More choice for customers in SWISS’s 2009 summer schedules

Swiss International Air Lines offers a number of innovations in its 2009 summer schedules, which come into effect on 29 March. In addition to new non-stop services to Lyon and Oslo, customers will enjoy a wide choice of vacation destinations thanks to SWISS’s collaboration with Edelweiss Air. The summer timetable will also bring new codeshare services between Zurich and Malta and on the Geneva-Montreal and Geneva-Washington routes. The present non-stop Zurich-Tripoli service is withdrawn; and services between São Paulo and Santiago de Chile and to and from Singapore will now be operated by SWISS partner airlines. SWISS will serve 90 destinations in 42 countries in its 2009 summer schedules.

SWISS will be offering two new European destinations from Zurich – Oslo and Lyon – in its 2009 summer schedules. Lyon will receive four daily flights operated by Avro RJ100 aircraft, while Oslo will enjoy a twice-daily service using Airbus A319 equipment. SWISS customers will also have the choice of a further daily SAS flight to and from Norway’s capital under a codeshare agreement. Malta also joins the SWISS network, with a new daily codeshare service to and from Zurich operated by Air Malta.

The new schedules bring innovations to SWISS services to Spain, too: the present four weekly flights on the Zurich-Valencia route will be increased to daily service from the start of the summer timetable period. SWISS will also be modifying its frequencies to and from London City Airport in response to changes in demand: between 20 April and 23 October, services on the Zurich-London City route will be reduced from nine to seven a day, while Geneva-London City services will be reduced from seven to six daily flights.

SWISS customers based in Italy will enjoy a substantially-expanded range of non-stop flights within Europe in the 2009 summer schedules, thanks to a new codeshare agreement covering the services operated by Lufthansa Italia. The carrier serves Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Lisbon, London (Heathrow), Madrid and Paris from its Milan base.

Intercontinental developments
SWISS is making a number of attractive enhancements on its intercontinental network, too. Customers to and from New York will be the first to enjoy the new Airbus A330-300 with its innovative cabin interiors, from 20 April onwards. The aircraft’s new First and Business Class featuring Lantal’s exclusive adjustable air cushion technology promise an exquisite travel experience; and the Economy Class cabin is also totally new, and boasts its own top-quality seats and a state-of-the-art and easy-to-use inflight entertainment system.

Geneva-based customers will enjoy two new codeshare services operated by SWISS’s Star Alliance partners – Air Canada on the Geneva-Montreal route and United Airlines between Geneva and Washington DC. SWISS customers will continue to enjoy services between Zurich and São Paulo and onward to Santiago de Chile; but the São Paulo-Santiago leg will now be operated by future Star Alliance partner TAM Linhas Aéreas. SWISS will also be working more closely with a Star Alliance partner on services to Singapore: from 26 April onwards, SWISS will be cutting back its present operation here to a Zurich-Bangkok service, but Singapore can still be reached directly from Zurich on Star Alliance partner Singapore Airlines.

SWISS will also be making temporary modifications to service frequencies on certain intercontinental routes in response to changed and changing demand.
Los Angeles, Miami, Boston and Chicago will receive six weekly flights (instead of the present daily service) from the end of April to the beginning of July. Delhi, Mumbai, Shanghai and Johannesburg will also receive one weekly flight fewer during the same period. Service to Tripoli is withdrawn.

SWISS and Edelweiss Air team up to offer even more choice
SWISS customers will enjoy a wide selection of additional leisure travel destinations in the 2009 summer schedules through the carrier’s close collaboration with Edelweiss Air. A range of codeshare agreements between the two partners puts more than 35 destinations* in Europe and beyond at SWISS customers’ disposal including Olbia (Sardinia), Corfu (Greece), Varadero (Cuba) and Male (the Maldives).

Even shorter Zurich connections
With the first infrastructural modifications now complete, SWISS customers using Zurich Airport will feel the full benefit of Switzerland’s adoption of the Schengen Agreement from the start of the summer schedules. The abolition of security and passport checks for transfer passengers using the Schengen Dock (formerly known as Dock A) will save travellers additional time. SWISS customers will feel a particular benefit here, as the airport’s recently totally-refurbished SWISS lounges are all located in the Schengen Dock. SWISS customers using the airport’s non-Schengen zone will be able to make use of a new Business Lounge and Senator Lounge sited conveniently close to the Dock B departure gates, along with the present facilities in Dock E.

The 2009 summer schedules enter into effect on 29 March and remain valid until 24 October. Full details are available at SWISS.COM.

* A map showing all the destinations served by Edelweiss Air is available
at www.edelweissair.ch.