Swiss, currently a niche operator, will become a volume airline when it receives its new B777-300ER aircraft.
In a little over six months' time, these large (for Swiss) 340-seat aircraft will start plying the busiest routes on the carrier's network.
The initial destinations will be New York, Montreal, Hong Kong and Los Angeles, reports airlineroute.net.
Swiss B777-300ER promo video
And Swiss has indicated that later in 2016 it will also operate the B777-300ER alongside the Airbuses currently on routes such as Bangkok, Sao Paulo and San Francisco.
Inevitably, there will be some changes in the early days so readers who wish to sample these new aircraft will have to carefully check the schedule details.
Further destinations will emerge in the period leading to 2018 as the nine-strong fleet enters service.
Swiss is configuring its B777-300ER in three classes - first, business and economy. Unlike Lufthansa, Swiss will not be installing a premium economy zone.
But, as we are seeing with more and more airlines nowadays, the winning passengers comfort-wise will be those paying the highest fares while those at the losing end will be those paying the least.
First class with comprise just eight suites, configured 1-2-1, according to Aerotelegraph.
Business is being equipped with no fewer than 62 seats and will also be configured 1-2-1. The actual seats roughly equate to the business cabin that Swiss currently has in service.
But the big downside is that, as Business Traveller has long suspected (see news, June 2013), Swiss will be joining the ten-across B777-300ER club whose members already comprise carriers including Air Canada, Emirates, Etihad and KLM.
So economy class, which is currently configured 2-4-2 on its A330s/A340s, will become 3-4-3. And there will be no fewer than 270 seats in the rear economy cabins.
Swiss CEO Harry Hofmeister said: "Thanks to the new aircraft [Swiss] will be more competitive on the track. The new aircraft will bring cost savings per passenger of 23 per cent."
The new aircraft will feature the latest onboard entertainment and wifi with broadband connection will be offered to passengers in all three classes.
Alex McWhirter
