Swiss International Air Lines’ long-haul renewal is finally flying.
The Star Alliance aircraft carrier launched its new products on board “Swiss Senses” between Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on November 20. And, if all goes to plan, it will be standard on board all Swiss twin-aisle aircraft by the end of the decade.
Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger sat down during the intercontinental debut to chat about the future of the airline.
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Updating Swiss’s long-haul product, which replaces an offering more than a decade old, remains the airline’s top priority, he said. While the inauguration marked a turning point, the airline still needs to take delivery of the remaining nine A350s (the first will replace four obsolete Airbus A340s) and renew its fleet of 14 Airbus A330-300s and 12 Boeing 777s. That process is expected to take another four years.
“This product took us more years than anticipated,” Fehlinger said. “Now, the pieces and puzzles come together.”
This is true for many international airlines. Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and others have made their own long-haul premium improvements, many of which were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, in the past two years. These investments recognize the continued product superiority among airlines and the fact that premium income growth has outpaced economy class travel growth since the pandemic.
For example, in October, Delta Air Lines president Glen Hauenstein said: “Most, if not all, of our growth will occur in the premium sectors.”
Swiss is owned by the Lufthansa Group and Swiss Senses is a skinned variant of the Lufthansa. allegris product which debuted in 2024.
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With Swiss feelings flying, the airline can begin to focus its attention on the rest of its passenger offering.
New Schengen (or intra-Europe) and business class lounges are being prepared at ZRH; It is scheduled to open in early 2027, Roger Geu, Switzerland’s lounge director, said in an interview in Zurich. The spaces will reflect the airline’s updated color palette, feature wood tones and perhaps even include small bookcases when they open.
The lounges will “temporarily” replace those that will close with the reconstruction of Pier A at ZRH, he said. Geu said he expects the new spaces to remain in use for about a decade until the new concourse opens in 2035.
Travelers within Europe will be happy to know that Swiss is considering reinstating free snacks and drinks on its short- and medium-haul flights.
“During the crisis, we brought in more high-quality foods, but we made them affordable,” Fehlinger said. “We will review it over the next year.”
Swiss stopped offering free snacks and drinks on European flights in 2021 citing sustainability concerns. However, the move came at a time of rising costs and lower revenues for airlines globally.
The airline is also considering new seats for its fleet of Airbus A220 and A320 single-aisle aircraft, Fehlinger added. He did not provide a potential timeline.
Another possible change (or rather return) could be that of reading. Swiss printed a unique special edition of its in-flight magazine, Swiss Magazine, to mark the launch of the A350. Inside were all the features that were once standard on these old seat back basics– Destination recommendations, puzzles and (to the delight of all AvGeek) a route map.
When asked if Swiss would resume printing the magazine that went all-digital in 2022, Fehlinger said it was “something we are considering.”
“We need customer feedback to make that decision,” he continued. “We want to know how our customers perceive it, so we think now is a very nice and unique opportunity to pair it with the A350. If our passengers like it, we will definitely consider continuing with it, if they don’t like it, we won’t.”
Print magazines, now, are a kind of symbol of luxury in a world where digital comes first.
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