The new “SWISS e-media” service
SWISS will become the world’s first operator of the totally newly-developed Bombardier C Series when its first CS100 enters commercial service on 15 July.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) presented its first Bombardier C Series aircraft – a CS100 – at Zurich Airport. The aircraft also received its new name: Canton of Zurich. The innovative short- and medium-haul twinjet sets new benchmarks in terms of its inflight comfort, its operating economics and its environmental credentials. SWISS will become the world’s first operator of the totally newly-developed Bombardier C Series when its first CS100 enters commercial service on 15 July.
It was about a year ago that a Bombardier C Series aircraft first touched down on Swiss soil. That visitor from the manufacturer featured a non-SWISS cabin interior and only a provisional SWISS livery. Today, the latest arrival in the SWISS aircraft fleet was presented for the first time to local politicians, representatives of the authorities, business partners and media representatives from all over the world.
New name: Canton of Zurich
SWISS has named its first Bombardier C Series aircraft Canton of Zurich – the canton whose residents will benefit most from its “whisperjet” performance. The aircraft was co-named by Canton Zurich Government Councillor Carmen Walker Spah and Swiss rapper BLIGG, who was born and lives in the canton. Following the naming, the invitees were able to experience HB-JBA aloft in a scenic flight around the canton and the Swiss Alps.
“I am hugely proud that we will now be the first operator of the most advanced and innovative aircraft in its class in the world,” says Thomas Kluhr, SWISS’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our new Bombardier CS100 is extremely efficient and only half as loud as comparable aircraft types. For our customers it ushers in a new era in inflight comfort. And the fact that our new C Series will also enable us to create some 150 new jobs in our cabin crew corps makes me even prouder still.”
Fred Cromer, Bombardier’s President Commercial Aircraft, had words of particular praise for the good collaboration in the aircraft’s development. “SWISS played a large part in developing this product,” he explained. “And with our specialists we’ve been able to accommodate many of SWISS’s special requests.” Canton Zurich Government Councillor and Head of Economic Affairs Carmen Walker Spah and Stephan Widrig, CEO of Flughafen Zurich AG, both underlined the importance of the investment of billions of Swiss francs in state-of-the-art customer-friendly, low-noise-emission aircraft, both for the airport and its local residents and for Zurich as a whole and its locational appeal.
A technological milestone in energy efficiency terms
SWISS is the launching customer and first operator of Bombardier’s totally newly-developed short- and medium-haul C Series aircraft. The first of its 30 jets on order – which are a combination of CS100s and the larger CS300 – will gradually replace the present SWISS Avro RJ100 fleet between now and mid-2017. Following that, the subsequent C Series deliveries will partly replace other aircraft types and partly permit modest fleet growth.
In SWISS configuration the Bombardier CS100 will seat 125 passengers. With its advanced engine technology, systems and construction materials the new twinjet sets new benchmarks in comfort, economic and ecological terms. It is 10-15 decibels quieter than comparable aircraft types; and both its fuel consumption and its carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by up to 25%.
The cabin interior features large and closely-spaced windows that let in more daylight and give the cabin a very spacious feel. The innovative seat from manufacturer ZIM boasts a special design that includes a single central table support, providing optimum comfort and more legroom with the same seat pitch. The overhead bins offer ample room for passengers’ carry-on baggage. And the state-of-the-art cockpit and the ergonomically-conceived galley, which were both developed in close collaboration between Bombardier and SWISS, have been specifically designed to meet crew wishes and needs.
First commercial flight on 15 July
New Bombardier CS100 HB-JBA will perform its first SWISS commercial flight on Friday 15 July: LX 638 from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle, departing at 12:30. The innovative new aircraft’s entry into service will be the second SWISS fleet milestone this year, following February’s successful service entry of the Boeing 777-300ER. The new C Series will give SWISS one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Europe. In addition to Paris, SWISS is making Manchester, Prague and Budapest its first CS100 destinations.
The SWISS C Series route network will be further expanded at the end of August with the addition of Warsaw and Brussels. Nice, Stuttgart, Hanover, Milan, Florence and Bucharest will follow in September. And further destinations will be switched to the new twinjet from their present Avro RJ100 operation with each CS100 delivery. The Zurich-London City route is expected to switch to C Series operation in the first quarter of 2017.
SWISS offers its customers a new entertainment experience
SWISS travellers from Geneva can enjoy a new digital entertainment experience from 7 July. The experimental new facility, which has been developed together with SITA and the Geneva airport authority, will be available in the departure halls and lounges and soon aboard SWISS flights from the airport within Europe.
The new “SWISS e-media” service, which is being offered exclusively to SWISS customers, provides almost instant access to TV, radio, newspapers and magazines. Travellers can thus read the daily paper, browse a magazine, enjoy the programmes provided by Swiss Radio & TV or play games, and can download the content directly to their smartphone or tablet device. Thanks to the easy-to-download app, they can also take this content with them and continue to enjoy it aboard their flight.
The three-month SWISS e-media trial has been devised by SITA, the IT provider for the aviation industry, but is fully in line with SWISS’s own policy of constant innovation and further product development. “We see SWISS e-media as a major innovation that will further enhance the air travel experience for our customers from Geneva,” says SWISS Marketing Distribution Manager Arnaud Delaloye. “Having access to a range of media that they can continue to enjoy at the gate and inflight on their mobile device meets a genuine need for customers who are used to having such facilities in the rest of their lives, and now offers them the same pleasant convenience at the airport and aloft.”
Geneva’s airport authority is equally pleased to be involved in the SWISS e-media project, which is unique in Switzerland and fits perfectly into the airport’s own modernization strategy. “We are totally committed to making the airport experience as enjoyable as possible for travellers and offering them the very best in work and entertainment options,” confirms Head of Marketing & Business Development Yves-Daniel Viredaz. “So these new facilities are a wonderful addition to the shopping, the restaurants and the further amenities that we already have in our terminal and our departure halls. They also provide a logical link between the waiting time on the ground and the flight itself.”
The new SWISS e-media facility will offer a fresh breeze this summer and will be an interesting experiment in meeting the growing desire among people to remain connected wherever they may be. “More and more travellers want to have global access to entertainment and information via their own devices or on board their flights,” observes Dave Bakker, SITA’s President for Europe. “With its growing portfolio of media products, SITA is ideally equipped to help airlines such as SWISS to meet this rising demand. SWISS e-media offers people flying from Geneva quick and easy access to a wide range of top-quality entertainment that they can select, download and enjoy on and beyond the airport premises.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
