SWISS Launches New Premium Economy Product

SWISS revealed the details of its new premium economy cabin in June of 2021. When it comes to premium economy, there is usually not a lot of innovation, but there is a lot that makes SWISS interesting. SWISS has installed the cabin for the first time on a plane, and it should enter service shortly.

SWISS premium economy seat

The new premium economy will complement the existing first class, business class, and economy class offerings. The new premium economy experience will include more privacy, more comfort, a wider range of inflight cuisine, and an extra baggage allowance.

Premium economy seats will be included in the SWISS Boeing 777-300ER. The seats are manufactured by ZIM and feature a fixed shell so that there is no intrusion when the person in front of you reclines.

The new premium economy seat has more space.

• The new premium economy seat is 46-48cm (~18-19″) wide, while economy seats are 43.4cm (~17″) wide
• The new premium economy seat has 99cm (~39″) of pitch, while economy seats have 78.7cm (~31″) of pitch

Premium economy seats will have additional recline, a fold-out leg rest, a reading lamp, and a built-in USB-A sockets.

SWISS premium economy services & amenities

SWISS premium economy is more than just the extra space. SWISS premium economy passengers will receive.

• An enhanced food and drink experience, including an elderberry welcome drink, and the choice of three hot meals all served on china tableware; it’s not entirely clear to what extent this food will be differentiated from what’s served in economy
• An increased baggage allowance of two bags of up to 23kg each (double of what you receive in economy)
• Priority boarding over economy class travelers
• Amenity kits manufactured from sustainable materials
• Noise-reducing headphones
• Discounted access to the SWISS Business Lounges in Zurich and Geneva, as well as the SWISS Arrival Lounge in Zurich

SWISS premium economy availability & pricing

SWISS will be installing a new premium economy product on its fleet in a project that is expected to cost 40 million Swiss Francs.

The first aircraft to feature the new cabin has a registration code that is five years old. The plane will be flying between Miami and Miami as early as March. The timelines of other routes getting premium economy.

• San Francisco will get premium economy as of mid April 2022
• Sao Paulo will get premium economy as of late April 2022
• Premium economy will be available on all 777 routes as of late May 2022

Premium economy fares will be between 250 and 350 Swiss Francs ($270-380) higher than economy fares in each direction, which seems fair.

SWISS premium economy coming at the expense of economy seats

There are a total of 340 seats on the Boeing 777s, with eight first class seats, 62 business class seats, and 270 economy class seats. I was curious to see if the new premium economy cabin would hurt business class or economy class capacity.

The bad news is that the economy seats will be sacrificed for the premium economy cabin. Four rows of economy seats are removed so that three rows of premium economy can be installed. SWISS will lose 16 seats and have a new capacity of more than 300 seats.

The picture of the premium economy cabin shows it being integrated into the economy cabin, with no separation between cabins. I get that the location of the premium economy cabin might not match where there are exit doors, but it's surprising to me that SWISS doesn't even plan to put a flimsy curtain between cabins.

My take on SWISS’ new premium economy

SWISS is the last long haul airline to install a premium economy cabin. SWISS is the most premium carrier in the group, but it is also the last one to get this popular cabin.

The new premium economy seat for SWISS will eventually become the standard premium economy seat for Lufthansa Group airlines, so they will have this seat in the future as well.

As far as the product is concerned.

• Overall we haven’t seen much innovation when it comes to premium economy seats, so it’s cool to see that SWISS has at least selected an updated seat type
• At the same time, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of fixed shell seats (they minimize disturbance from other passengers, but also don’t maximize space), and eight seats per row in premium economy is still pretty tight
• What I find most disappointing is that it doesn’t look like SWISS plans to offer any separation between premium economy and economy, but rather essentially seems to intend to just integrate it into the cabin

SWISS has installed premium economy on its first plane. The plane will start flying to Miami in the near future. There will be 24 premium economy seats on these planes. Business class award availability is good because the cabin will be coming at the expense of economy seats.

Premium economy will come with enhanced service and amenities, and will cost more than the economy. I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the seat design, but it's cool to see a somewhat new type of premium economy seat. I hope to try it out one day.

What do you think about the new economy of SWISS?