SWISS Senses: New First & Business Class Debuting Soon

In March 2023, SWISS officially unveiled its new first and business class, which the airline is marketing as “SWISS Senses.” I want to take an updated look at these plans, as we now have a better sense of when this will be introduced, and also how long it’ll take to reconfigure existing aircraft. We’re also potentially just several months from this product being introduced.

SWISS’ plans for new long haul premium cabins

SWISS will launch its new first and business class product as of the summer of 2025. Lufthansa Group is harmonizing its premium products across airlines. Lufthansa has named its new seating concept Allegris, and this includes new first class suites and new business class seats. SWISS will be getting exactly the same seats, except with finishes reflecting the carrier’s branding.

Below are some pictures of SWISS’ new first class product. As you’d expect, this product features closable sliding doors, a personal wardrobe, a large tray table, seat heating and cooling, a wireless charging station, and a screen display that’s as wide as the suite. Much like on Lufthansa, the center suite can accommodate two people.

Below are some pictures of SWISS’ new business class product. Much like on Lufthansa, this is designed to meet a wide range of wishes and needs. Seating options include a double seat for passengers traveling together, and some seats with sliding doors. The business class seats feature heating and cooling, as well as wireless charging stations. All seats will feature direct aisle access.

I’ve reviewed Lufthansa’s Allegris A350 business class, if you’re curious to get an idea of what the hard product is like.

Which planes will get SWISS’ new premium cabins?

For context, SWISS’ long haul fleet currently consists of the following planes:

• 12 Boeing 777-300ERs
• 14 Airbus A330-300s
• Five Airbus A340-300s

SWISS has no plans to retire its 777s or A330s, though the current plan is to start retiring A340s as of this year. Furthermore, SWISS is expected to take delivery of 10 Airbus A350-900s, which are part of the larger Lufthansa Group order.

So, what’s the plan for the new cabins being installed? They’ll be introduced starting this year:

• They’ll first be installed on A350-900s; these will be delivered between the summer of 2025 and the end of 2027
• They’ll then be installed on Airbus A330-300s; these will start to be reconfigured as of the winter 2025-2026 season, so expect the first reconfigured A330 in late 2025 or early 2026
• Lastly they’ll be installed on Boeing 777-300ERs; the timeline for that project remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t expect the first 777 to be reconfigured until late 2026, at the earliest

The plan is for all SWISS long haul aircraft to feature the new SWISS Senses cabins by 2028. Of course that remains subject to change.

SWISS has published the seat map for the reconfigured A330.

It seems like the new first and business class will be a tight squeeze on the A330, given that the cabin is materially narrower than on the A350. In particular, I imagine that double suite in the center section will be quite a tight fit. We already know there will be a bit of an issue with this product, as SWISS will have to install a 3,000-pound weight in the rear of the aircraft, to balance the weight of the heavy first class seats.

I’m also curious if SWISS might have more first class seats on its A350-900s than Lufthansa does. Lufthansa will only have one row, while I wonder if SWISS could have two. After all, SWISS’ entire long haul fleet has first class, while only a small portion of Lufthansa’s does. Clearly SWISS sees more demand for first class.

SWISS already has an excellent first class product, and in particular has a phenomenal ground experience in Zurich. I’m excited to see the airline take this to the next level.

Bottom line

SWISS plans to introduce a new first and business class product. This will be known as SWISS Senses — it’ll be the same as Lufthansa Allegris, except with SWISS branding.

The airline will install these cabins on newly delivered A350s, which will be delivered as of the summer of 2025. Then as of late 2025 or early 2026, we can expect A330s to be reconfigured, followed by 777s. The goal is for all SWISS long haul aircraft to feature the new product by 2028, though we’re talking about Lufthansa Group, so we’ll see how that goes…

What do you make of SWISS’ new premium cabin plans?