SWISS launches new “SWISS Choice” range of individual travel services and attractive new system of ex-Zurich fares

Following up on its redesign of its swiss.com website, SWISS will be further expanding its products and services over the next few months to offer its customers even greater scope and flexibility in compiling their personal air travel package. As a first step here, any SWISS customer can now reserve their preferred seat for a fee online at swiss.com in advance of their flight – an emergency exit row seat, for instance, with its greater legroom, or a seat just behind the Business Class section and close to the door.

Under the new SWISS Choice “Advanced Seat Reservation” option a “standard seat” can be reserved for CHF 9 in Europe or CHF 29 on long-haul flights, while a “preferred-zone seat” will cost CHF 19 within Europe or CHF 49 long-haul. An “extra-legroom seat” is available for CHF 35 on European services and CHF 99 on long-haul flights. Seats can be reserved any time from 11 months to 48 hours before departure, for any flight from 15 July onwards. The remaining seats will still be selectable free of charge when checking in within 23 hours of departure.

A further new SWISS Choice service will be introduced on 29 July. “Special Surprise” will enable customers to give themselves or a travel companion a little treat on board. The selection, all orderable on swiss.com, will initially extend to a bottle of champagne (CHF 59), a bottle of fine red wine (CHF 55) and – on long-haul flights – a fruit or chocolate cake (CHF 48). This range should be steadily expanded, too. The Special Surprise will be presented to the recipient by the cabin crew during the flight, together with a personal message from the originator. Special Surprises are available on flights both from and to Switzerland.

In a further SWISS Choice innovation, customers can now also pre-order duty-free items in advance of their flight, via an online order form on swiss.com, by email or by phone. The new service is offered for any long-haul service and for selected European flights, and is available from four weeks to four days before departure. The item(s) ordered will be supplied on board by the cabin personnel.

SWISS customers already enjoy the “Hold the Booking” option, which was introduced in March 2013 and which enables them – for a fee – to keep a provisional reservation open for 48 to 72 hours at a guaranteed fare. If it is not cancelled by the corresponding deadline, the reservation will be automatically confirmed.

“In offering these new service products we are fulfilling the desire among our customers for greater individual flexibility in their travel planning,” explains Markus Binkert, SWISS’s Chief Commercial Officer. “And we’ll continue to steadily expand the range of our extra services here, in close alignment to our customers’ wishes and needs.” Further SWISS Choice facilities planned for introduction between now and the end of this year include the possibility of booking additional baggage in advance.

A new pricing concept for European flights from Zurich
In addition to its new SWISS Choice options, SWISS has also unveiled a new pricing concept for European services from Zurich that offers more attractive fares and conditions. The new concept includes lower round-trip fares with no minimum stay at the destination, new one-way fares starting from CHF 89 on selected European routes and Business Class fares from as little as CHF 299. The new concept initially extends to 17 European destinations, but should be expanded to more between now and year-end.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s national airline, serving 84 destinations in 40 countries from Zurich, Basel and Geneva and carrying some 16 million passengers a year with its 90-aircraft fleet. The company’s Swiss WorldCargo division provides a comprehensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value and care- intensive consignments to around 120 destinations in over 80 countries.

As the airline of Switzerland, SWISS embodies the country’s traditional values, and is committed to delivering the highest product and service quality. With its workforce of 8,250 personnel, SWISS generated total operating income of some CHF 5.17 billion in 2013. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network.


Contact: Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Media Relations P.O. Box, 8058 Zurich Airport Switzerland Phone: +41 848 773 773 Fax: +41 44 564 21 27 media@swiss.com

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