Season’s Greetings / Social Media Team absence

Dear readers, customers and SWISS fans

Another year is drawing to a close. A good opportunity to say thank you very much! We thank you for your input, support, interesting discussions, constructive criticism, commendations and everything else. It is a huge pleasure for us to work with you! Let’s keep up the good spirit for a great 2012.

Important information
Please note that our Social Media Team will enjoy some days off and therefore will not be available during the next few days. We will be back at work on 3 January 2012. We thank you for your understanding and are looking forward to renewing interaction with you in 2012!

A date to remember
As we will very soon reach the big milestone of 100,000 Fans, we are planning a big surprise on 4 January 2012. Save the date in your agenda and be ready for the celebration.
Not yet a fan? You are urged to become one before the 4 January 2012 by hitting “I like” on www.facebook.com/FlySWISS.

We wish you and your loved ones a happy festive season as well as a great start to the New Year!

Best regards,
Alex, Christian, Parand and Mathias (who is not on the picture as he is already on vacation)
SWISS Social Media and Online Marketing Team

Faster progress through Zurich Airport

Alexander Knorn, project manager at Zurich Airport

The new security check building at Zurich Airport opened to the travelling public on 1 December. This state-of-the-art facility offers passengers greater comfort and also looks very sharp.

The night of 30 November to 1 December 2011, during which Dock B and the security check building became operational, was long indeed. I have been intensely involved with work on the security check building in recent years. As project manager I was responsible, together with my colleagues, for the coordination of planning and implementation. This has been an incredibly exciting experience and a unique challenge at this location.

Thanks to the new building with its 26 checkpoint lanes on four levels, passengers and airport employees can now be checked more efficiently. Passengers commencing their travel in Zurich now proceed through security directly after having their boarding pass checked. This centralised check enables the airport to react more flexibly to peak periods. The waiting periods at the gates are considerably shorter and the security check building gives travellers more time for shopping or enjoying a cup of coffee without having to rush.

Inside SWISS, Outside Switzerland - Germany

Siegfried Stimpfle, Regional Account Manager

The German state of Baden-Württemberg lies in the southwest corner of the country and shares a border with Austria, France and Switzerland. Did you know that this region of Germany is one of Europe’s technological leaders, boasting a strong export-oriented economy and manufacturing products that are highly regarded worldwide? Innovative Baden-Württemberg is powered by future-oriented sectors of business and a strong spirit of inventiveness. This is where I work for SWISS, a special airline with a corporate culture whose hallmarks are mutual support and employees motivated to contribute in their own individual way to a product that we can all be proud of. This is what makes work enjoyable!

The people of Baden-Württemberg are reputed to be thrifty and diligent. And it is also said about them that they do not know how to enjoy life. I say these are nothing more than preconceived notions without foundation. In my experience, the people here are friendly and open, and they know how to make the most of the quality of life this part of Germany offers them. It is fair to describe Stuttgart as being a big city located between forest and vineyards. Speaking personally, I appreciate the varied landscape here, with lots of green space in the city and throughout the state in general, along with a lively, international art and culture scene. On the culinary front, Baden- Württemberg has more “starred” restaurants than any other state in Germany.

New observation deck draws large crowd

Rahel Kindermann, Manager Visitor Services & Events at Airport Zurich

The new observation deck at Zurich Airport opened its doors to the general public on schedule on 1 December. The wait has been worth it: hordes of visitors arrived on the first weekend.

As 1 December drew closer we were admittedly rather nervous, not only because passengers would pass through the new security checkpoint building and use the new Dock B for the first time but also because we would also be opening the new observation deck on the same day.

Two years of hard work were about to be presented to the travelling public – following abundant testing of the augmented reality telescopes ( a world’s first just like the accessible apron tower) and the flight information displays. A mini-airport complete with ATC tower serves as a play area for children, while roomy benches invite adults to stop for a while and take in the scene. An audio system allows visitors to listen to the radio contact between the air traffic control tower and pilots in the cockpit, and special information displays present data about docked aircraft.

NIRVANA – “Nevermind” 20th anniversary

Text & Photos: Universal Music

Nirvana’s „Nevermind“ album is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. A good reason to offer two hours of best grunge rock. Exclusively compiled for SWISS.

The seminal album «Nevermind», released by the ‘grunge’ rock band NIRVANA and its cult lead singer Kurt Cobain in September 1991, is regarded as a timeless milestone that changed the face of music forever. Universal Music is marking the 20th anniversary of «Nevermind» with special reissues featuring previously unreleased bonus material. Released in the USA on 24 September 1991, NIRVANA’s second studio album revolutionised the international music scene.

NIRVANA – the last real pop revolution began in Aberdeen, Washington State. Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist, and Krist Novoselić, bass, formed the band at the end of the 1980s, and played their first gig under the name NIRVANA in March 1988. The band’s debut album was released in 1989 on the Seattle-based independent label Sub Pop, the home of grunge bands such as Mudhoney or Soundgarden. NIRVANA’s second album "Nevermind", released on 24 September 1991, is a milestone in rock history.

A new lounge at Zurich Airport

Domenica Rosato, Head of Ground Product Development

The new SWISS Lounge near Non-Schengen Gates D in Dock B opened on 1 December. Relax in a cozy atmosphere in the new SWISS Lounge D while waiting to board your flight.

In addition to the SWISS Lounge Center located near Gates A in the Schengen area, SWISS now also has a lounge in the Non-Schengen area near Gates D in rebuilt Dock B.
Zurich Airport opened its new infrastructure and the modern Dock B on 1 December, which is why we wanted to be ready for our guests to enjoy the new lounge in Dock B.

It was an ambitious goal to be ready on 1.12 considering that it was as recently as the end of March this year when the request for this investment was presented to the SWISS Management Board. In keeping with its permanent commitment to providing air travelers with maximum comfort and service throughout their journey, SWISS decided to build a new lounge and started with the construction at the end of May 2011. After 6 months of intense work the new facility opened on schedule.

Rescue dogs in the air

Mathias Sulger, Intern Online & Social Media Marketing at SWISS

It’s a rare sight to see a large dog on board an aircraft. On 1 December 2011 three such animals were aboard one of our flights from Milan to Zurich as part of a special exercise of the Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio (S.I.C.S). In English, the organisation calls itself the Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs.

Three rescue dogs named "Mas", "Al" and "Blondy" from the Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio (see final paragraph for further information) and five members of the organisation, including Ferruccio Pilenga, S.I.C.S president, conducted a test flight aboard a SWISS flight on Thursday, 1 December 2011. These specially trained dogs – a Labrador and two Newfoundlanders – were transported in the cabin aboard flight LX1617 from Milan to Zurich. In its role as a partner of the organisation, SWISS conducted the first boarding tests back in July in order to prepare the teams for flights worldwide. In future, S.I.C.S will present its dogs and their training programme to other organisations and support countries dealing with emergency situations.

My night to remember at Zurich Airport

Stefan Conrad, Chief Operation Officer Flughafen Zürich AG

As of today, 1 December, everything at Zurich Airport is a bit different than before. A new dock and a centralised security check building will make passing through the airport a smoother, more pleasant and more comfortable experience for travellers.

 Zurich Airport’s new Dock B and security check building became operational today. We were there throughout the previous night preparing for the start-up. Every step was planned right down to the last detail by the start-up team, who were busy emptying rubbish bins, separating the Skymetro passenger area, repositioning signs, stocking shelves, and fine-tuning the rigorous security checks.

A camera team from the Swiss TV programme Schweiz Aktuell accompanied us and filmed the action on start-up night. The respective purpose of the two buildings may seem confusing at first. Dock B and the security check building are two different buildings with completely distinctive functions. The catalyst for the construction of the new Dock B was the Schengen Agreement. The security check building was conceived as a form of enhancing passenger comfort.