by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 30, 2013 | Airlines |
Effective April 1, AUSTRIAN and SWISS will become part of an existing codeshare arrangement that is in place between Lufthansa and ANA. The codeshare agreement will allow ‘OS’ and ‘LX’ passengers convenient access to ANA’s route network with a single booking which will make travel to Asia even easier. Conversely, ANA passengers will be able to take advantage of SWISS’ and AUSTRIAN’s extensive European networks with single bookings through ANA.
The initial agreement between Lufthansa and ANA was filed by the airlines in April of 2012 and approved by the Japanese Competition Authority in September of 2012.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 22, 2013 | Airlines |
Earlier today, SWISS’ latest A320 was put into revenue service when it flew from Zurich to Geneva. This aircraft, registration number HB-JLT, becomes the 38th A320 type (including A319/320/321) to join the SWISS fleet.
What is unique about this aircraft is that it is SWISS’ first A320 equipped with ‘Sharklets’ which are installed off of the aircraft’s wingtips. The sharklets mimic the wingtips of birds and have been proven to increased an aircraft’s efficiency. This is second Sharklet equipped Airbus to join the Lufthansa Group Fleet. A few weeks ago, Lufthansa took delivery of it’s first Sharklet-equipped A320.
The Sharklets on Airbus’ A320s stand approximately 8 feet tall and have been proven to reduce fuel burn by 1 to 4%, with an equivalent reduction in carbon emissions. When you take into consideration the amount of flights that a typical A320 will operate during its lifetime, this efficiency translates translates into thousands, if not millions of dollars in fuel savings and considerable decrease in pollution being generated by the aircraft. According to Airbus, the emissions would be reduced by 1000 tons per year per aircraft or the equivalent of the pollution created by 200 automobiles.
Not bad for a pair of 8 foot attachments to an aircraft’s wing.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 15, 2013 | Airlines |
SWISS had a very busy week as far as aircraft purchase announcements are concerned. On Thursday, March 14 SWISS confirmed an order with Boeing for 6 777-300ER aircraft. This order was part of Lufthansa Group’s previous announcement from a few weeks ago when it indicated that it would order up to 108 aircraft over the coming years. SWISS made it official with their own press release citing the details around the order.
The six new 777s are set to replace SWISS’ A340 aircraft beginning in 2016. There are currently 15 A340s in the SWISS fleet with the oldest aircraft being approximately 10 years old. With the move to the more efficient 777, SWISS will recognize a 23% improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. The new 777’s will be featured on SWISS’ ultra-long haul routes to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Johannesburg.
This is an interesting move by SWISS since the 777s will be the only Boeing aircraft in their fleet (except for one 737-800 on lease from PrivatAir). Up until now, ‘LX’ has been an Airbus loyalist. In my opinion there are 2 keys as to why the decision to move to Boeing:
One, Airbus does not have a suitable alternative to their aging A340. The best alternative currently is the new and unproven A350 which has not yet had her first test flight which means it is still years away from being a regular presence in any fleet. Additionally, the A350 is a very close cousin to Boeing’s 787 with both sharing a composite fuselage and lithium battery technology (though Airbus has suggested that it will go away from Lithium batteries). With the challenges that Boeing has had with the Dreamliner it may be safe to assume that Airbus will have similar ‘teething’ issues with their A350. This uncertainly makes it difficult for any airline to commit to the A350 and expect it to be delivered precisely on time. On the other hand, the 777 is a proven workhorse in fleets around the world with excellent operating metrics and fantastic reliability and can be delivered relatively quickly. The 777 makes a perfect stop-gap aircraft for the fleet.
The second key is Lufthansa Group’s decision under their SCORE efficiency initiatives to improve efficiences across all airlines in the group. The 777 is already in Austrian’s fleet and will be added to Lufthansa Cargo’s fleet later this year. It only made sense to leverage Boeing with a relatively large 777 order to gaining pricing and logistical efficiencies throughout the group.
Also this week, Bombardier introduced its CS100 for the first time to the public. SWISS is the launch customer for the new Bombardier model with 30 on order and will be using the CS100 to replace the 34 Avro RJ100 aircraft in the fleet at this time. This is the first time that a Bombardier aircraft is part of the Swiss fleet.
With the CS100, SWISS will recognize a 25% improvement in fuel consumption over the ‘Jumbolino’ (a term of endearment for the Avro!). Personally I’ll be sad to see the Jumbolino leave the fleet. It is a small aircraft with 4 jet engines that gives it a unique look and because of that, earned the nickname of Jumbolino. The new CS100 is a twin engine aircraft with jet engines mounted on the wings which is a first for Bombardier aircraft. The CS100s are expected to start joining the fleet next year.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 6, 2013 | Airlines |
SWISS is currently running a contest that will award one lucky winner 2 roundtrip tickets to Switzerland and a pair of 8 day Swiss Rail Passes. The contest is only open to residents of the continetal United States.
The contest is “Facebook Based” and requires you to “Like” SWISS in order to enter. You can earn additional entries by “Liking” their co-sponsor, Switzerland Tourism, as well as following @flySwiss_US on twitter. You can choose how many of these you want to do, giving you ultimately 3 chances to win.
Please CLICK HERE to be taken to the contest homepage.
The contest ends at midnight (EST) on March 10, so only a few days are left to enter. The winner will be informed within 1 month of the contest’s end.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Dec 20, 2012 | Airlines |
SWISS is running a sweepstakes between now and December 31 on its Facebook page that will award ONE LUCKY WINNER a complete ski trip to Switzerland’s Zermatt. The package includes 2 round trip economy tickets on SWISS from one of their US gateways, a pair of First Class Swiss Rail Passes valid for 8 days, 3 nights at the Villar-Gryon and a pair of 2 day lift tickets for 2 adults.
It’s not often that a Sweepstakes of this calibre is made available to residents of the USA by a Lufthansa Group carrier so you may want to take advantage of it. The contest is open to residents of the USA who are 18 years or older.
To enter, please visit SWISS’ Facebook Page.
