Swiss International Air Lines is joining the Premium Economy game, with plans to introduce the product in 2021.
The airline is planning to introduce their Premium Economy product in Spring/Summer 2021 timetable, with the cabin conversion occurring in the Autumn/Winter 2020/21 timetable
They will be offering the premium economy product on their Boeing 777-300ER fleet initially, with 24 seats assigned to it. Swiss are promising a wider seat, greater recline, greater seat pitch and a much more intimate cabin, with seats set up as 8 across (compared to the 10 across in Economy Class).
The infographic – image, Swiss International Air Lines
The seat is promised to be a brand new design.
Swiss is planning to extend this cabin to their entire long haul fleet in the medium term. How that will be made up is more than an interesting question, based on an image released by Lufthansa Group
Lufthansa Group Boeing 787s. Note the centre one in Swiss’s livery – Image, Lufthansa Group.
In quotes
Tamur Goudarzi Pour, SWISS’s Chief Commercial Officer states
“All in all, our Premium Economy Class travellers will enjoy a substantially stronger sense of personal space,” confirms .
Investing the money, standardising across the group
This move will make Swiss fall into line with other Lufthansa group airlines – and offering at least a three-class product on all their long-haul services at least (with two carriers offering a first class product – Swiss and Lufthansa). With the other airlines also enjoying full and used premium economy cabins – the market exists.
As budgets move, Premium economy is inhabited by those who want to spend more on their leisure trip or business travellers who are seeking to cut the expenses bill. Premium Economy is in a lot of cases a perfect compromise.
The question remains will it be a way an improved economy product or a downgraded business product that will be served in the air.
That’s the question to come.
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