Swiss introduced their premium economy airplanes for the first time. The product is impressive. But if you have short legs, you have an advantage.
“Best in class”, “Gesamtkunstwerk” – full-bodied were the qualities with which the responsible people in Swiss presented the new premium economy class on Thursday (24 February) for the first time in an airplane. And the product is really impressive.
Outstanding features are the comparatively large 39-centimeter screen and a bowl-mounted seat. With the reclined seating position, passengers sitting in the row and behind are not disturbed.
Expansion Possible, But Not Easy
The feel of space is quite generous compared to economy class. Some of the shorter legs and feet are less satisfactory. This reduces comfort, especially from a fixed leg length. The new class has only 24 seats in three rows.
Ivan Szabo, the program manager for the introduction of premium economy, explains that there is a possibility Extend seating class, from which the expansion will likely be at the expense of the previous economy class. According to Szabo, business class probably won’t be touched. The Swiss expect a 20 percent drop in business travel due to the coronavirus pandemic by 2024.
Abandonment of curtains because of the sense of space
However, expanding the premium economy will not be easy for the Swiss. If additional premium seats were installed, the configuration would need to be re-certified. In addition, for geometric (and ultimately economic) reasons, the rows of seats may not simply be installed randomly, as this can lead to unused cabin space.
Unlike many other airlines, Swiss has no separation between economy and premium economy, such as Curtain. “With only three rows of seats, that would reduce the sense of space,” explains Szabo.
Airbus A340 in the second half of the year
The Boeing 777-300ER with registration HB-ZNH, in which the new product was introduced on Thursday, will be used between Zurich and Miami from early March. At the end of May, all twelve Boeing 777s should be equipped with the new class. Five Airbus 340s will run in the second half of the year.
Premium economy had a long time – was decided in 2018 due to delivery and certification problems but it was getting delayed,
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