BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE AIRLINE
Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) is the airline of Switzerland-Swiss Country, serving over 100 destinations in 46 countries from Zurich and Geneva and carrying more than 16 million passengers a year with its 95-aircraft fleet. As of December 31, 2016, Swiss International Airlines had 9,101 total employees, 1,333 pilots, 4400 cabin crew members and 3,368 ground staff. The company?s Swiss WorldCargo division provides a comprehensive range of airport-to-airport air freight services for logistic solutions that are high in value and care-intensive logistic solutions to around 130 destinations in over 80 countries.
Swiss International Airlines operates from its hub in Zurich and the regional airport of Geneva and flies to 102 destinations in 46 countries: 76 in Europe and 26 overseas. Swiss International Airlines is a part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of the Star Alliance.
The airline owns Edelweiss Air ?and Helvetic Airways, both located at Zurich Airport.
ROUTES SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES OPERATES FLIGHTS ON
Swiss International Airlines flies 102 destinations in 46 countries. The countries include, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Mauritius, Tanzania, Oman, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, India, China, Brazil, Cuba, USA, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada.
Average Fare on Popular Routes
The following are the prices for round trip flights on some of the popular routes operated by Swiss International Airlines.
| Popular Routes |
Flight Fares ($) |
| New York to Tokyo |
5800 |
| Zurich to Frankfurt |
500 |
| Zurich to New York |
720 |
| Zurich to Paris |
720 |
| Singapore to London |
1421 |
| New York to Shanghai |
2400 |
SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES FLEET
Swiss International Airlines owns a total of 79 aircrafts comprising 5 Airbus A319, 22 Airbus A320, 9 Airbus A321, 14 Airbus A330-300, 10 Airbus A340-300, 7 Avro RJ100, 7 Boeing 777-300ER, 5 Bombardier C Series 100.
Swiss International Airlines complements its fleet with aircraft that are operated by wet-lease partners including crews; 4 Fokker 100 and 4 Embraer 90 aircrafts in partnership with Helvetic Airways, and 4 Dash 8-Q400 in partnership with Austrian Airlines. The airline utilizes the Avro RJ100 on short haul flights and the Bombardier CS100 and CS300 on European routes.
Swiss International Airline?s fleet can be recognized through its logo, a white cross in a red background, on it?s the aircraft?s fin, alongside the word ?SWISS? which is usually found on the fuselage of the airline fleet.
TRAVEL PACKAGES OFFERED BY SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Star Alliance Network
Star Alliance members under Swiss International Airlines can collect and redeem miles within the Star Alliance network of flights, use priority check-in from frequent traveler flight status, enjoy access to partner lounges, take advantage of the better baggage allowance in economy class for members with frequent traveler status. Passengers can earn 1 mile for every 2 Swiss Francs.
SPECIAL SERVICES OFFERED BY SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Lounges
Swiss international Airlines offers access to selected airport lounges all over the world.
Airtrain
Swiss International Airlines offers an Airtrain shuttle service between Zurich airport and Basel SBB railway station. The Airtrain ticket is included in the Swiss International Airlines ticket.
Business Bus
Swiss International Business passengers on short haul flights and land at the airport in Zurich will be collected by a separate bus. The Business Bus takes passengers straight to the gate with no waiting times.
WHERE TO BOOK SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES FLIGHT TICKETS:
Use our time-saving and convenient booking platform to ease flight transactions.
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FLYING WITH CHILDREN
Infants/Children
Infants up to 2 years of age require a valid ticket but do not have a separate seat. The ticket will cost 10% of the standard price and during the flight, the infant will sit on an adult?s lap secured by a special seatbelt. Newborns less than a week-old need to have a doctor?s certificate stating that they can fly. Children less than 4 years are not allowed to travel alone.
Children aged between 2 to 11 years will travel on their own seat at a favorable child?s tariff on most flights. Swiss International airlines provides baby bassinets on all flight classes on long haul flights and in Business Class on European flights. Bassinets and buggies are approved for children up to 8 months and weighing maximum of 11 Kg. Additionally, Swiss International Airlines serves baby meals on all flights and special children?s menus can also be provided on request.
Unaccompanied Minors
If travelling alone, children aged 5 to 11 years must identify themselves under the unaccompanied minors program of Swiss international Airlines. If accompanied by a person of minimum 12 years, then they do not have to register as unaccompanied minors.
Advice to Keep Children occupied on longer flights
Pack little gifts/rewards
This is the oldest trick in the book and it works like a charm. Wrap tiny toys and gifts to reward your child for being well behaved every half- hour or hour depending on the duration of the trip. Kids love gifts and surprises and will be eager to get them. These gifts don?t have to be expensive and can even be old forgotten toys. Children will love it either way. Try to limit the gifts to soft, stuffy toys or threats, because solid toys might easily injure the kids or other passengers if thrown towards them.
Get a portable DVD player or tablet
The kids of these generation are very tech savvy and curious. Bringing along a portable DVD/ tablet will help occupy most of the kid?s time and help to reduce boredom. Just like the gift they can be used as a reward for good behavior. Cartoons and animated movies should be stored on the tablets and DVDs carried along for the DVD player. Before you board, download some kids? games or kid-friendly apps to your tablet (make sure to switch it to Airplane mode for the flight). Some good ones include Bubbles (where you simply have to pop bubbles with your finger, an endlessly fascinating pastime for toddlers), Toddler Cars (animations of all sorts of vehicles, complete with noises - make sure to bring headphones) and Peppa Pig Happy Mrs Chicken (chances are your child is obsessed with Peppa Pig, so anything starring the pink one will inspire awe, but this is actually a pretty good game).
Carry a pillow & blanket
Small children can sit on a pillow so they can see out of the window better, while older children may find sleeping more comfortable with a pillow. A blanket is also good as its familiarity will comfort your child as well keep them warm if it gets chilly on-board. Read our review of the best travel pillows on the market
Use a Trunki
A trunki is a brand of ride/carry-on hand luggage for children. They may appear a little overpriced, but Trunkis are a lifesaver for entertaining little ones when you?re in long queues, as your kid can happily propel him/herself around while sitting on top. Not only that, the strap allows you to pull your child around, saving their tired little legs if your walk to the departure gate is a long one. A bit expensive,but , a few cheaper forms of ride-on luggage are gradually trickling onto the market, like Skoot Kid's and Kiddee Cases.
Plan your flight in 15-minute slots
Divide the entire flight duration into 15- minutes intervals. For a three-hour journey you need around ten activities to keep young kids entertained (as the first and last 15 minutes you can occupy them by looking out the window for take-off and landing). CBeebies magazines, a favourite story book, drawing, Snap, and snacks are all good activities to keep them entertained. It's unlikely you will need all ten (especially if you manage to get them to sleep) but better to have too many than too few.
Get Stickers
Choosing and pasting stickers is a fun activity to engage your kids in. the best part about this is that it takes up a whole lot of time. Give them a lunch box, water bottle or even their shoes to decorate. You will probably end up having to unpeel stickers from their body parts and maybe even parts of the seat afterwards, but that?s a little price to pay for having them composed and quiet for about an hour.
Carry sweets along
This is for a more practical reason. You know that popping felling your ears makes while the plane is taking off or landing? Well, its much worse for kids, it causes painful ears for them. It is common practice to give babies a bottle to encourage them to suck and swallow. The same principle is applicable to children, if you give your child a lollypop (ideally sugar free) for take off and landing. It helps to soothe them and distract them from the potentially scary sensation.
Bring foods that last longer
Offer your kids foods that will take them longer to eat, this helps to occupy your child for longer. A box of raisins is great because it contains natural sugars, while strawberries, grapes and cherry tomatoes are similarly healthy and fun to eat (although potentially messier than raisins). It is not advisable to give kids sweets or candies during a flight. The sugar increases their level of energy thereby making them more active and restless.
Watch out of the ?Aero plane Police?!
And if after trying out all the methods mentioned above to kill time and distract your child it still doesn?t work- this one is always a winner. Simply let your child know of the ?Aero plane Police? who goes around looking for badly behaved children to take off the flight. Kids are very likely to fall for this, especially as the air hostesses are constantly walking up and down the aisle. Moderation is the key with this tip, as were not trying to encourage you to scare your child out of their mind. A stern warning will be effective enough to get them on their best behavior.
Passengers with disabilities
Swiss international Airlines offers free wheelchairs and transport vehicles with escorts for departure and arrival. It is recommended that passengers with disabilities report at the check-in counter 90 minutes before the latest check-in time. Pre-boarding is available for passengers with disabilities and the transport of up to 2 wheelchairs and assistance dogs is possible with no additional fee.
FLYING WITH PETS
Swiss International Airlines has different rules and regulations for travelling by air with animals depending on the passenger?s destination. The airline requires that passengers with pets book ahead of time and present original versions of pet?s documents including import, export, transit papers and vaccination certificates.
If an animal is not allowed to enter a country because it has been adequately vaccinated, the owner must pay for the return flights. Transportation charges for animals vary depending on the route, animals are not included in baggage allowance and are always charged as excess baggage.
Passengers flying directly into Switzerland will have their pet checked by Customs at the airport. If the animal fail to meet the necessary requirements, it will be confiscated and must return to its country of origin. If the animal is not returned within 10 days, it will be put down.
Advice to Keep Pets Calm on Flights
? Under no circumstance can you remove your pet from its carrier during the flight.
? Stroke your pet through the carrier (depending on if your pet permits stroking) and say soothing words to calm it down.
? Airline rules stipulate that your pet must be stowed under the seat in front of you during take off and landing. Be sure to comply with this rule, it helps to leave the carrier between your feet for a minute and then slowly slide the carrier under the seat all the while offering plenty of vocal assurances.
? When the plane is in the air, you would be permitted to keep the carrier between your feet. If your pet is fussing, offer them a pet calmer by unzipping the carrier an inch or two and extending the treat to your pet.
? Extend a finger or two into the carrier for a head scratch so that your pet will know that you are still there.
? A finger tip that has been dunked in a glass of water is a good way to keep your pet occupied.
? Offering one piece of grub at a time can keep you connected with your pet as long as they will accept it. Don?t feed them too much; the object here is to keep them occupied, not to fill their belly. Remember not to open the carrier so that your pet can escape. This will never turn out to be a good thing.
? Put a worn t-shirt or piece of your clothing with your scent on it in the carrier with your pet. Your scent is very calming to your pet.
? Pack light so you don?t have to fumble with other luggage and can move quickly to turn your attention to your pet.
? Groom your pet prior to travel.
? Get your pet accustomed to being in the carrier prior to the trip.
CARGO DELIVERY
Swiss WorldCargo is the air freight arm of Swiss International Airlines. It offers a range of logistics solutions for transporting any type of cargo to 130 destinations in over 84 countries.?It transports general cargo, perishables, valuables, pharmaceuticals, express cargo, live animals and pets.
TERMS AND CHECK-IN POLICY
Passengers travelling with Swiss International Airlines are required to check-in a day before the flight, and to arrive at the airport on the day of travel. Opening times of check-ins differ according to the airport and the duration of the flight.
Online Check-In
Passengers can check-in online or via the Swiss International Airlines app. Online check-in opens 23 hours before departure. Check-in desks are also available in Zurich and all destinations that Swiss International Airlines flies into. Check-in machines available at the airports are divided between Business and First Class passengers and all other passengers.
REFUND POLICY
Swiss International Airlines will refund tickets or any unused flight coupons in accordance with applicable tariff provisions as follows:
a). Refunds shall be made to the person named on the ticket or to the person who paid for the ticket provided satisfactory proof can be produced for such payment.
b) If the ticket is paid for by any other person besides the passenger, then Swiss International Airlines will refund only the person who has paid for the ticket in accordance to the person?s instructions.
c). Refunds of tickets paid for via credit card will only be credited to the account used to pay for the tickets originally.
d). Swiss International Airlines will award a refund for all reserved flights that fail to operate, land, or stopover according to schedule.
e). If no flight coupons have been used, Swiss International Airlines will refund the fare paid, including all taxes, charges and fees.
f). Swiss International Airlines has the right to refuse to make a refund if a passenger refuses to apply for such a refund until after the validity of the ticket has expired.
g). Swiss International Airlines also reserves the right to make a refund in the same manner and in the same currency as that used to pay for the ticket.
