Swiss will start flying its model new Airbus A350 jets to the U.S. two months sooner than deliberate because it begins a serious overhaul of its onboard providing.
The Star Alliance service will debut the A350-900 with the 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 mentioned 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 mentioned. It can initially fly on European routes for crew familiarization, earlier than its transatlantic debut.
Swiss’ new onboard providing on the A350 is the newest 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 financial system journey. That has made it a extremely wanted phase for airways.
As trade commerce group IATA famous in a 2024 report, “rising income from premium class journey is that tapping the premium phase is instrumental to spice up airways’ profitability.”
Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airlines — and shortly Swiss — are only a few of the worldwide carriers with new seats and different facilities within the pointy finish of the airplane hoping to money in on the pattern.
‘Swiss Senses’
“Within the lifetime of an airline, in the event you’re fortunate you’ll expertise it as soon as that you just get a brand new airplane and a whole new product directly,” mentioned Fehlinger.
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“The A350 would not come bare. It comes with a whole new buyer expertise in all lessons,” he continued.
Swiss Senses, because the airline calls its new onboard providing, is a whole nose-to-tail revamp. Primarily based on its sister service Lufthansa’s new Allegris product, it consists of top quality, enterprise class, premium financial system and financial system seats, up to date meals and beverage, and different improved facilities like a signature scent.
Swiss’ A350s may have as much as 4 non-public top quality suites, with the center part of the cabin in a position to be booked by both one or two passengers. Transferring again via the plane, it is going to additionally embody 45 enterprise class suites with privateness doorways; 38 Premium Financial system seats in a 2-3-2 format; and 156 financial system seats in a 3-3-3 format.
“We’re positioning [Swiss] on the higher finish of the premium market,” mentioned Fehlinger, including that the airline’s model stands for every part 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’ll start flying to Montreal-Trudeau Worldwide Airport (YUL) from ZRH along with BOS.
The service 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 mentioned.
Swiss’ 12 Boeing 777s is not going to start receiving the Swiss Senses therapy till 2027. And the Airbus A340s is not going to be retrofit, as they’re scheduled for retirement and substitute with the A350s.
Restricted loyalty redemptions
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“There can be shifts in availability because of the variety of seats,” Fehlinger mentioned, including that the brand new top quality can be “extra unique” than the airline’s present high providing.
Each the A350s and A330s may have as much as 4 Swiss Senses top quality seats, in comparison with eight in the present day on the latter airplane.
Fehlinger, nonetheless, 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 mentioned, the service 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 information from aviation analytics agency Cirium exhibits.
“We’ll search for extra progress in all probability in direction of the top of the last decade — ’28, ’29 — with the following A350s coming in,” mentioned Fehlinger.
Swiss is “glad” with the efficiency of its North Atlantic enterprise over summer season regardless of “a little softening” in financial system journey demand, he mentioned. 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 via July in comparison with final 12 months, the newest information from the U.S. Worldwide Commerce Administration exhibits.
“On the North Atlantic, it was our spine, it’s our spine and it’ll stay our spine,” mentioned Fehlinger.
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