New premium economy class

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plans to further strengthen its positioning as a premium air carrier by introducing a new Premium Economy Class on its long-haul aircraft fleet. The additional class of travel will supplement the three existing classes – First, Business and Economy – from spring 2021. The new product will initially be available on the company’s Boeing 777-300ERs, with each aircraft offering 24 Premium Economy seats. In the medium term, the new product should be extended to the entire SWISS long-haul fleet.

For Economy Class travellers seeking more inflight comfort, Premium Economy will offer a totally new air travel experience. The new class of travel will feature a newly developed seat providing extensive legroom and movement. “All in all, our Premium Economy Class travellers will enjoy a substantially stronger sense of personal space,” confirms Tamur Goudarzi Pour, SWISS’s Chief Commercial Officer. In introducing the new class of travel, SWISS is responding to a growing demand for an air travel product between Economy and Business Class. The decision to offer the new seating class has also been encouraged by the positive experiences with such a product at Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, SWISS’s sister companies within the Lufthansa Group.

SWISS will embark on the cabin conversion work required in winter 2020/21, and the new Premium Economy Class product will be available from spring 2021. SWISS will be investing a total of some CHF 40 million in installing the new seating class on its Boeing 777 fleet.