SWISS Introduces Its New Flagship to the USA

December 7 brought SWISS North America its first new Airbus A340,
connecting Los Angeles to Zurich. The new aircraft takes the place of the
MD11 which had been flying the route. A second North American A340 will be launched in
January, 2004 flying the JFK-Zurich route. With the A340, SWISS has embarked on the renewal of its long-haul fleet. SWISS will be taking delivery of a total of nine A340s, scheduled to
progressively replace the existing Boeing MD-11s. Fully reclining seats which become
lie-flat beds in Swiss Business, the largest individual screens in the airline branch for Swiss Economy and an underbelly camera mounted beneath the cockpit are just some of the highlights of the new aircraft.

The new SWISS Business features a generous seat pitch of about 60 inches
and new lie-flat seats which may be converted into a level resting surface
at an angle of 13В°, thus providing the passenger with a really relaxing
night’s repose. SWISS is the first airline in continental Europe to offer
reclining comfort of this kind. The seats are also notable for extremely
practical details, such as storage space for shoes, bottled drinks and
reading material. The unpopular middle seat has been dispensed with.

SWISS Economy represents good quality at a fair price. It features the
largest individual screens in the airline industry with an impressive
diagonal
measurement of more than 9 inches. The seat pitch has also been increased
to a comfortable 32 inches. This has been made possible by means of the use
of new
materials for the seat backs which permit about 2 inches to be saved
without any loss of comfort.

The seats in SWISS First have been further improved and can now be
converted into a completely flat bed 80 inches in length and almost 24
inches in width.

With the new In-flight Entertainment System, all passengers have the luxury
of audio and video on demand, right there on their individual screens. In
addition, there are video games and SMS service, with which the passengers
can send short-text messages to all types of mobile phones, fax or to all
E-mail addresses world-wide. A further interesting plus point is the
underbelly camera which enables take-offs and landings to be seen from an
unusual perspective. During the flight, pictures of the landscapes below
will also be displayed.

In North America, SWISS has daily nonstop flights to Zurich from Boston,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York (2 daily from JFK – incl.
one nonstop to Geneva) and Newark. In addition, JFK and Dallas-Fort Worth
offer daily nonstop flights to Zurich, both of which are operated through a
code share agreement with partner American Airlines.

Travelers interested in flying with SWISS may call 1-877-FLY SWISS, or
visit SWISS online at www.swiss.com

December 29, 2003   Posted in: Airlines & Railways