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  SWISS

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  LX/SWR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Zurich Airport

  Year Founded:

  2002

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  Airline Group:

  Lufthansa Group

  CEO:

  Dieter Vranckx

  Country:

  Switzerland

SWISS has finished installing its new premium economy seats on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline has 12 of the long-range jets in its fleet, and they've been upgrading the planes one by one. On Monday, SWISS confirmed the job was done. The new premium-economy seats have attracted plenty of attention. Now the pressure is on SWISS to live up to the hype.

SWISS goes its own way with its Boeing 777-300ER premium economy seat

Premium economy passengers on any SWISS Boeing 777-300ER operated route can now sit back in an up-to-the-minute ZIMprivacy seat that the manufacturer says brings business class comfort to the premium economy cabin. Well, not quite. SWISS premium economy passengers won't get a lie-flat bed, and the 2-4-2 cabin layout is distinctly un-business class-like, but the new seats are certainly a step up from flying down the back of the plane.

What's unusual about these seats, for the premium economy cabin at least, is the fixed backrest shells. The seat reclines forward rather than backwards. That's great for passengers seated behind - let's face it, unless you are sitting at a bulkhead, seats reclining into your already limited personal space is one of the big drawbacks of flying in the less expensive aircraft cabins.

A comfortable middle ground between economy and business class

SWISS says the new premium economy seats are between 18.1" and 18.9" wide, compared to 17" in the economy class cabin. The pitch also gets an upgrade from 31.1" to 40".

This seat is also unusual because it requires an over-the-shoulder seatbelt. Why's that? It seems the decision has a lot to do with the large (and heavy) seatback inflight entertainment systems located forward of where the passenger sits. SWISS doesn't want passengers crashing into those screens - bad for the passengers and the screens.

"Our SWISS premium economy class is a top-quality standout product against our international competitors. And I am delighted that we can now offer our customers this new best-in-class air travel experience," said SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour when showing off the seats earlier this year.

"Our premium economy class should be especially appealing to travelers who have flown economy class to date and would like to enhance their inflight comfort and convenience. So it also helps us strengthen our premium-carrier positioning in the growing leisure travel market."

An upgrade to your next SWISS long-haul flight

SWISS began introducing their 777-300ER premium economy cabin to their passengers in March when a refurbished jet started flying between Zurich (ZRH) and Miami (MIA). The Boeing 777 joins the Airbus A340-300 and A330-300 on SWISS long-haul routes, but only the Boeing 777 features premium economy.

You can find the plane exclusively flying routes such as ZRH - Los Angeles (LAX), ZRH - San Francisco (SFO), ZRH - Chicago (ORD), and ZRH - Sao Paulo (GRU). On other routes, you can pick up the 777-300ER flying certain days of the week while the Airbus jets look after the route on different days. But with a bit of forward planning, snaring a premium economy seat is a fast and easy way to upgrade your flight experience.

Aside from the seat, SWISS promises a few bells and whistles to encourage economy class passengers to trade up to the premium economy. Catering is improved, luggage allowances are upgraded, and everyone gets a 15.6-inch IFE screen. SWISS promises their new seats will set new benchmarks for long-haul flights.