Swiss International Air Lines’ new product is finally on the market.
The airline’s first Airbus A350-900, equipped with its fully revamped onboard product “Swiss Senses”, began intercontinental service on Thursday, flying from its base at Zurich International Airport (ZRH) to Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS). The aircraft has been flying (essentially test flights) within Europe since October.
“The A350 is not naked,” Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger told TPG in September. “It delivers a new customer experience on all levels.”
The overhaul of SWISS’s long-haul flights is part of a larger onboard overhaul underway at parent company Lufthansa Group. Swiss Senses is the Lufthansa version of Lufthansa’s Allegris product, which made its debut on German Airlines’ A350 aircraft last year.
And it can’t come soon enough. Swiss Senses, like Allegris, is several years late due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing supply chain bottlenecks plaguing the airline industry. Meanwhile, the Swiss believe the airline’s quality has declined under German ownership due to aging products on board.
The required onboard updates will help SWISS achieve its goal of becoming a “premium market premium” airline, as Ferlinger describes it.
SWISS is operating the first of 10 A350s (registered HB-IFA). Delivery of the second aircraft is expected before the end of this year, with plans to take delivery of the remaining aircraft by 2031.
All of these will be matched with Swiss Senses products.
The airline plans to start retrofitting 14 of its Airbus A330s next year and 12 of its Boeing 777s in 2027. Its older Airbus A340s will not be retrofitted, but will be replaced by A350s once they arrive.
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Swiss Senses offers four cabins: First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. At each seat, passengers can enjoy their own entertainment screen, Bluetooth headset connectivity and USB or power sockets.
Swiss A350 first class
First-class suites are just that: spacious private suites with 5-foot-10-inch walls and privacy screens that passengers can close. The suites offer plenty of room to move around and even have a personal wardrobe for your carry-on luggage. Here, tourists are willing to pay top dollar for a luxurious Swiss experience.
There are three first-class suites on each A350, and the middle suite can be booked by up to two passengers.
Swiss A350 business class
The 45 business class seats are a significant improvement over SWISS’ currently outdated product. The cabin features five different business seats, all with direct aisle access: Business Suite, Privacy Seat, Extra Space Seat, Classic Seat and Extra Long Bed Seat.
The eight business suites are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout in two rows of bulkheads in the business area. Their privacy walls are higher than the rest of the cabin, giving them a more exclusive feel; however, they lack the barrier to completely enclose the cabin.
The 12 private seats are classic business seats by the window, not aisle seats. This puts passengers further away from the aisle and therefore more privacy.
The five extra space seats are located in the middle of the cabin, with storage shelves on either side.
15 classic seats are spread throughout the business class cabin. These are the window seats closest to the aisle or to the middle of the plane.
The five extra-long bed seats, each located in the center area of Business Class, offer approximately 8 inches more legroom than classic seats.
Other features that Business Class passengers can enjoy include power, USB-A and USB-C outlets, and wireless charging options.
Swiss A350 Premium Economy Class
The 38 Premium Economy seats are configured in a 2-3-2 configuration, offering a generous 39 inches of pitch.
A small partition next to the headrest provides passengers with some privacy from other passengers.
Premium economy is one of the most profitable classes for airlines, as travelers often pay more than double the price of an economy seat just to get a little extra space.
Swiss A350 Economy Class
The 156 economy class seats on the SWISS A350 are arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration with nearly 31 inches of pitch between each seat.
Each seat comes with a personal 13-inch entertainment screen.
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