Swiss will start flying its model new Airbus A350 jets to the U.S. two months sooner than deliberate because it begins a significant overhaul of its onboard providing.
The Star Alliance provider will debut the A350-900 with the brand new “Swiss Senses” onboard product on flights from Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) by the top of November, Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger stated in an unique interview in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Swiss beforehand deliberate to introduce the brand new airplane and product to the U.S. on Jan. 1, 2026.
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The Lufthansa Group-owned airline expects its first A350 from Airbus in early October, Fehlinger stated. It would initially fly on European routes for crew familiarization, earlier than its transatlantic debut.
Swiss’ new onboard providing on the A350 is the most recent volley within the pitched battle for premium vacationers. For the reason that COVID-19 pandemic, premium demand — particularly amongst leisure vacationers — has grown sooner and proved extra resilient than that for economic system journey. That has made it a extremely wanted section for airways.
As trade commerce group IATA famous in a 2024 report, “rising income from premium class journey is that tapping the premium section is instrumental to spice up airways’ profitability.”
Air France, American Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airways — and shortly Swiss — are just some of the worldwide carriers with new seats and different facilities within the pointy finish of the airplane hoping to money in on the development.
‘Swiss Senses’
“Within the lifetime of an airline, in case you’re fortunate you’ll expertise it as soon as that you simply get a brand new airplane and an entire new product directly,” stated Fehlinger.
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“The A350 does not come bare. It comes with an entire new buyer expertise in all courses,” he continued.
Swiss Senses, because the airline calls its new onboard providing, is an entire nose-to-tail revamp. Based mostly on its sister provider Lufthansa’s new Allegris product, it consists of top quality, enterprise class, premium economic system and economic system seats, up to date meals and beverage, and different improved facilities like a signature scent.
Swiss’ A350s can have as much as 4 personal top quality suites, with the center part of the cabin in a position to be booked by both one or two passengers. Transferring again by way of the plane, it’s going to additionally embody 45 enterprise class suites with privateness doorways; 38 Premium Economic system seats in a 2-3-2 structure; and 156 economic system seats in a 3-3-3 structure.
“We’re positioning [Swiss] on the higher finish of the premium market,” stated Fehlinger, including that the airline’s model stands for all the things Swiss — from punctuality to reliability and high quality.
And Swiss’ monetary efficiency helps the 1 billion euro ($1.17 billion) funding in planes and product. The airline has lengthy been both the, or one of many, most worthwhile within the Lufthansa Group: it generated a 12.9% adjusted working margin within the second quarter of 2025, whereas the group solely turned in an 8.4% end result.
Swiss plans to have 4 A350s with the Swiss Senses product in service by the top of 2026. As soon as they’ve the requisite variety of planes, they are going to start flying to Montreal-Trudeau Worldwide Airport (YUL) from ZRH along with BOS.
The provider will start retrofits to its fleet of 14 Airbus A330s by the top of the 12 months, with the fleet absolutely outfitted inside two years, Fehlinger additionally stated.
Swiss’ 12 Boeing 777s won’t start receiving the Swiss Senses therapy till 2027. And the Airbus A340s won’t be retrofit, as they’re scheduled for retirement and substitute with the A350s.
Restricted loyalty redemptions
“There might be shifts in availability as a result of variety of seats,” Fehlinger stated, including that the brand new top quality might be “extra unique” than the airline’s present high providing.
Each the A350s and A330s can have as much as 4 Swiss Senses top quality seats, in comparison with eight at the moment on the latter airplane.
Fehlinger, nevertheless, expects award availability in enterprise class to enhance with the onboard improve.
Normalizing transatlantic progress
Swiss has no plans so as to add routes to the U.S. or North America subsequent 12 months. As an alternative, Fehlinger stated, the provider will deal with “stabilizing” the enlargement it undertook in 2024 when it added Toronto’s Pearson Worldwide Airport (YYZ) and D.C.’s Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) to its map in North America, and Seoul’s Incheon Airport (ICN) in Asia.
IAD was Swiss’ first new U.S. vacation spot since San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) in 2010, schedule knowledge from aviation analytics agency Cirium reveals.
“We’ll search for extra progress most likely in direction of the top of the last decade — ’28, ’29 — with the subsequent A350s coming in,” stated Fehlinger.
Swiss is “glad” with the efficiency of its North Atlantic enterprise over summer time regardless of “a bit of softening” in economic system journey demand, he stated. The airline expects demand to tick again up over the winter and in 2026 when the U.S., Canada and Mexico host the FIFA World Cup.
The variety of foreigners arriving within the U.S. from Switzerland was down roughly 7% from January by way of July in comparison with final 12 months, the most recent knowledge from the U.S. Worldwide Commerce Administration reveals.
“On the North Atlantic, it was our spine, it’s our spine and it’ll stay our spine,” stated Fehlinger.
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