Swiss Guide
Unlike many of the leading airlines in the world, Swiss is a relatively new provider. Formed after the bankruptcy of Swissair in 2002, Swiss began officially operating on 31st March of that year. While the early years were spent dealing with losses incurred by its predecessor, Swiss began to emerge into a profitable venture by 2006. Since then, the focus has been on expanding its fleet, improving services on all flights, and in general surpassing the competition. In keeping with this approach, Swiss began exploring the possibility of acquiring new Airbus airliners for use as early as 2007.
Swiss History & Information
As the current principal airline for the country of Switzerland, Swiss maintains its main hub in the beautiful city of Zurich. The relationship as a subsidiary of the German airline Lufthansa provides the airline with a headquarters at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Frieburg in Saint-Louis, France, which is not far from the Swiss city of Basel.
From these bases, Swiss operates a number of different companies under its banner, including Swiss Aviation Training, Swiss Private Aviation, Swiss Air Cargo, and Swiss European Air Lines.
Swiss Routes
Over the years, Swiss has expanded its network of passenger routes to allow the airline to provide a number of direct and connecting flights capable of efficiently assisting passengers to move around the globe with relative ease. Swiss has a presence at several key locations on the African continent, with Cairo International Airport in Egypt being one of the busiest. Swiss also has inbound and outbound flights at the Johannesburg or Tambo airport in South Africa, the Julius Nyerere Airport in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Kenya. The country of Cameroon is served at two different airports, Douala Airport in Douala, and the Nismalen International Airport in Yaounde.
In the United States, Swiss operates flights to and from many of the major airports around the country. Along the East coast, Swiss serves the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, as well as Newark Liberty International Airport in nearby Newark, New Jersey. Logan National Airport in Boston is also served by Swiss.
The mid-western and Pacific areas of the USA are also home to Swiss flights. O'Hare International in Chicago offers a number of inbound and outbound Swiss flights. Along the Pacific coast, Swiss serves San Francisco International and Los Angeles International Airports. To cover the southern portion of the USA, Swiss offers flights to and from Miami, Florida, via the Miami International Airport.
Asia is also served with a number of Swiss flights. In China, the airline offers flights to and from Hong Kong International and Shanghai Pudong International. For passengers bound for Japan, Swiss serves the Narita Airport in Tokyo.
South Asia also is home to Swiss flights. The Indira Ghandi International Airport in Delhi as well as the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai are home to Swiss flights. The south-eastern area of the continent is covered with flights to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Southwest Asia offers several destinations, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Dubai International, and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There are Swiss flights that cover just about anywhere in Europe. For the central area of the continent, Swiss has a presence at the Vienna International Airport, Frankfurt am Main Airport, the Zurich Airport, and the Cointrin Airport in Geneva. For Eastern Europe, Swiss is found at the Sofia Airport in Bulgaria, the Otopeni Airport in Bucharest, Romania, and the Pulkovo Airport in Moscow.
The southern area of Europe is well represented in the Swiss network. Passengers can enjoy flights to and from the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in Athens, the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, and the Portela Airport in Lisbon. A number of Swiss flights cover Spain, with flights to and from Barajas Airport in Madrid, El Prat Airport in Barcelona, and Valencia Airport in Valencia.
Swiss flights in Western Europe provide transport to and from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, the Dublin Airport, and Heathrow Airport in London. Belgium is also served via the Brussels Airport, as is Copenhagen by way of the Kastrup Airport.
The Swiss Fleet
Since its inception, Swiss has made use of Airbus liners to support its travel network. In recent years, the airline has made efforts to purchase newer Airbus models that offer a greater degree of comfort for their guests, such as the Airbus 330-300, which offers 3-class seating.
Additional Information
Unlike some other airlines that have suffered greatly in the recent economy, Swiss has continued to build up a solid network that offers passengers the best in flight safety and comfort. With the emphasis on taking care of the client, the recent expansion of its fleet and the upgrade to airliners with more comfortable seating is likely to keep this airline in business for many years to come.