Luxury travel is getting a new perk. Beond, a new carrier that bills itself as “the world’s first premium leisure airline,” has announced plans to offer select passengers the use of Apple’s Vision Pro on flights, expected to start in July.
Founded in 2022, the Maldivian-based airline currently operates three routes to and from the Maldives. It does not currently have any routes that include the United States.
Passengers who get an opportunity to test out the headsets will be able to enjoy movies and games, but CEO Tero Taskila says the company also plans to “showcase stunning resort destinations and activities in the Maldives.
“The inflight experience will build anticipation for passengers before they arrive in the Maldives,” Taskila added in a statement. “Offering the Apple Vision Pro is another step in our vision of delivering a premium travel experience to our customers, from the start to finish of their journey.”
A few aspects of the promotion remain unclear. Beond hasn’t yet clarified what it means by “select passengers.” The airline is business-class only, with every seat capable of transforming into a bed, so there’s not exactly a cheap ticket that can be justifiably denied this service.
There’s also the issue of the hardware itself. The Vision Pro’s battery life currently tops out at about 2.5 hours. Beond’s shortest one-way flight is twice that long. (The carrier offers flights from the Maldives’s capital, Malé, to Munich; Zurich; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.) And some Vision Pro users have complained about motion sickness while wearing the headset.
Also, Beond is still very much in startup mode. The airline closed a $13 million funding round last December that allowed it to add a second aircraft to its fleet. It plans to add service to Milan, Dubai, and Bangkok later this year. Fares start in the $3,000 range, which is in the same neighborhood as business-class tickets on competitor airlines.
The Vision Pro itself has been met with mixed reactions. Some owners have said they plan to return their headsets by the end of day Friday, the return deadline for people who bought one the day it became available. Its $3,500 price tag is considerably higher than other mixed-reality headsets, and puts the device out of the financial range of many customers.
But travelers to the Maldives are likely to have more than enough discretionary income—and demoing a Vision Pro while sitting on a luxury jet could interest them in buying the device in the near future.
Apple doesn’t appear to be in a hurry for its mixed-reality headset to be a top seller. It has already paired back sales expectations for the first year from 1 million to 400,000. And it’s still getting consumers used to its preferred languages, such as “spatial computing.” The company hopes to win over developers first, then bring the Vision Pro to a price point that’s more accessible for the general public.
That makes the first generation model quite the status symbol. And Beond is hoping that by being what it calls the first airline to offer the Vision Pro to passengers, it can build a reputation as the go-to carrier for high-end luxury.
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