SWISS stands by controversial domestic flight between Geneva and Zurich

"We want to optimally connect Western Switzerland to our route network," said the SWISS CEO. KEYSTONE

Despite environmental concerns from critics, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is sticking to its controversial domestic flights between Geneva and Zurich for the time being.

This was revealed by SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx in an interview with the newspaper Sonntagsblick. “We want to optimally connect Western Switzerland to our route network,” said the 51-year-old CEO, who will step down in July.

Vranckx went on to explain that the route between Lugano and Zurich would also be of interest to the airline. “If electric aircraft become available at some point, this would be an attractive route to connect Ticino with our hub in Zurich.”

The airline wants to halve its CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2019. By 2050, the Lufthansa subsidiary wants to reduce net emissions to zero.

‘Early bookers get the best prices’

As far as ticket prices for flights are concerned, the company boss countered the view that these have become more expensive. According to him, average prices in 2023 were around 3% lower than in 2022.

“SWISS has never had rock-bottom prices, and there won’t be any in the future either. Flying must have a price so that we can finance investments in new aircraft and environmentally friendly technologies,” said the Belgian-Swiss manager.

He advised passengers to buy their tickets early. “Book as early as possible! Early bookers get the best prices.” Vranckx also dispelled rumours that the price at SWISS depends on where you are flying from or which device you use to book a flight. “These are popular myths, but they are not true at SWISS.” It makes no difference whether you book with Apple or a Microsoft device, or whether you buy a ticket in the middle of the night. “The decisive factor is how early before departure the booking is finalised.”

Adapted from German by DeepL/amva

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