Swiss International Air Lines is the latest carrier in the Lufthansa Group to reveal its plans to install new First and Business Class cabins on its long-haul aircraft, with the airline confirming that it will also use the new ‘Allegris’ products from 2025.
This will see new enclosed suites in First Class and a variety of options in the Business Class cabin, some also boasting closed-door privacy including a double suite option.
There will also be enlarged Business Class seats with additional space for relaxation or working.
While the product is more or less identical to that coming from 2024 on Lufthansa, Swiss is applying its own colour palette and finish to achieve a nice differentiation between the two carriers in these premium cabins.
“This is the most comprehensive cabin renewal in the history of our company.
Dieter Vranckx, CEO, Swiss International Air Lines
“As a premium airline, we want to pay due and full regard to our customers’ desire for more individuality. And with this extremely high-quality product, we can continue to meet all our high aspirations.”
First Class
First Class on Swiss will feature Suites for the first time as part of this overhaul, with three spaces in a single-row cabin, including a double suite in the middle which can be occupied by a couple.
Swiss has retained its longstanding checked square upholstery pattern in the seat fabric.
Swiss promises “total privacy” in these new suites, thanks to lockable sliding doors and 1.8m high walls, while other features will include:
- A spacious personal wardrobe
- A large dining table
- A 2 metre-long lie-flat bed
- Heated and cooled seats, giving you the flexibility to set your own temperature
- A wireless charging module
- A large 4K resolution entertainment screen
- Illuminated haptic seat controls
The seat certainly looks the part.
There’s an obvious similarity with Lufthansa’s upcoming First Class product here, with the two carriers sharing the same design, though the colour scheme is markedly different with Lufthansa favouring dark blue and brushed copper tones in its design.
The middle suite in First Class can also be configured to accommodate two persons travelling together.
The suites’ warm colours and wood features convey a strong sense of comfort and calm within top-quality surrounds.
Swiss International Air Lines
The cabin was designed by London-based PriestmanGoode, responsible for many high-end seat designs in the industry including United’s Polaris Business Class and the Qatar Airways Qsuite.
Swiss has not shared any renderings of the middle suite pair in First Class, but we can expect a similar design to that recently shared by Lufthansa.
Sadly Swiss First Class seats are virtually impossible to redeem using miles or points – the airline restricts award space in this prestige cabin to its own Miles & More Senator and HON Circle members.
Business Class
In Business Class it’s once again a familiar hard product, as revealed by Lufthansa in its ‘Allegris’ series.
Swiss already offers direct aisle access for most of its Business Class seats on its long-haul aircraft, but this new product will finally offer direct aisle access for all, with seat walls for added privacy.
Like in First Class, Swiss has opted for Bordeaux red and anthracite tones, with light wood tables and white seat shell surrounds, which the airline says “help[s] convey an extremely cosy and intimate ambience throughout”.
In this design, on the Airbus A330 at least, Swiss is offering at least five or six different variations of seating layout in its future Business Class cabin, including closing doors at the enlarge solo suites and double middle suites at the first row in each cabin section.
In addition to ‘classic’ Business Class seats, the new cabin offers various further seating options such as double seats for passengers travelling together. Selected seats can also be closed off with a sliding door.
Swiss International Air Lines
This chimes closely with group partner Lufthansa’s promise to offer seven different seating options in its new ‘Allegris’ Business Class, though we still don’t know what additional fees will be involved for the more ‘premium’ options, like the first row suites.
First Class features like wireless charging and seat heating / cooling will also make their way to the new Business Class cabin, as will 17-inch 4K in-flight entertainment screens at most seats, enlarged to 27 inches at the window suites and an impressive 43 inches at the middle ‘double suites’.
Premium Economy Class
Swiss was already ahead of partner Lufthansa in the Premium Economy cabin, with the Zurich-based carrier introducing the latest PY seats by German manufacturer ZIM on its Boeing 777-300ERs from February 2022.
This is the same product Lufthansa will use as its new Premium Economy, and of course Swiss will retain it too on new and refitted aircraft.
Economy Class
Down the back in Economy there’s rarely anything too exciting to report, and this time it’s no different, with Swiss basically promising “new comfortable and functional seats”.
Seat pitch has apparently “been increased”, but the airline doesn’t say what from or what to!
A high-resolution 13-inch entertainment screen is featured, alongside an amenity storage facility and a USB charging port for each passenger.
Which aircraft?
Swiss will start to roll out these new cabin products from 2025 onwards, with the following aircraft featuring the new seats:
- Airbus A330-300s, retrofitted from 2025 onwards
- Airbus A350s delivered brand new from mid-2025 onwards
- Boeing 777-300ERs retrofitted at a later date
That means we could still be waiting a few years to see these seats here in Singapore.
Swiss has restored full pre-pandemic flight capacity on its Singapore – Zurich route, but offers service only with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which look set to be last in line for a refit based on the current plan.
Summary
Swiss has revealed its take on Lufthansa’s new ‘Allegris’ cabin products, and dare we say they actually look nicer in comparison, with their rich warm red and anthracite tones.
Business Class finally gets direct aisle access for all passengers (not just two-thirds of them, which is currently the case), and of course benefits from the new range of extra-space options above the ‘classic’ level, that will no doubt attract higher selection costs.
These include “throne seats” and a first row double suite- to look forward to.
The Business cabin could become a great redemption option in future for our readers once these products make their way onto aircraft serving the Zurich – Singapore route, though tapping a First Class award sadly remains basically impossible with Swiss – and that’s unlikely to change.
(Cover Photo: Swiss International Air Lines)
Time for SIA to start a new hard product update to the a350s and 787s. The current biz class is looking dated.
I’m happy that the Lufthansa group of airlines is getting an update with massive improvements to their cabins. This has been long overdue. I look forward to experiencing the new Lufthansa & Swiss product in the future.