SWISS is adopting a new seating concept for its intercontinental Business Class cabins. These seats have never been used before and will be gradually installed throughout the SWISS long-haul fleet from spring 2009 onwards. The seats include an integrated massage function, USB and iPod sockets and a 16:9-format in-flight entertainment screen. SWISS claims these 2-metre-long, fully reclinable new seats will be 'a bed above the clouds' for Business travellers. The lie-flat seats also include an air cushion feature, which allows the seat hardness to be changed and fitted to the needs of the user. The environment also benefits from this upcoming new feature, as the new seats are 4kg lighter than they would be with conventional foam padding. This weight reduction will save SWISS over 650 tonnes of kerosene a year, lowering the company's annual CO2 emissions by over 2,000 tonnes.
The new seat was unveiled today by actress and former Miss Switzerland Lauriane Gilliéron in the new SWISS Senator Lounge at Zurich Airport and work will begin on installing the SWISS Business Seat throughout the SWISS long-haul fleet next spring. The Airbus A340s, the biggest aircraft in the SWISS fleet, will also be equipped with the new SWISS business seat. Under the current schedule, around one-third of the SWISS long-haul fleet should be fitted with the new SWISS Business cabin in 2009. A large proportion of the fleet will be refurbished in 2010 and all business customers on all SWISS long-haul flights should be in a 'bed above the clouds ' by 2011.
