Swiss International Air Lines has been working on their Premium Economy product, with the first plane now equipped and rolled out with it installed.
The first aircraft to be configured with the Premium Economy product is HB-JNH. This will be deployed on SWISS’s Zurich-Miami services from the beginning of March onwards.
SWISS will install the Premium Economy product on all 12 of its Boeing 777-300ERs. After Miami, the next SWISS destinations to be served with SWISS Premium Economy-equipped aircraft will be San Francisco from mid-April and São Paulo in Brazil from the end of April.
Premium Economy will be available on all of SWISS’s Boeing 777-300ER routes from the end of May onwards.
During the introductory phase for the new class of travel, customers will be offered for-a-fee upgrades to SWISS Premium Economy if it is available on their flight, either when they check-in or at the departure gate.
Configuration
SWISS will have 24 seats installed on their Boeing 777-300ER. The seats are ones from ZIM Aircraft Seating. These are fitted with fabrics provided by the Bern-based Lantal company, feature a hardshell design that enables them to be easily reclined at no inconvenience to the passenger behind.
We’ve covered the seat before on the blog, but how do you build and install them? There’s a video for that:
Those who prefer to try things out in augmented reality can find a model at full-size as a virtual 3D model via https://www.swiss.com/ch/en/fly/on-board/travel-classes/swiss-premium-economy/discover-premium-economy
Improving the passenger experience too
Premium Economy isn’t just about the seat – it’s about the whole passenger experience. SWISS will be giving out a given a complimentary amenity kits. The kit, which is provided by the Skysupply company, makes innovative use of kraft paper and paper pulp in its contents to minimize plastic use.
Passengers will also be provided with noise-reducing headphones to use on the audio and video entertainment system, which features a 15.6-inch at-seat screen.
SWISS’s inflight culinary offering has also been specially modified to accommodate the new class of travel. SWISS Premium Economy guests receive a refreshing welcome drink and are offered a choice of three hot meals.
SWISS Premium Economy travellers can check in two pieces of baggage of up to 23 kilos each – twice the registered baggage allowance for regular Economy Class travel. They also enjoy discounted access to the SWISS Business Lounges at Zurich and Geneva airports and Zurich Airport’s SWISS Arrival Lounge.
In Quotes
SWISS Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Tamur Goudarzi Pour on the launch said:
“Our SWISS Premium Economy Class is a top-quality standout product against our international competitors,”
“And I am delighted that we can now offer our customers this new best-in-class air travel experience. Our Premium Economy Class should be especially appealing to travellers who have flown Economy Class to date and would like to enhance their inflight comfort and convenience. So it also helps us strengthen our premium-carrier positioning in the growing leisure travel market.”
In an initial step, SWISS’s new Premium Economy Class will be successively installed in
On the amenity kit and services, he adds
“We put a strong emphasis at SWISS on making the whole travel chain as sustainable as possible,”
“because we don’t just want to be a premium carrier for our guests: we want to live up consistently to all our responsibilities to the climate and to society, too.”
Putting it all together
As SWISS rolls out its first aircraft fitted with its new Premium Economy seat, it’s important to remember the market they’ll be going for.
Premium Economy attracts two main markets – passengers who want to trade up for a better experience or more space than in standard economy, whilst there will also be business travellers who would be trading down for a lower cost product.
Whilst business travel continues its slow and long recovery, SWISS will be looking to its economy passengers to pay for the space they want.
As usual, it will be down to how the seat performs in flight, and how the premium economy product is treated. That can make a massive difference between a seat with extra space to a premium economy experience.
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