Swiss Air Review — Air Travel Booking & Comparison Comparison (2012)

Switzerland is known for its neutrality, watches and its airline Swissair. However this airline folded up in 2002 and has a successor in Swiss Air which in real terms is now owned by Luftansa the German national air carrier. The revamped air line services 73 destinations world wide with its hub at Geneva and Zurich. The airline flies to destinations in Asia, Europe aand America. The best part is that the airline for all its passengers flying to the USA from the East will fly them via Zurich or Geneva and thus will have a halt there as they change flights.

Swiss Air has an excellent team of Hostesses and cabin crew that look after the passanger with a smile. More important the airline sticks to its schedules and a passanger is reasonably sure that he will reach his destination on time.

Flying by Swiss air has its advantages, in particular if you are flying from the east to Europe or the United states. as summarised below

a) You have a chance for a stop over at Geneva or Zurich , both excellent places to visit when you choose a destination from the East to either Europe or America. This is a plus point.

b) Swiss air is part of the star alliance  and that will benefit a traveller with elite recogniotion, lounge access as well as connections to places all over the world.

c) The cabin crew speak all languages, but the best is that when you fly from India, they also speak Hindi.That is a plus point.

The leading competitors on the East to Europe and USA travel are Virgin and Delta. Both these airlines have a massive publicity campaign and follow up with a cut in air fare prices. Air Canada is also a big player for Indians flying to Canada. Swiss air must have more aggresive marketing in this part of the world as the British and American airlines try and take the maximum air traffic from India. But Swiss scores because of a personalized service and having flown on most of the airlines on the  Mumbai/Delhi route to the West, I will vouchsafe for Swiss for its excellent in flight service and the smiles of the Swiss girl hostesses.

Pricing wise Swiss is at par with the other airlines and with the latest discounts of Rs 2000 per ticket, is a steal with a halt at Geneva thrown in.

Swiss air is an airline that does not have a elitist tag. Despite being taken over by Luftansa, the airline has maintained its ethos of excellent hospitality and in flight service. I will recommend any passanger flying from India to the America or the UK to travel by Swiss as it will give him a chance to have a halt at either Zurich and Geneva and a good relaxation at nominal cost. Travellors to the states are particularly benefitted  for the halt in Switzerland.

In addition at present Swiss is offering discounts of Rs 2000 and that will be great help on the pocket.That is competitive pricing if going west to the USA and Europe.

Switzerland is a small landlocked country in Central Europe. Over the decades it is famous for 3 things, namely its neutrality, its watches and its airline fondly referred to as Swissair.  The official name of the airline was Swissair  AG (Swiss Air Transport Company Limited, Schweizerische Luftverkeh).It was the national airline of the small nation.

 Swissair had a checkered history having been formed in 1931 Over the years the air line built up a tremendous reputation as a no nonsense airline with a business outlook. I flew in this airline nearly 15 years back to Zurich from Delhi and was absolutely charmed by a set of lovely air hostesses and excellent in flight service. So much so the airline had also arranged to serve me Indian food on the flight to Zurich.

The airline was headquartered at Zurich Airport. A point to note is that its symbol with the Red Cross became as durable and distinctive as Swiss watches. In a bid to corner a greater share of the world air travel pie, Swissair embarked on an expansion drive. This was perhaps a step that could have been obviated as it was the precursor to its ultimate demise.  For the expansion drive the firm McKinsey & Co was commissioned by Swissair. Basically the expansion drive consisted of Swissair entering into alliance agreements to acquire 49.5 percent of the unprofitable Belgian flag carrier, Sabena. In addition it also took significant stakes in  a number of other carriers like  Air Liberté,  Air Littoral,  Air Europe, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, South African Airways and others.

 However an economic recession following the terrorist attack of Sept 11 put severe pressure on the airline and it steadily lost market share. Despite intervention by the Swiss government the airline was at the end of its tether by March 31, 2002. The result was that the airline ceased operations and was replaced by Swiss International airlines which was  taken over by the German airline Lufthansa in 2005.

However despite being taken over by Lufthansa Swiss international airlines maintains its identity and operates flights via its main hub, Zurich, and the regional airports of Basel and Geneva, its fleet serving numerous European and international destinations. The national airline embodies Swiss values that were a byword earlier and has a personal touch as well as in depth quality service. It operates a fleet of aircraft headed by the Airbus series. The important thing which you must remember is  that when you fly by Swiss the warmth and hospitality is central to their operations. My friend recently took a Swiss flight to the USA from Delhi. He was charmed by the warmth and attention of the cabin crew.

Flying by Swiss international is always a benefit as you will get a stopover at Geneva or Zurich, if flying by a connecting flight to the USA or any other hub in Europe. Lastly the cabin crew and the Hostesses are as friendly as they were earlier. One can’t be a loser if you fly by Swiss air.