The luxury travel market is growing with the Maldivian airline “Beond”. The product: Business class only. From Munich or Zurich we head to Male with a short refueling stop in Riyadh. CEO Tero Taskila has already worked for Lufthansa and Qatar. In the interview he explains what they can do better and why they only save weight.
ICON: Airplanes that are exclusively equipped with business class comfort are available from the French airline “La Compagnie” and were also available on some Lufthansa routes. However, they do not describe themselves as a business class airline, but rather as a premium leisure airline. What is the difference?
Tero Taskila: When we talk about business trips, we are usually dealing with customers who travel alone to meetings. The customer has different requirements for this travel purpose. The route network also depends on this. A typical example is the London/New York route. But we focus on the fastest growing market segment, namely luxury travel and adventure travel. So you fly on vacation, to a concert or a sporting event – such as a World Cup. These people typically travel as part of a group, as a couple or as a family, which is what we build on.
What specifically do you offer that is not known from business class?
We focus on creating a complete package. So you travel to bucket-list places like the Maldives, and we offer the most seamless journey possible. To achieve this, we work closely with the resorts. Starting with the boat or seaplane that takes you to your destination. Anyone who flies with us will see their luggage on the resort bed next time. With business airlines, after arrival you stand on the baggage carousel like everyone else.
It will be safe on boardSurely you expected something special? The best business class in the world, Qatar's Q-Suite, is definitely not just built for business travelers. How can you compete against such a proven product?
We try to create an atmosphere that is very private while at the same time having an airy cabin. You can chat, discuss or eat together. Qatar has many partition walls, some of which are adjustable. But this also gives the aircraft a lot of weight and costs fuel. More and more people who travel for leisure in the luxury segment definitely have the idea of sustainability in mind.
Keyword sustainability: Above all, flying should be designed to be as efficient as possible. Doesn't that clash with the idea of a pure one? Luxury airline?
Many airlines tend to use the premium cabin to finance empty seats in economy class. They are oversized in terms of their capacity and their features. We do a lot for sustainability on board by avoiding too many compact components such as walls. This keeps the weight down. There are no screens for in-flight entertainment. A built-in entertainment system weighs 50 pounds per seat. Multiply that by the number of seats on certain aircraft and that adds up to a lot of weight. We use iPad Pros with wireless headphones instead. That weighs less than a kilo. The seats are made of carbon fiber manufactured by Ferrari. This means we have the lightest seat available in a premium cabin.
Hotels and the government of the Maldives never tire of emphasizing how important sustainability is to them. How does this impact a new airline based in the Maldives?
The emissions targets in the Maldives are much stricter than in Europe, for example, and the deadlines for these targets are much shorter. We are trying to do this, for example, with sustainable aircraft fuel. We are now talking to the government and the emerging new airport about our plan to fly with 10 percent sustainable fuel as early as next year and to increase to 25 or 30 percent as quickly as possible – faster than all other airlines.
They currently fly to Munich, Zurich and Riyadh. What goals are planned for the future and how do you choose?
The idea is to serve 60 destinations from the Maldives within five years. Dubai, Milan and Bangkok will be added this summer. Not only is Bangkok one of the most vibrant cities, it is also home to the highest concentration of millionaires and wealthy people in Southeast Asia. They also want to experience something different. We look at Europe, but also South Africa, Australia and China. The aim is to create a network that brings tourists to the beautiful Maldives.
You mentioned traveling in groups or as a family. Flying with small children in particular can increase the noise level. How can this be reconciled with the promise of luxury and privacy?
On average the family size is three people, but we also have families of up to six people. Children initially have a minimum age of five years. We are currently doing test flights where we have reduced the age a little. We're gathering feedback and trying to figure out if this is the right path for us.
What is the feedback from people who have actually flown with you?
Customers tell us that the feeling on board is completely different from the photos. In the best sense. Everything you touch on board feels right and good.
The Catering is now reduced to a joke on many airlines. In luxury, it has to be impeccable, if not impressive. How do you deal with it?
We use different caterers in different markets. So it's not the case that the food comes from a single source, because to come back to the topic of sustainability: You don't want to fly food around the world. The menus are initially designed by the chefs of the luxury resorts in the Maldives.
