Swiss may have until the end of next year to make a final decision, but it is increasingly likely, according to Swiss CEO Harry Hohmeister, that this quality airline will opt for ten-across (3-4-3) economy seating when its B777-300ERs are delivered.
Last March, we reported that Swiss would revamp its international operations from 2016 with the arrival of six new B777-300ERs (see online news, March 14). These wide-bodied twin jets are intended to operate Swiss' prime long-haul routes.
Hohmeister broke the news to aviation newsletter Apex Editor's blog at the IATA AGM, which has been taking place this week in Cape Town.
If true, the move towards denser seating will come as a disappointment to Business Traveller readers who, judging by the comments posted at the end of our news story, had expected Swiss to uphold its traditional high standards of comfort.
Hohmeister explained that the move towards the unpopular ten-across layout is all down to cutting costs.
He said: "Efficiency is the only way to balance [cost] pressure. This industry needs efficiency as costs increase."
Hohmeister notes that most new B777-300ER operators have adopted a ten-across layout. That is true. Recent converts have included Aeroflot, American Airlines and TAM of Brazil.
He also reveals that first class on the B777-300ER will be configured four across 1-2-1. Swiss wants a top class product to meet the specific needs of its local wealthy market.
It's also worthy of note that Swiss is mulling whether or not to install a premium economy cabin on this plane independently of what Lufthansa might decide.
Hohmeister added: "Lufthansa is Lufthansa and Swiss is Swiss."
This appears to contradict what journalists were told at a recent Lufthansa media briefing in Hong Kong which Business Traveller attended (see online news, April 11).
Swiss, like Austrian, is a member of the Lufthansa Group. At the Hong Kong briefing Lufthansa's VP sales and services Europe, Gotz Ahmelmann, said that premium economy was for Lufthansa alone, in other words the product would not appear on the Swiss or Austrian long-haul fleets.
But Swiss' adoption of premium economy would almost certainly lead to ten-across in the normal economy cabins because space lost must be recouped from elsewhere as we saw in the case of American Airlines' B777-300ERs.
Austrian operates its older version B777-200s in the tight ten-across layout while Lufthansa is mulling whether or not to purchase the B777X (an advanced version of the B777) to replace is fleet of B747-8s (see online news, June 4).
Should Lufthansa buy the B777X it is almost certain that it too will adopt a ten-across configuration. Why? Because Boeing is engineering this version with a wider cabin interior making it easier for customer airlines to go ten-across.
For more information, visit swiss.com.
Report by Alex McWhirter
