Swiss moves up US debut of posh new Airbus A350
Swiss will begin flying its brand new Airbus A350 jets to the U.S. two months earlier than planned as it begins a major overhaul of its onboard offering.
The Star Alliance carrier will debut the A350-900 with the new "Swiss Senses" onboard product on flights from Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) by the end of November, Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger said in an exclusive interview in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Swiss previously planned to introduce the new plane and product to the U.S. on Jan. 1, 2026.
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The Lufthansa Group-owned airline expects its first A350 from Airbus in early October, Fehlinger said. It will initially fly on European routes for crew familiarization, before its transatlantic debut.
Swiss' new onboard offering on the A350 is the latest volley in the pitched battle for premium travelers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, premium demand — especially among leisure travelers — has grown faster and proved more resilient than that for economy travel. That has made it a highly sought after segment for airlines.
As industry trade group IATA noted in a 2024 report, "increasing revenue from premium class travel is that tapping the premium segment is instrumental to boost airlines' profitability."
Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airlines — and soon Swiss — are just a few of the global carriers with new seats and other amenities in the pointy end of the plane hoping to cash in on the trend.
'Swiss Senses'
"In the life of an airline, if you're lucky you will experience it once that you get a new plane and a complete new product at once," said Fehlinger.
"The A350 doesn't come naked. It comes with a complete new customer experience in all classes," he continued.
Swiss Senses, as the airline calls its new onboard offering, is a complete nose-to-tail revamp. Based on its sister carrier Lufthansa's new Allegris product, it includes first class, business class, premium economy and economy seats, updated food and beverage, and other improved amenities like a signature scent.
Swiss' A350s will have up to four private first class suites, with the middle section of the cabin able to be booked by either one or two passengers. Moving back through the aircraft, it will also include 45 business class suites with privacy doors; 38 Premium Economy seats in a 2-3-2 layout; and 156 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout.
"We are positioning [Swiss] at the upper end of the premium market," said Fehlinger, adding that the airline's brand stands for everything Swiss — from punctuality to reliability and quality.
And Swiss' financial performance supports the 1 billion euro ($1.17 billion) investment in planes and product. The airline has long been either the, or one of the, most profitable in the Lufthansa Group: it generated a 12.9% adjusted operating margin in the second quarter of 2025, whereas the group only turned in an 8.4% result.
Swiss plans to have four A350s with the Swiss Senses product in service by the end of 2026. Once they have the requisite number of planes, they will begin flying to Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) from ZRH in addition to BOS.
The carrier will begin retrofits to its fleet of 14 Airbus A330s by the end of the year, with the fleet fully outfitted within two years, Fehlinger also said.
Swiss' 12 Boeing 777s will not begin receiving the Swiss Senses treatment until 2027. And the Airbus A340s will not be retrofit, as they are scheduled for retirement and replacement with the A350s.
Limited loyalty redemptions
Miles & More loyalty program members hoping to snag an award redemption in the new Swiss Senses first class may find that a tough proposition.
"There will be shifts in availability due to the number of seats," Fehlinger said, adding that the new first class will be "more exclusive" than the airline's current top offering.
Both the A350s and A330s will have up to four Swiss Senses first class seats, compared to eight today on the latter plane.
Fehlinger, however, expects award availability in business class to improve with the onboard upgrade.
Normalizing transatlantic growth
Swiss has no plans to add routes to the U.S. or North America next year. Instead, Fehlinger said, the carrier will focus on "stabilizing" the expansion it undertook in 2024 when it added Toronto's Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and D.C.'s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to its map in North America, and Seoul's Incheon Airport (ICN) in Asia.
IAD was Swiss' first new U.S. destination since San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in 2010, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.
"We will look for more growth probably towards the end of the decade — '28, '29 — with the next A350s coming in," said Fehlinger.
Swiss is "satisfied" with the performance of its North Atlantic business over summer despite "a little softening" in economy travel demand, he said. The airline expects demand to tick back up over the winter and in 2026 when the U.S., Canada and Mexico host the FIFA World Cup.
The number of foreigners arriving in the U.S. from Switzerland was down roughly 7% from January through July compared to last year, the latest data from the U.S. International Trade Administration shows.
"On the North Atlantic, it was our backbone, it is our backbone and it will remain our backbone," said Fehlinger.
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