Swiss

Reservations
Swiss                      +41 848 700 700

Germany               +49 1805 110036

France                   +33 892 232 501  

United Kingdom  +44 845 601 0956

USA                        +1 877 359 7947

Our rating    4  stars.

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Swiss,  or Swiss Air as it's still sometimes called is the new, or newish national airline of Switzerland, it's a rebirth of a carrier from the former Swissair.   The service on it's flights is rather unremarkable and understated and the relatively new aircraft are comfortable.  Their medium and long haul Airbus aircraft have inseat entertainment systems with a wide choice of music and video entertainment.   The fares are very reasonable and comparative to most other airlines.  In fact on some routes they are even cheaper than their low cost rivals -  worth remembering if you're flying just within Europe.   

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Meals in business class have recently won awards thanks to the airlines tie up deals with top class hotels and restaurants and chefs,  it really is a taste of Switzerland,  In economy the meal service is fresh, exciting and tasty.  Service is nice and don't forget to leave room for the cheese!  We say yes please,  Swiss is a nice airline,  right at the heart of Europe offering good service at a reasonable and competitive fare.  Average on time record,  which is slowly getting better make Swiss an ideal choice.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) serves 72 destinations in 39 countries all over the world (as of summer 2011) from its Zurich hub and the further Swiss international airports of Basel and Geneva with a fleet (as of summer 2011) of 89 aircrafts. Switzerland’s airline embodies typical Swiss values such as hospitality, quality in every detail and personal care: SWISS aims to make all its customers feel totally at home.    

SWISS is committed on various fronts to the careful and sustainable use of natural resources, and regards a responsible attitude to the environment as an integral part of its corporate culture. As part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of Star Alliance, SWISS remains true to its mission of providing quality air services that link Switzerland with Europe and the world. 

VISION

We want to be the best airline of Europe -  also part of the Lufthansa Group.

MISSION

We are the airline of Switzerland – connecting Switzerland and Europe with the world. Based on our strengths in personal care, SWISS hospitality and SWISS quality we make our guests feel as if they were at home. As a part of the Lufthansa group we develop SWISS in a self-governed manner.

MANAGEMENT BOARD

Chairman of the Board	Bruno Gehrig
Chief Executive Officer	Harry Hohmeister
Chief Financial Officer	Marcel Klaus
Chief Operating Officer	Rainer Hiltebrand
Chief Commercial Officer	Holger Hätty

EXTENDED MANAGEMENT

Chief Cargo Officer	Oliver Evans
Chief Technical Officer	Peter Wojahn

Head office
Basel, Switzerland 

AIRCRAFT FLEET (SUMMER 2011)

Aircraft type	Number	Average age in years
Airbus A319	7	13.6 years
Airbus A320	21	13.3 years
Airbus A321	7	12.0 years
Airbus A330-200	2	11.8 years
Airbus A330-300	10	1.0 years
Airbus A340-300	15	9.8 years
Avro RJ100	20	12.9 years
TOTAL	82	11.6 years

FURTHER AIRCRAFT ARE OPERATED FOR SWISS UNDER WET-LEASE ARRANGEMENTS:

Aircraft type	Number	Partner
Saab 2000	1	Darwin Airline
BBJ2 (B737-800)	1	Privatair
Fokker 100	2	Contact Air
Fokker 100	3	Helvetic
Total	7

KEY TRAFFIC FIGURES FOR SCHEDULED SERVICES
(JANUARY - MARCH 2011)

Passengers carried	3 432 658
Flights operated	36 956
Available seat-kilometres (million)	9 438
Revenue passenger-kilometres (million)	7 206
Seat load factor systemwide	76.4%

Network

Air Zimbabwe Flights Resume

THE first international flight marking an end to Air Zimbabwe pilots’ month-long strike left for London, Gatwick Thursday morning, after government brokered a deal to end the impasse between the employer and employees.

Hong Kong Airlines Is Training Its Flight Attendants in Kung Fu

Unruly airline passengers beware!  Hong Kong Airlines is requiring its flight attendants to learn kung fu, something the airline hopes will help its crew deal with drunk and unruly passengers.

Cuts To Airline Capacity As Fuel Prices Rise

 

US carriers are continuing to cut capacity as they try to cope with the effects of higher fuel prices.

Both United Continental and American Airlines are trimming planned capacity over the next few months after being hit by rising oil costs.

U.S. airlines results hit by soaring fuel costs

 

Skyrocketing fuel costs and disasters in Japan took a bite out of major U.S. airline earnings reported on Thursday, but higher fares helped the carriers, including United Continental Holdings, meet or beat Wall Street forecasts.

United Continental, parent of United Airlines, posted a quarterly loss and said the decline in demand for travel to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami lowered its first-quarter passenger revenue by about $30 million.

JetBlue swings to profit despite high fuel costs

JetBlue Airways Corp met analyst expectations in a volatile cost environment, swinging to a quarterly profit despite sharply higher fuel prices.
Net income for the first quarter was $3 million, or a penny per diluted share. This compares to a net loss of $1 million, or nil cents a share, a year ago.
Analysts expected a gain of a penny per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Operating revenue of $1 billion was also in line with Wall Street expectations.
JetBlue paid 34 per cent more for fuel over the year-ago period, but it recorded $2 million in hedging gains.
For the second quarter, unit costs, including fuel, are expected to increase between 18 and 20 per cent.

Air France A380 strikes Delta CRJ

The horrific moment when a wing tip of an Air France Airbus A380 hits the tail of a Delta Connection aircraft on the ground.   So much more could have gone wrong in this situation,   more attention to large aircraft movements on the ground must me made.  The FAA is investigating along with both airlines, but from the initial reports it appears as sloppy ground control is to blame for what really was a lucky escape.

FLIGHT 447 CRASH SITE FOUND

FLIGHT 447 CRASH SITE FOUND

The French Air Accident Investigations Bureau has stated that wreckage from the Air France A330, lost over the Atlantic in 2009 has been found.
Richard Benedikz - 4-Apr-2011

Investigators now hope that the flight data recorders can be retrieved, solving the mystery of what caused the Airbus A330-200 to crash on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with the loss of all 228 people on board.
According to Airbus, the cause of the crash cannot be determined unless the flight recorders are found. So far the only information available is a malfunction of the aircraft’s airspeed sensors although it is believed other factors also played a part.
Search vessels, financed by Airbus and Air France located the wreckage of Flight 447 using equipment similar to that used to explore the remains of the Titanic in 1985. A salvage team is heading to the site to assist in lifting the aircraft from a depth of 4,000m.
Retrieving the flight data recorders has become more urgent following the decision last month by a French judge to place both Airbus and Air France under formal investigation for involuntary manslaughter