Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) presented the key product and service features of its new Premium Economy Class, and also launched the sales of its new class of travel. Premium Economy Class supplements SWISS’s existing Economy, Business and First Class cabins.
“We are delighted that, in introducing our new Premium Economy Class, we are meeting our customers’ growing demand for more privacy, more comfort and more individuality,” says SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx. “And by introducing our new class of travel, we are also further strengthening our premium positioning in the growing leisure travel segment.”
The new Premium Economy Class will be gradually installed aboard SWISS’s 12 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from the fourth quarter of this year. The entire SWISS Boeing 777-300ER fleet will feature the new Premium Economy Class cabin by the start of the 2022 summer schedules. In line with general market pricing, the one-way fare for the new Premium Economy Class will be around CHF 250 to 350 higher than its Economy Class equivalent.
Each SWISS Boeing 777-300ER will be equipped with 24 latest-generation Premium Economy Class seats from seat manufacturer ZIM. The comfortable seat is simple to recline, and is integrated into a fixed backshell to ensure zero intrusion into the personal space of the passenger behind. The new seat is wider than an Economy Class seat, too: between 46 and 48 centimetres, compared to 43.4. And seat pitch has been extended from the 78.7 centimetres of Economy Class to 99 centimetres, which translates into substantially more legroom. The new Premium Economy Class seat further features a greater recline, and is additionally equipped with a fold-out leg rest. The seat’s covers have been produced by Lantal of Bern, Switzerland. To add to their on-board comfort, SWISS Premium Economy travellers will be issued with a complimentary amenity kit that is specifically manufactured using sustainable materials. They will also receive their own high-quality noise-reducing headphones that will further enhance the film or the music experience offered via the seat’s 15.6-inch inflight entertainment monitor. Personal reading lamps will provide suitable lighting on night-flight services; and electronic devices can be charged using the seat’s in-built USB-A socket.
SWISS’s inflight cuisine has also been specially tailored to the new class of travel. Premium Economy travellers will be offered a refreshing elderberry welcome drink, and will be able to choose from three hot meals all served on china tableware.
SWISS Premium Economy customers will enjoy a much-enhanced travel experience on the ground, too. At two bags of up to 23 kilos each, their registered baggage allowance is double that of Economy Class travellers. They can take advantage of reduced-rate access to the SWISS Business Lounges at Zurich and Geneva airports and the SWISS Arrival Lounge at Zurich Airport. They will enjoy priority boarding over Economy Class travellers.
The new Premium Economy Class will be gradually installed aboard SWISS’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from the fourth quarter of this year. The new class is bookable for travel from April 2022 on the entire Boeing 777-300ER route network. Destinations served by SWISS with this aircraft type include Bangkok, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, São Paulo or Singapore.
