One daily SWISS New York flight to be operated by Edelweiss Air personnel From Summer 2013
As of the 2013 summer timetable period, which begins at the end of March, SWISS will transfer operation of one of its Airbus A330-300 aircraft to sister airline Edelweiss Air. For at least the next two years this aircraft will fly with an Edelweiss cockpit and cabin crew on one of the three daily services between Zurich and New York (JFK). Every two months it will deployed on a single rotation to Newark (EWR).
The deployment of Edelweiss personnel contributes to SWISS’s efforts to reduce the backlog of vacation time accumulated by Airbus cockpit crew members, which has built up in recent years as the airline has experienced sustained growth. This measure will create for SWISS the possibility of further growth and expansion of the network, with the imminent addition of Singapore a good example in this respect.
Customers on the selected flights to New York will be able to enjoy the high-quality SWISS product, which features the new SWISS First Class and modern Business Class with the lie-flat seats of the SWISS A330 fleet, combined with the experience in leisure-accented travel associated with Switzerland’s leading holiday airline. The well-trained and highly motivated Edelweiss crews are experienced in enabling passengers to forget about the stresses and strains of daily life while en route to their destination.
The high degree of compatibility between the two products and the positive working relationship between SWISS and sister airline Edelweiss Air has further intensified in recent years. SWISS and Edelweiss both foster classic Swiss values, with a service culture built around quality, reliability and hospitality.
With regard to the specifications of SWISS’s First Class service and First Class product, the Edelweiss Air crews assigned to these flights will be specially trained by SWISS. Among other measures, a SWISS member of the First Class Cabin Crew will always be on board in a supporting role.
For the crew members, this project offers the possibility of job enrichment and sharing of know-how. Thanks to the specific training in the SWISS First and Business products, Edelweiss Air crew members will have the opportunity to benefit from SWISS training and familiarisation with SWISS standards. At the same time, SWISS will be able to benefit from the Edelweiss Air company spirit.
We are convinced that SWISS’s regular customers will perceive the presence of an Edelweiss crew on North Atlantic crossings as an enhancement to our product offer.