As previously reported, all Lufthansa Group airlines will adopt buy-on-board catering for short and medium-haul flights from next month.
Today Swiss reveals details of its ‘Swiss Saveurs’ offering. Passengers to and from Zurich will have buy-on-board catering from March 30, while those using Geneva will have to wait until April 28.
SWISS takes off with @spruengli_. We are extending our 'SWISS Saveurs' concept for Economy Class travellers to our short- and medium-haul services from/to Zurich from the end of March. For all fresh items on the SWISS Saveurs menu we will be working exclusively with @spruengli_.
— Swiss Intl Air Lines (@FlySWISS) February 26, 2021
Why the difference? It’s because Swiss has been offering buy-on-board services on Geneva flights for some time already, to compete with Easyjet (the dominant carrier at Geneva).
Swiss will source its latest buy-on-board catering from Confiserie Spruengli, a long-established and renowned Swiss family firm.
As might be expected, Swiss’ buy-on-board offering will major on freshness and quality.
Full details are available here.
While travellers from neighbouring countries may not baulk at the prices, I suspect some UK residents will.
Being priced in CHF they range from CHF 3 (£2.40) to CHF 12 (£9.50) for a drink or snack.
Bircher muesli costs CHF 7.50 (£5.95), while a hot meal (served on longer stages) costs CHF 18.50 (£14.70).
However one item will be available at no charge. Swiss says it will provide passengers with one free bottle of mineral water.
Reading the publicity blurb one imagines Swiss is following its rivals with buy-on-board.
In fact Swiss was the instigator of buy-on-board in Europe some 15 or more years ago. I always remember a Swiss courier calling at the then Business Traveller offices in Blackfriars with a sample of its newly introduced buy-on-board catering.
It was only when Lufthansa absorbed Swiss into its Group that Swiss reverted to free economy catering (in line with Lufthansa’s policy at that time).
