Beond Airlines and all-economy Air Cairo have signed an MOU to operate all-business class flights between Egypt and Europe and the Gulf from summer 2027. Here's why I'm skeptical.
You are SO getting locked up for this post.
@TravelinWilly, are you experiencing log-in, log-out issues this morning as well? @howie
Sure - you can travel on a budget in Egypt just like I traveled on a budget through France after high school. However, Egypt boasts some incredible luxury hotels to feed the swell of tourists that throng there to see the marvels of the Egyptian civilisation and one of the wonders of the world. I would say that Maldives attracts much more tourists on a budget, who rarely pay the costs for the expensive lodging which is pretty much all that it has to offer, grabbing deals and packages off of aggregators. I have traveled to Egypt with my wife and it certainly wasn’t on a budget and frankly hoped for better and more convenient business class service to the country - I don’t think Beond will have trouble filling the cabin through this seasonal service.
@ DCharlie -- Of course, you can spend a ton of money anywhere, including in Egypt. But on balance, I struggle to rationalize the concept of Egypt being less of a budget destination than the Maldives.
I'll simply say that if Egypt is so premium, why has Air Cairo not offered business class?
To be fair, there is quite a decent amount of demand between Europe and Red sea resorts who are upper middle class. I assume short haul 4 hour flights will not be exorbitant so can be filled with decent load factors. But it is seasonal.
@ JohnL -- There are lots of markets with a decent amount of upper middle class demand, but that doesn't make it easy for a concept like this to be profitable.
I assume you're talking about Sharm El Sheikh? If so, wouldn't you think that Air Cairo, by far the biggest airline at the airport, would have business class if there were actually such a substantial amount of premium demand?
Oops - mistakenly posted as a new chain. Please feel free to delete the duplicate.
No - I don’t agree with your assessment. Operating a seasonal service on aircraft owned by someone else is vastly less risky than owning a fleet year round and having to fill it during the off season.
Furthermore, clearly Beond struggled in Maldives because it didn’t realise that the majority want to get there cheaply so they can splurge on land. Makes sense to use the aircraft during the off season (monsoons) on routes which may be more attractive to travel - especially to well off retired individuals.
I guess time will only tell.
If the Egyptians are involved it's probably a pyramid scheme...
First New Pacific, now Air Cairo - maybe that's their way to predict which "partner" will soon go out of business. 😉
Move over DL, Air-Beond-Cairo will dethrone you! (/s)
The only viable all-business-class (actual lie-flat, not fake 3-3 middle-blocked of recliner) carrier operating regularly scheduled long-haul flights… still just La Compagnie. (And, they’re getting more aircraft, adding new routes, EWR-DUS in 2027…)
May be an opportunity play with the Eclispe path this summer.
No - I certainly don’t think so. Operating a seasonal service on aircraft owned by someone else is vastly less risky than owning a fleet year round and having to fill it during the off season.
Furthermore, clearly Beond struggled in Maldives because it didn’t realise that the majority want to get there cheaply so they can splurge on land. Makes sense to use the aircraft during the off season (monsoons) on routes which may be more attractive to travel - especially to well off retired individuals.
It is truly fascinating what people will throw money at
The only route I think such a concept would work on is to/from Singapore or Hong Kong where people are willing to and can afford to pay for premium service. Maybe in the US it could cater to premium business routes; leisure travellers certainly don’t pay to fly premium in the states.
@Em Even biz travel may shrink with the market tanking and gas prices still rising. US air travel is down by 5-10% this quarter from its peak in 2024. Don’t count something like this working anywhere since there is no way to distribute costs and risks - with the exception of a vastly substandard experience offered by the likes of La Compagnie to the budget traveller.
I thought Beond went under. When I visited the Maldives, I could have sworn that it is a destination for Russian oligarchs.