lukas Hofmeister said was so that newly married or engaged couples could sit together as they jet off to the holiday and honeymoon hotspot of Malé - with each being a lie-flat bed. There’s no in-built entertainment, but there is a holster for an iPad which a member of the cabin crew can provide along with some earphones.
There is no internet either, but Beond did say that they would add it in the future if customers wanted it. The luxury doesn’t start and stop at the plane either, as along with lounge access the company’s premium option offers a free taxi transfer service up to 50 kilometres too and from the airport. Finally, each flight will have three different menus to choose from.
Video: Fly Beond / YouTube
So what’s the price for all this luxury? Prices start at between 1.600 and 3.000 francs per leg, quite an outlay which the company says will likely get more expensive in the future. However, Hofmeister told 20 Minuten that this price is roughly the same as other airlines. “We offer people the opportunity to have luxuries that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford,” he claimed.
Thumb image credit: TavaS / Shutterstock.com