SWISS further expands with its 2008 summer schedules

SWISS customers will enjoy more non-stop services from the airline’s Zurich hub and its further Swiss airports of Geneva and Basel from the start of this year’s summer timetable period.

In Europe, new services are introduced from Zurich to St. Petersburg, Florence and Sofia; SWISS’s Basel-based network sees the addition of a new non-stop Belgrade flight; and the network growth at Geneva includes new services to Bucharest and Istanbul. The focus on the intercontinental front is on expanding services to Asia. SWISS will serve 76 destinations in 42 countries in its 2008 summer schedules.

A further 12 points will receive service with codeshare flights operated by partner carriers. The summer timetable period begins on March 30 and runs until October 25.

SWISS has reached its cruising altitude and continues to grow in response to demand. The final three of its six additional Airbus A340s will enter revenue service between now and late summer, enabling the airline to further expand its intercontinental network. As a result, SWISS customers will enjoy non-stop daily service between Zurich and the new destination of Shanghai from May 9 onwards, enlarging SWISS’s Asian network to seven destinations.

The expansion follows last November’s introduction of a new daily service on the Zurich-Delhi route. In another innovation, Singapore will receive a daily flight via Bangkok (instead of the present six-times-weekly service) from June to October, further strengthening SWISS’s position in the growing Asian market.

Service to Cameroon is also being expanded. From the start of the summer schedules, SWISS will offer three non-stop flights a week from Zurich to Douala (instead of the present two). Yaoundé sees its service (via Douala) increased from one to three weekly flights. The additional frequencies are being introduced in response to growing customer demand for services to and from Cameroon. SWISS will also be raising its services to Dar es Salaam (via Nairobi) from five to six weekly flights for the July-to-August high season.

SWISS’s North American network will also undergo enhancements in the course of the summer timetable period, with the introduction of a three-class inflight product – First, Business and Economy – to all US destinations. The product standardisation should further consolidate SWISS’s position and standing as a leading quality airline.

New non-stop services in Europe

SWISS will be substantially expanding its European services with the start of the summer schedules. The carrier’s Zurich-based network sees the addition of new non-stop flights to St. Petersburg (daily), Florence (thrice daily) and Sofia (daily). And the leisure destinations of Faro and Las Palmas will receive new weekly services, the latter from May 4.

SWISS customers using Geneva and Basel will also enjoy a wider choice of flights with the new summer schedules. Geneva sees the introduction of a new thrice-weekly non-stop service to and from Bucharest. Istanbul also joins the Geneva-based network at the end of April, with a new daily service which, with Turkey being one of Switzerland’s prime trading partners, should prove popular with leisure and business travellers alike. SWISS is also raising its service on the Geneva-London City route from six to seven daily flights.

The additional frequency, which is being provided in response to continued high demand, will further enhance the range of services available between Geneva and London, especially for business travellers. Leisure travellers from Geneva will enjoy new non-stop services to Palma de Mallorca and Malaga (both twice weekly) in the new summer schedules.

SWISS is expanding its services from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, too. Belgrade receives a new twice-weekly non-stop service; the six weekly flights to Prague are increased to a daily service; and services to Brussels are raised from ten to eleven weekly flights.

Printed timetable replaced by enhanced electronic version

SWISS will be offering its customers an expanded online timetable at its SWISS.com website from March 27. The interactive electronic timetable will contain more arrival and departure information and additional contact details. A new pdf version will also be available for download onto a PC or mobile device.

The online timetable will fully supersede the printed version of the SWISS timetable from the summer schedules onwards. The electronic medium enables any subsequent schedule changes to be instantly integrated into this public timetable, so that the customer is consistently offered the very latest schedule information.