I've flown on the world's only 2 all-business-class airlines. It's like flying on a private jet but less expensive.
Taylor Rains
- French airline La Compagnie and Maldives-based Beond fly Airbus planes with only business class.
- The model is historically unsuccessful but the airlines are banking on high-demand niche markets.
All-business-class carriers are among the rarest airline strategies in operation — and that's because they historically don't work.
British Airways, newcomer BermudAir, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines all previously tried these premium-focused planes, only to later ditch the layout. They cited challenges like high costs, inadaptability to fluctuating demand, and tough competition.
But they haven't died out yet. Two all-business-class airlines are in operation: France's La Compagnie and Maldives-based Beond.
I've flown on both bougie carriers, starting with La Compagnie from Paris to New Jersey in 2022 and, more recently, on Beond from Milan to Male in July 2023.
There are a few key differences, but I found both to be great alternatives to mainline competitors and about as close as you can get to flying private with a commercial ticket.
Beond and La Compagnie are largely the same concepts flying in different markets.
Beond is less than a year old, while La Compagnie has been flying for a decade. Both operate Airbus narrowbody planes on long-haul flights to hot spot destinations. Despite the age gap, they host similarly small route maps.
Beond flies from Male, Maldives, to the European cities of Zurich, Munich, and Milan, and Dubai and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East. It also boasts a fifth-freedom route between Zurich and Dubai.
La Compagnie connects New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport to Nice, Paris, and Milan.
Both companies have room for expansion, and Beond hopes to eventually expand to places like Bangkok, Tokyo, and Perth, Australia.
Both market their brands as 'premium leisure' with affordable fares.
Both airlines are attracting customers with roundtrip business-class tickets that are cheaper than mainline competitors.
La Compagnie's ticket prices start at $2,400, while Beond's are around $2,000. Both have fare tiers that offer various perks, like lounge access and extra luggage.
Comparing prices, a Milan-Male flight costs $1,900 on Beond in mid-September. The same roundtrip itinerary in business class on Qatar and Emirates' websites is about $3,000 and $3,200, respectively, and includes a layover in Doha and Dubai.
A roundtrip flight on La Compagnie between Newark and Paris is about $3,500 next month. On the same dates, the cheapest nonstop route on Delta Air Lines, flying between New York-JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle, is about $4,500 in business class.
Each operates a tiny fleet of planes. La Compagnie's is more efficient.
Beond launched with a single 44-seater Airbus A319 that is 21 years old. The airline is actively retrofitting a second plane, this time a 22-year-old previous-generation Airbus A321-200, with 68 lie-flat seats, which is expected to soon enter service.
La Compagnie's fleet consists of two 76-seater next-generation Airbus A321neos that are both just five years old. According to the airline, these aircraft burn 30% less fuel than its previous Boeing 757 planes.
Beond can't fly every route nonstop.
La Compagnie's A321neos can easily make the transatlantic hop between the East Coast and Europe.
Beond's lesser-ranged A319 has to stop for fuel at Al Maktoum International Airport, or Dubai World Central, between Europe and the Maldives. For my flight to and from Milan, passengers were allowed to stay on board for the one-hour stop while the plane was fueled, re-stocked, and re-crewed.
I didn't mind the stop as it was easily more convenient than the layover that would otherwise be required between Male and most European cities. No disembarking and traversing crowded terminals, and no risk of missing a connecting flight due to a delay.
Each jet is branded in the airline's respective colors and equipped with lie-flat seats.
Beond and La Compagnie have both configured their planes with lie-flat seats in a 2 × 2 layout.
The downside, however, is that passengers cannot freely access the aisle when the seat is in bed mode without disturbing their neighbor.
I found that because the airlines are targeting leisure customers, most people on board are couples or families, making the chances of two solo people next to each other low.
Seats have all the business-class basics, including a bed, storage, and power outlets.
There was little difference in the basics. I'm five foot three and easily fit in the beds, though most of the seats had small footwells that made sleeping on my stomach difficult.
Sleeping on my side or back was easy, though. Taller travelers on La Compagnie may consider the exit row for more legroom.
Storage was lacking in both cases, with only a few small nooks and slots for things like extra clothes or electronics.
Beond's footwell issue can be rectified by booking an ottoman seat.
There are eight special seats on Beond, four each in the first and exit rows. These boast an ottoman that can double as a companion seat and a larger footwell for the bed.
La Compagnie offers extra legroom seats, but it doesn't have the ottoman perk.
The airlines provide good linens and amenity kits.
Both companies provided blankets, an eyemask, a mattress cover, and pillows for sleeping. There was also a dental kit and other toiletries for freshing up.
Beond's blanket was the softest I've ever experienced on a plane, but the pillow on La Compagnie was more plush.
La Compagnie offers a key perk Beond doesn't: a seatback screen.
Most business classes have seatback screens with an accompanying remote, and La Compagnie was no different.
Beond, on the other hand, provided an iPad loaded with content that could be propped on a tablet holder in front of the seat. It connected to noise-cancelling Beats, which were the best set of headphones I've ever had in business class.
Unpopular opinion: I prefer Beond's version.
I've raved about the tablet holder on American Airlines being perfect for my travel preference of catching up on reality TV on flights, and its the same for Beond.
For my flight, I came prepared with my Kindle tablet. It fit perfectly in the little holder and I could even connect it to the provided headphones.
Other differences include Beond lacking a middle divider, a headrest, and WiFi.
While I'm privy to Beond's inflight entertainment setup, I thought La Compagnie's overall seat was more comfortable simply because of the headrest and slightly better privacy.
The middle divider gives more privacy during times when solo travelers get stuck next to a stranger. Beond's planes lack this, though I still found passengers are largely hidden away when sleeping.
There is no internet on Beond, while La Compagnie's was fast and free. Beond is targeting leisure customers, so I understand it may not be a priority, but adding WiFi would make it more competitive.
Beond's technology is behind.
Beond launched in November and does not yet have an online check-in system, so I had to visit the ticket counter before each flight to get my boarding pass.
La Compagnie let me get my boarding pass online, so I could go straight to security. I suspect the check-in efficiency is on Beond's to-do list, but for now, manual it is.
La Compagnie has a gastronomy focus.
Part of La Compagnie's business model is partnering with Michelin-rated chefs to produce high-quality meals. I had two meals on La Compagnie, including the larger main meal and a smaller second one, before landing, where I could choose pastries or a tomato sandwich.
The main meal was the star and consisted of a cheese platter, a salmon salad appetizer, a scallop entrée topped with truffles, pastries, and an apple tart.
All of the meals were incredible, and it's easy to see how food-focused the airline is.
Beond's dining was delicious, too. There's was a lot to enjoy because of the long flights.
Because of the fuel stop, my Milan-Male itinerary included four legs. I got one large meals on each, meaning four in total, and each came with a nice selection of bread, an appetizer, a main course, and dessert.
The company catered lobster tail on one of the flights, which was among one of the best dishes I've ever had on a plane. There's was also everything from chicken, cold cuts, and pasta to seafood, fruit, and brisket available.
Minus the goose liver pate, which I think is an acquired taste, I enjoyed every bite of food on Beond.
After flying on both airlines, I find its almost like sharing a private jet.
Unlike a typical commercial plane split into first/business and economy, everyone flying Beond and La Compagnie gets a bed and delicious food for just a few thousand dollars. Plus, the fewer overall seats means check-in is quick and there's no "gate lice" crowding boarding or traffic jams slowing deplaning.
Passengers won't get the truly private perk of bypassing security, however. But the lounge access for most fares, plus the fasttrack security and passport control at participating airports, means the experience is overall less stressful on both airlines.
If you've got a flexible budget and eyeing a destination served by Beond or La Compagnie, I think its worth splurging for the unique flying experience. And it'll be cheaper and more convenient than a competitor — especially if it negates a layover.
I'm not convinced this business model can survive.
Mainline carriers can better respond to cost and demand changes because they can strategically price their economy and first/business cabins to offset dips in one or the other.
This applies to both airlines, but Beond is my main concern as it is brand new and operates in a very seasonal market at a time when operating prices are more expensive than ever.
La Compagnie is in a better position. The airline just celebrated its 10-year anniversary and is profitable, according to Forbes, though it took eight years to get there.
In addition to its commercial revenue stream, La Compagnie also makes money via cargo operations and chartering the jet for luxury tourism to meet demand challenges. Beond has announced similar plans to rent out its Airbus fleet.
You also don't get the same protections offered by a mainline.
La Compagnie and Beond do not operate their flights every day, meaning there is less flexibility. There are very few options if a maintenance issue takes either airline's tiny fleet out of service.
For its part, La Compagnie has partnered with low-cost airline easyJet for onward connections to places like Rome and Geneva. Beond doesn't yet have the same offerings.
The new Airbus A321XLR could open new opportunities for both carriers.
La Compagnie CEO Christian Vernet said in 2021 that the A321XLR plane, which is expected to start flying this year, would be a "good fit" for the carrier.
"That aircraft is going to be a bit better as far as performance is concerned, in terms of range, because it has more fuel [capacity], and it is supposed to be a bit lighter than the classic LR," he said.
Beond is also eyeing the jet. In May, company CEO Tero Taskila told Aerotime Hub that most of the 32 planes Beond hopes to fly by 2035 will be longer-ranged A321neoLRs and A321XLRs, which would eliminate the fuel stop and open new markets.
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