Amid all the negative airline news lately, here’s one development that might make fliers smile. An Alaskan airline that once aimed to be the “Icelandair of the Pacific” has joined forces with a premium leisure airline headquartered in Dubai that serves the Maldives from Europe with all business-class flights, to launch a new “boutique, luxury airline experience . . . in a way not seen in the U.S. skies,” slated to take off sometime next year.
That’s in the words of Tom Hsieh, CEO of New Pacific Airlines, an Anchorage-based airline that has teamed up with boutique line Beond to propose a service called Beond America. Effectively, New Pacific, which mainly flies charters using 757 equipment, would expand Beond’s luxury, all-business-class service model to the North American market.
If these two players sound familiar, that’s because they were among the more unusual airline startups to emerge right after the pandemic.
New Pacific, in fact, began as Northern Pacific Airlines nearly four years ago, when it revealed its plans at a splashy event near Los Angeles with the unveiling of its first 757 in stylish livery and ambitions to serve Tokyo, Seoul, and other Asia destinations from its main base in Anchorage, where it would connect with a network of U.S. flights. For various reasons, including a change in management, those plans never came to fruition, but the company, which has Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification, did succeed in carving out a niche flying sports teams and government charters.
Beond America would be an expansion of the Beond all business-class flights currently operating between Europe and the Middle East.
Rendering courtesy of Beond
Meanwhile, Beond launched in 2023 with one Airbus A319 with rights to serve Male, the main gateway to the Maldives Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago popular with honeymooners and bucket-listers, in part due to its endangered status. (Rising sea levels threaten to submerge many of its low-lying atolls by 2050.) Beond, too, has bold plans to expand, but as of now, it has a modest fleet of two narrow-body Airbus jets with lie-flat seats and other features that you’d expect to find on long-distance business-class flights, including multi-course meal service accompanied by quality wines and champagne.
So, how will these interesting bedfellows work together? According to a statement from Tero Taskila, CEO of Beond, “New Pacific will operate flights marketed under the Beond brand” with the two airlines collaborating on service standards, scheduling, and network development.
The initiative “aims to position the U.S. as a key pillar in Beond’s network,” which now includes flights to the Maldives from cities like Milan, Munich, and Zurich, along with Dubai and, more recently, the Red Sea International airport in Saudi Arabia (where the country is developing tourist resorts and a destination in the spotlight recently with Delta Air Lines having announced a new route to Riyadh).
Beond and New Pacific said that details are still being finalized, noting that the proposed partnership will require approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA. The aim is to operate up to eight Airbus 320/321s with an all-business-class configuration of 56 or 68 seats, respectively, according to a spokesperson.
Routes are still under consideration, but the idea is to connect U.S. points with the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as domestic transcontinental flights with an emphasis on “seasonal domestic luxury destinations.” Pricing, too, remains up in the air, but it’s worth noting that Beond’s current deals include round-trip fares of 1,895 euros (US$2,194) between Milan and Male.
Beond’s existing all-business-class flights include premium services such as multi-course gourmet meals and fine wines and champagne provided.
Courtesy of Beond
For fed-up fliers, of course, a new all-business-class line in the United States would be a welcome upgrade compared to commercial flying. But don’t get your hopes up yet. This proposed venture could just be part of a broader “fantastical” and “bizarre” expansion effort, as travel blogger Ben Schlappig recently opined. Time will tell if this dream becomes a reality.
The news comes as another airline, Florida-based startup Magnifica Air, recently announced its intentions of offering private jet–style travel in the USA for a fraction of the cost, beginning in 2027. Beond also isn’t the first to go after the all-business-class model. France’s La Compagnie operates all-business-class flights between New Jersey’s Newark International Airport and Paris Orly, Italy’s Milan Malpensa, and Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in the south of France. And there are also hybrid semi-private air carriers like JSX and Aero bridging the gap between commercial air travel and private jet flights.
