66-697: Swiss International Air Lines AG , stylized as SWISS , is the flag carrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group , as well as a Star Alliance member. It operates scheduled services in Europe and to North America , South America , Africa and Asia . Zurich Airport serves as its main hub and Geneva Airport as its secondary hub. Its headquarters are at Kloten (near Zurich Airport), Switzerland, and an office at Zurich Airport in Kloten , Switzerland . The company's registered office
132-481: A Swissbus service from Ottawa Railway Station to Montréal–Trudeau airport in Montreal. Swiss codeshares with the following airlines: Swiss has interline agreements with the following airlines: As of November 2024, Swiss International Air Lines operates the following aircraft: Additionally, Helvetic Airways operates ten Embraer E190s on behalf of Swiss. Following Helvetic Airways' acquisition of
198-553: A 32-inch TV, 62 business class seats which convert into a fully flat bed that is over two meters long, and 270 economy seats, with 10 seats abreast in a 3-4-3 layout, using the same seat pitch and width on its A330s and A340s on the 777s. The first of these new airliners was delivered in January 2016 The Boeing aircraft will replace most of Swiss' A340 aircraft while the remaining five A340s were refurbished. In 2014, Swiss announced it would refurbish its A320 fleet, with new interiors and
264-605: A Connecting Partner in February 2020. In January 2024, the Thai Smile brand was discontinued and folded into the parent airline as a result of the reorganization of Thai Airways International following bankruptcy. On 16 November 2020, Asiana Airlines announced their plans to exit the alliance. Asiana will merge with Korean Air , the South Korean Government confirmed, in a $ 1.6 billion acquisition by
330-414: A Connecting Partner on 23 May 2017. On 20 August 2019, Star Alliance announced affiliate member Avianca Brasil's exit from the alliance from 1 September 2019. The departure, however, won't affect Avianca's membership. On 30 September 2019, Adria Airways ceased operations, and the airline exited the alliance on 2 October 2019. The now-defunct regional subsidiary of Thai Airways, Thai Smile joined as
396-518: A bottle of water and a small bar of Swiss chocolate branded with the word "SWISS" and the distinctive tail fin is provided to passengers before landing on all flights. For its short- to mid-haul flight out of Geneva Airport and Zürich Airport , SWISS offers a culinary buy-on-board system called Swiss Saveurs . Swiss' SWISS Air Rail service allows passengers to take any SBB train at no extra charge from Zurich Airport to Basel SBB railway station and Lugano railway station . Swiss previously operated
462-421: A budget of $ 25 million (€18 million). The airlines shared the star logo from the beginning, with its five points representing the founding airlines. The alliance adopted its first slogan, "The Airline Network for Earth", with its goal being "an alliance that will take passengers to every major city on Earth". The now defunct Brazilian airline VARIG joined Star Alliance on 22 October 1997, extending
528-426: A fleet of 4,025 aircraft. The members collectively transported 627.52 million passengers and generated revenue of US$ 156.8 billion (€145 billion), holding 28 percent of the global market based on revenue passenger kilometers (RPK). Together, the alliance's carriers employed over 405,000 pilots, flight attendants, and other staff. Some Star Alliance members paint some of their aircraft with the alliance livery, usually
594-545: A new company logo which resembled the logo of the defunct Swissair . Swiss was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic . It reported revenues for 2020 of CHF 1.85 billion, which were 65.2% below its prior-year level. In August 2020, Swiss received a CHF1.5 billion ($ 1.65 billion) state-backed loan from the Swiss government to weather the pandemic. The use of Swiss state funds was criticized by some commentators because Swiss
660-407: A niche carrier, shrink to an unrecognisable level, or attach to another airline group. The last choice was taken. Swiss talked to Air France–KLM , British Airways , and Lufthansa . However, Swiss was tied up with debt and an uncertain future and seemed to be an unattractive investment. After merging with KLM , Air France said they were too busy to deal with the Swiss joining them. British Airways
726-412: A performance-based option for their shares. The payment was in 2008, and the amount depended on how well Lufthansa's shares compared with competitors' shares. Lufthansa continues to maintain Swiss as a separate brand. In 2010, Swiss and Lufthansa were named in a European Commission investigation into price-fixing but were not fined due to acting as a whistleblower . On 18 August 2011, Swiss introduced
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#1732797628178792-487: A result of restructuring. The company recommended using Lufthansa Private Jet Service instead. In 2007, Swiss ordered nine Airbus A330-300s to gradually replace existing A330-200s and have three-class seating. The first A330-300 was put into service on the flagship Zürich to New York-JFK route in April 2009. In spring 2010 Swiss operated five A330-300s on medium and long-haul routes. The remaining four A330-300 aircraft joined
858-655: A truly unique experience. This is the first time an airline has moved directly from one alliance to another, and I would like to thank all those involved in ensuring a smooth switch". At the time, it was rumored that the switch was Continental's first move in a planned merger with United Airlines. Two months later, Brussels Airlines joined the alliance. Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines joined Star Alliance on 13 May 2010, increasing its foothold in South America. Aegean Airlines , Greece's largest airline by number of passengers, joined on 30 June. Shanghai Airlines left
924-618: A two-tier rewards program, Silver and Gold, with incentives including priority boarding and upgrades. Like other airline alliances, Star Alliance airlines share airport terminals (known as co-locations), and many member planes are painted in the alliance's livery . On May 14, 1997, an agreement forming the Star Alliance was announced with five airlines across three continents: United Airlines , Scandinavian Airlines , Thai Airways International , Air Canada , and Lufthansa . The alliance chose Young & Rubicam for advertising, with
990-501: A white fuselage with "Star Alliance" across it and a black tail fin with the alliance logo; the color or design of the engine cowlings or winglets remains, depending on the member's livery. Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand were two exceptions: Singapore Airlines formerly kept its logo on the tails of its aircraft, but now uses the Star Alliance logo on white tails, while Air New Zealand now uses full black livery with reversed colored original Star Alliance livery elements. Asiana Airlines
1056-587: A ‘Round the World’ ticket (RWT) that offered choices of 19,000, 21,000, and 23,000 miles with stopovers of 15 cities valid for one year. Asiana Airlines joined the alliance on March 1, 2003, Spanair on May 1, 2003, followed by LOT Polish Airlines (Poland's flag carrier ) joining in October. Around this time, Mexicana Airlines left the alliance after deciding not to renew a codeshare agreement with United Airlines, later joining Oneworld . US Airways joined
1122-543: Is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders ) whose shares may be traded on a stock market . The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equivalent to a société anonyme or a società per azioni ) and South Tyrol for companies incorporated there. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent term is public limited company , and in
1188-579: Is a fully-owned subsidiary of German airline Lufthansa, making questions regarding its survival the responsibility of the German government, which had similarly lent a helping hand to Lufthansa during the pandemic. On 18 November 2020, it was announced that Dieter Vranckx would assume the position of CEO as of 1 January 2021. Vranckx has 20 years of experience within the Lufthansa Group and has been CEO of Lufthansa Group member Brussels Airlines since
1254-422: Is a majority owned subsidiary of its parent company (the member) under a different name. Air Canada Express flights are operated by Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines . TAP Express flights are operated by Portugália Airlines . United Express flights are operated by CommuteAir , GoJet Airlines , Mesa Airlines , Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines . Since August 2022,
1320-454: Is in Basel. The airline was formed following the bankruptcy in 2002 of Swissair , Switzerland's then-flag carrier. The new airline was built around what had been Swissair's regional subsidiary, Crossair . Swiss retains Crossair's IATA code LX (Swissair's code was SR ). It assumed Swissair's old ICAO code of SWR (Crossair's was CRX ), to maintain international traffic rights. Swiss
1386-477: Is possible to join multiple member airline frequent flyer programmes. However, as they are each managed separately, miles or points can neither be transferred between programs nor be consolidated into a single program. Therefore, using a single frequent flyer programme provides a faster path towards attaining Star Alliance Silver or Star Alliance Gold. The common use of codeshare agreements led to suspicions of anti-competitive behavior. The European Union suspected
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#17327976281781452-474: The Code of Obligations , Article 620. Article 950 specifies that the business name must indicate the legal form. German AGs have a "two-tiered board" structure, consisting of a supervisory board ( Aufsichtsrat ) and a management board ( Vorstand ). The supervisory board is generally controlled by shareholders, although employees may have seats, depending on the size of the company. The management board directly runs
1518-549: The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to promote environmental sustainability. Today, nearly 30% of global air travellers use the services of our member carriers or, looking at it from an overall industry perspective, two-thirds of worldwide air travellers use one of the three airline alliances. VARIG left the alliance on 31 January 2007, and the two Chinese airlines, Air China and Shanghai Airlines , joined on 12 December. On 1 April 2008, Turkish Airlines joined
1584-832: The SkyTeam member. In 2022, Lufthansa Group announced plans to buy a 41% stake in ITA Airways , a SkyTeam member. The European Commission approved the group's purchase of ITA's 41% stake in July 2024. ITA would join Star Alliance in 2026 or 2027. On October 2023, as a part of the restructuring of Scandinavian Airlines' parent company SAS Group , Air France-KLM, along with the Government of Denmark and two financial firms announced plans to invest in Scandinavian Airlines. In March 2024, US Bankruptcy Court approved
1650-551: The Basel offices. Swiss also operates offices at Zurich Airport in Kloten and at Geneva Airport . The following companies are part of the Swiss International Air Lines Group: On European flights, Swiss serves drinks. Depending on the time of day and the duration of the flight, Swiss may also serve snacks. Cold snacks are served on shorter flights, and hot ones on longer flights. Economy class on short-haul flights only include
1716-538: The German railway provider Deutsche Bahn has been the first intermodal partner of the Star Alliance, whose airlines have been able to assign their own flight numbers for trains. Status miles can be earned across all Star Alliance member airlines’ frequent flyer programs using a single frequent flyer card, allowing members to attain Star Alliance Silver status or progress to Gold status. Membership in any Star Alliance airline program grants full access to
1782-515: The United States, while the terms " incorporated " or "corporation" are typically used, technically the more precise equivalent term is " joint-stock company ." The German word Aktiengesellschaft is a compound noun made up of two elements: Aktien meaning an acting part or share , and Gesellschaft , meaning company or society. English translations include share company , or company limited by shares , or joint-stock company . In German,
1848-495: The alliance after a 15-month integration process beginning in December 2006, becoming its 20th member. EgyptAir , Egypt's national airline and Star Alliance's second African carrier, joined on 11 July 2008. On 27 October 2009, Continental Airlines became the 25th member of Star Alliance after leaving SkyTeam three days earlier. According to alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht, "Bringing Continental Airlines into Star Alliance has been
1914-435: The alliance grew to 28 members, making it the largest of the three major airline alliances. On 13 December, Air India was again invited to begin an integration process with Star Alliance and joined the alliance on 11 July 2014. Following this string of expansions, 2014 opened with two major departures through mergers. First, Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines merged with LAN Airlines to become LATAM Airlines Group , leaving
1980-524: The alliance has gained several large members, but it has lost others due to collapse or mergers. On 13 December 2011, Ethiopian Airlines joined, adding five countries and 24 destinations to the alliance's map. 2012 and 2013 were tumultuous years for Star Alliance, starting with two key departures but ending with a major move into Latin America. In Europe, Spanair ceased operations, and BMI left after being acquired by International Airlines Group (IAG),
2046-488: The alliance in May 2004, becoming its second US-based airline. In November Adria Airways , Blue1 and Croatia Airlines joined the alliance as its first three regional members. Although Star Alliance invited Lineas Aereas Azteca in 2005 to join in mid-2007, the airline filed for bankruptcy. TAP Air Portugal joined on 14 March 2005, adding African destinations to the network. In April 2006, Swiss International Air Lines ,
Swiss International Air Lines - Misplaced Pages Continue
2112-473: The alliance into South America . Also joining were Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand , expanding Star Alliance to Australia and the Pacific. With the addition of the latter two carriers, the alliance served 720 destinations in 110 countries with a combined fleet of 1,650 aircraft. The next airline to join the alliance is Japan's All Nippon Airways on 15 October 1999, making it the second Asian airline in
2178-583: The alliance of operating as a virtual merger of its members, with speculation that, if regulations were relaxed, the members might merge into one corporation. In 2004, Star Alliance introduced a "regional" concept to expand its reach through smaller regional carriers. To join, these regional members needed sponsorship from an existing alliance member. The alliance no longer labels airlines as "regional" members, instead referring to all 27 airlines simply as "members." By 2007, alliance members were operating 18,521 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries, with
2244-410: The alliance on 31 October 2010 when it merged with China Eastern Airlines , a SkyTeam member. On 29 September, the chief executive board approved Ethiopian Airlines as Star Alliance's 30th member, though Ethiopian did not officially join the alliance until December of the following year. In 2010 the alliance flew to 1,172 airports in 181 countries, with about 21,200 daily departures. Since 2011,
2310-488: The alliance without a presence in the world's fifth-largest country. Next, US Airways completed its merger with American Airlines and also left the alliance. Both parent companies stayed with Oneworld . On 24 June, though, the alliance finally approved Air India , which joined on 11 July, leaving the alliance at 27 members. Future expansion centers around the addition of Connecting Partners, subsidiaries or partners of alliance members which will add connectivity to
2376-520: The alliance without becoming full members. Avianca Brasil joined in this way on 22 July 2015, bringing the alliance back into the Brazilian market and partially filling the void left by TAM. South African Airways' low-cost subsidiary, Mango, was initially announced to join as a Connecting Partner in Q3 2016, but has since been delayed. Juneyao Airlines , which codeshares with Shenzhen Airlines , joined as
2442-526: The alliance's sixth European airline, and South African Airways (its first African carrier) became the 17th and 18th members. By May 2007, Star Alliance's 10th anniversary, its members had a combined 16,000 daily departures to 855 destinations in 155 countries and served 406 million passengers annually. The alliance introduced Biosphere Connections, a partnership with UNESCO , the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and
2508-584: The alliance. During the early 2000s, a number of airlines joined Star Alliance; the Austrian Airlines Group ( Austrian Airlines , Tyrolean Airways and Lauda Air ) joined on 26 March 2000 and Singapore Airlines on 1 April. BMI (British Midland) and Mexicana joined on 1 July, bringing the alliance's membership to 13. With Singapore Airlines' entry into the alliance, Thai Airways considered moving to OneWorld , but eventually decided to remain. The addition of BMI made London Heathrow
2574-485: The commercial register, the legal seat is in Basel itself. Swiss International Air Lines' head office was previously the head office of Crossair . In 2002 the "Crossair" sign on the building was replaced by a "Swiss International Air Lines" one. As of 2004 the Basel area offices housed about 1,000 employees, while the Zurich area offices housed about 850 employees. When Swiss started as a company, about 1,400-1,500 worked at
2640-464: The company, but its members may be removed by the supervisory board, which also determines the management board's compensation. Some German AGs have management boards which determine their own remuneration, but that situation is now relatively uncommon. The general meeting is the supreme governing body of a Swiss company limited by shares. It elects the board of directors ( Verwaltungsrat in German ) and
2706-638: The entire Star Alliance network without the need to register with any additional program. The more a customer flies on the Star Alliance network, the faster miles or points can be earned, which can be used redeem for a reward ticket or upgrade, along with several other rewards in specific airlines. Customers will have to provide their frequent flyer number when booking flights or when checking in whenever they fly with any Star Alliance member airline in eligible booking classes, for miles or points to be credited to their account. The higher-tier status levels of each member airline’s frequent flyer programs are aligned with
Swiss International Air Lines - Misplaced Pages Continue
2772-490: The external auditors. The board of directors may appoint and dismiss persons entrusted with managing and representing the company. The equivalent terms in other countries include the following, which mostly mean literally either "share company/society" or "anonymous company/society". Star Alliance Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . Founded on 14 May 1997, it
2838-405: The financial year ending 31 December): Swiss International Air Lines has its operational headquarters at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg near Basel , Switzerland . The French -Swiss airport is located on French territory and has customs-free access to Switzerland . The Swiss head office is located in the Swiss section of the airport, and it is only accessible from Switzerland. According to
2904-550: The fleet in 2011. Following Lufthansa Group's takeover, the regional fleet was changed from Crossair's Embraer ERJs , Saab 340s , and 2000s to Avro RJs , which were flown by a wholly owned subsidiary , Swiss Global Air Lines . The rest of the fleet was rationalised and now mainly consists of Airbus aircraft, apart from the Boeing 777 . Swiss also renegotiated their supplier contracts, including ground handling , maintenance , food service, and labour. Swiss shareholders received
2970-469: The formation of an Alliance Management Team (AMT), the partnership's executive body. In September 2001, Ansett Australia (the alliance's only Australian member) left Star Alliance due to bankruptcy, giving most of the Australian market to Qantas (a Oneworld member). That year, Star Alliance announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jaan Albrecht. Partner airlines promoted the Star Alliance brand with
3036-411: The frequent-flyer program access to priority reservations waitlist and priority airport stand-by. Star Alliance Gold is given to customers who have reached a higher level of a member airline's frequent-flyer program. Benefits are priority reservations waitlist, airport stand-by, check-in and baggage handling; an additional checked luggage allowance of 20 kilograms (44 lb) (or one extra piece, where
3102-422: The investment along with Stockholm District Court in 12 June 2024 and European Commission on 28 June 2024. As a result of the investment, Scandinavian Airlines left Star Alliance on 31 August 2024 and joined SkyTeam in 1 September 2024. Founding member. Affiliate is a wholly owned subsidiary that operates flights for its parent company (the member) under a different name. Affiliate
3168-560: The new national airline officially started operations on 31 March 2002. The airline was initially owned by institutional investors (61.3%), the Swiss Confederation (20.3%), cantons and communities (12.2%), and others (6.2%). Swiss also owns subsidiaries Swiss Sun (100%) and Crossair Europe (99.9%). It has a total of 7,383 employees. According to Marcel Biedermann, the managing director of intercontinental markets for Swiss, there were three possibilities: stay independent as
3234-508: The older A320s and A321s were to be replaced by A320/A321neos. The A319s and Swiss Global Air Lines' Avro fleet, were replaced by Bombardier CS300 aircraft. The last Avro RJ100 aircraft, HB-IYZ, completed its final flight, LX7545 from Geneva to Zurich on 15 August 2017. Swiss' first Airbus A220 , then known as the Bombardier CS300, entered service on 1 June 2017, with its maiden commercial flight from Geneva to London–Heathrow. Swiss
3300-459: The only European hub with two alliances. During the year, Emirates considered joining Star Alliance, but decided against it. That year the now-defunct BWIA West Indies Airways , which had entered an alliance with United Airlines, considered becoming a member but did not. In 2000, the alliance also opened its first three business centers (in Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and Bangkok) and announced
3366-742: The parent company of Oneworld members Iberia and British Airways . BMI was integrated into British Airways. In North America, Continental merged with United Airlines , reducing Star Alliance's membership further, even if it effectively remained in the alliance after the merger. On 21 June, though, Avianca, TACA Airlines and Copa Airlines joined, massively increasing the alliance's Latin American presence. In November, Blue1 left after becoming an affiliate of parent Scandinavian Airlines . and Shenzhen Airlines joined, augmenting Air China's Chinese network. Taiwanese carrier EVA Air then joined on 18 June 2013, and after TACA 's integration into Avianca ,
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#17327976281783432-686: The piece rule applies), and access to designated Star Alliance Gold lounges the day and place of departure with the presentation of a Star Alliance boarding pass. Some airlines also offer preferred seating (an exit seat or a special section of the plane); guaranteed seating on fully booked flights, subject to the booking class code and notice period, and free upgrades in the form of a voucher, certificate or automatic upgrade at check-in. United restricts US lounge access for their Gold Members to long-haul international passengers; Gold members from other carriers are welcome in US lounges run by United on all itineraries. It
3498-711: The public of the limits on their liability , all German (required by § 4 Aktiengesetz ) and Austrian stock corporations include Aktiengesellschaft or AG as part of their name, frequently as a suffix. In Switzerland, the Company Limited by Shares ( Aktiengesellschaft in German , société anonyme in French , società anonima in Italian , societad anonima in Romansh ) is defined in Title Twenty-Six of
3564-452: The relationship was one-sided, where British Airways sapped out the benefits of the airline, but they would get no return. The airline annually halved its losses, and in 2006 recorded a net profit of $ 220 million. The net profit for 2007 was $ 570 million. Biedermann stated in the March 2008 edition of Airways , that "this was the beginning of getting our house back in order." He said that help
3630-555: The start of 2020. In June 2024, it was announced that Vranckx would step down by the end of the month and be replaced by German national and Lufthansa CityLine Managing Director, Jens Fehlinger. Fehlinger will assume office in October 2024, and until then Swiss will be temporarily led by Head of Commercial, Heike Birlenbach. Dieter Vranckx transferred to the executive board of parent company Lufthansa on July 1, 2024, and remains with Swiss as vice chairman of its board of directors. The key trends for Swiss International Air Lines are (as of
3696-594: The subsidiary ceased operations in April 2018, in an attempt to lower administration costs and simplify Swiss' fleet structuring. Adria Airways operated two Saab 2000s on the Zurich-Lugano route, which was suspended after Adria's bankruptcy on 30 September 2019. [REDACTED] Media related to Swiss International Air Lines at Wikimedia Commons Aktiengesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft ( German pronunciation: [ˈaktsi̯ənɡəˌzɛlʃaft] ; abbreviated AG , pronounced [aːˈgeː] )
3762-746: The takeover was completed on 1 July 2007. Swiss joined Star Alliance and became a member of Lufthansa's Miles and More frequent flyer program on 1 April 2006. The airline set up a regional airline subsidiary called Swiss European Air Lines . The carrier had its own air operator's certificate. Two divisions – Swiss Aviation Training and Swiss WorldCargo (using the belly capacity of passenger planes) – are also owned by Swiss. Swiss European Air Lines (later renamed Swiss Global Air Lines) has since ceased operations and merged with its parent, Swiss. In 2008, Swiss International Air Lines acquired Edelweiss Air and Servair, later renamed Swiss Private Aviation . In February 2011, Swiss Private Aviation ceased operations as
3828-403: The two uniformly recognized Star Alliance status levels: Star Alliance Silver and Star Alliance Gold . These two status levels entitle special Star Alliance premium customer benefits and privileges. Several programs have premium statuses beyond Gold, but these statuses are still considered under Gold status within the overall Star Alliance network. Star Alliance Silver grants customers within
3894-541: The type, Helvetic Airways will also operate Embraer 190-E2 aircraft on behalf of Swiss. On 22 September 2010, Lufthansa announced an order for 48 new aircraft, several of them for Swiss. In March 2013, Swiss ordered six Boeing 777-300ERs . On 12 March 2015, Swiss confirmed Lufthansa Group had ordered an additional three Boeing 777-300ERs for Swiss. The 777s will be operated by, and leased back from, Swiss Global Air Lines. Swiss has confirmed that all 777-300ERs will have an updated First Class cabin with eight private suites and
3960-704: The use of the term Aktien for shares is restricted to Aktiengesellschaften . Shares in other types of German companies (e.g., GmbH or a cooperative ) are called Anteile (parts-of) rather than Aktien . In Germany and Austria, the legal basis of the AG is the German Aktiengesetz (abbr. AktG; "shares law") or the Austrian Aktiengesetz (abbr. AktG). Since the German commercial law (§ 19 Handelsgesetzbuch ) requires all corporations to specify their legal form in their name, in order to inform
4026-507: Was formed after the 2002 bankruptcy of Swissair , Switzerland's former flag carrier. Forty percent of Crossair's income came from Swissair. The new airline lost US$ 1.6 billion from 2002 to 2005. Swissair's biggest creditors, Credit Suisse and UBS , sold part of Swissair's assets to Crossair, which had been Swissair's regional counterpart. At the time, both Swissair and Crossair were part of the same holding company, SAirGroup. Crossair later changed its name to Swiss International Air Lines , and
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#17327976281784092-472: Was needed and looked up to Lufthansa as a comparison, so their coming together was natural, even with their differences. Even with the smaller network, Swiss carried the same number of passengers as it did in 2002. On 22 March 2005, Lufthansa Group confirmed its plan to take over Swiss, starting with a minority stake (11%) in a new company set up to hold Swiss shares called Air Trust. Swiss operations were gradually integrated with Lufthansa's in late 2005, and
4158-587: Was open, and Oneworld partners thought Zurich Airport would be a viable alternative hub for London Heathrow . After almost a year of disputes, Swiss was finally accepted into the Oneworld airline alliance , after having been blocked by British Airways , which competes with Swiss on many long-haul routes. On 3 June 2004, Swiss announced its decision not to join Oneworld because they did not want to integrate their current frequent flyer program into British Airways ' Executive Club . Furthermore, Swiss thought
4224-413: Was the first Star Alliance member to paint its aircraft in the current Star Alliance livery. Aircraft painted in an airline's regular livery have the Star Alliance logo between the cockpit and the first set of cabin doors, except double deck airliner like Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 , which printed Star Alliance logo behind cockpit, and airliner with narrow space between the cockpit and the cabin door like
4290-528: Was the launch customer of the Airbus A220 family (formerly known as Bombardier CSeries), with its first CSeries aircraft, a CS100 (A220-100), delivered to the airline in June 2016 and registered HB-JBA. The first commercial flight performed led from Zurich to Paris-Charles de Gaulle . The Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A220-100/-300 (Bombardier CS100/CS300) aircraft were operated by Swiss Global Air Lines until
4356-406: Was the world's first global airline alliance. As of April 2024, it is also the world's largest airline alliance by market share, holding 17.4%, compared to 13.7% for SkyTeam and 11.9% for Oneworld . Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft , serving more than 1,290 airports in 195 countries on more than 19,000 daily departures. The alliance has
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