SWISS earns another top ranking in airline-sector poll

Swiss International Air Lines has been voted joint number-one for Europe – together with Austrian Airlines und Lufthansa – in the classic scheduled airline segment in the 2008 ‘Airline of the Year’ survey of the readers of Germany’s Capital magazine. SWISS was also placed sixth among intercontinental carriers, level with Lufthansa.

“The readers of Capital have confirmed our own ‘capital’: our strong commitment to a punctual performance and attentive personal care,” says Christoph Beckmann, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at SWISS. “We want to make our customers’ travel experience even pleasanter, too,” he continues. “And that’s why we’re constantly investing in our product and paying so much attention to quality in every detail.”

SWISS is steadily consolidating and further enhancing its positioning as a quality airline. The re-equipment of the 52-aircraft European fleet with new seats, for instance, was concluded at the beginning of April, since when customers on all SWISS flights within Europe have been benefiting from the new high-quality seats offering more legroom and greater seating comfort.

SWISS is investing in its ground product, too. The opening of the new Business Class Lounge in Geneva in May 2007 ushered in the carrier’s new three-class airport lounge concept: both Geneva and Zurich airports will soon each feature a Business Class Lounge, a SWISS Senator Lounge and a lounge for First Class customers.

The new lounges not only reflect the airline’s commitment to ‘SWISSness’; they also consistently embody the SWISS corporate identity and design. The present lounge modernisation and expansion programme will be completed with the opening of the revamped Business Class Lounge and Senator Lounge in Zurich in time for this summer’s European Football Championships, of which Switzerland is co-host.

This year’s Capital survey is the 22nd time that the magazine has polled its readers and online users on their experience of travelling with various airlines. The latest poll was based on some 17 000 flights by more than a thousand frequent travellers who were asked for their responses in six separate categories: value for money, sense of safety, service, seating comfort, inflight food & drink and punctuality.

The detailed results are published in the latest print edition of Capital magazine, and can also be viewed online at Capital.de.