Sunday, July 5, 2009

winter flights are reduced

Between the end of October and the end of March there will be 18 instead of 21 flights a week to New York from Geneva or Zurich, confirmed spokesman Franco Gullotti.

Fewer bookings means fewer flights for Swiss International Air Lines, which on Sunday announced it was reducing its winter timetable by nine per cent.

He added that on most other long-haul journeys there would be six instead of seven flights a week.

Airlines have been suffering from weaker demand because of the financial crisis and have also been hurt by the sharp rise and fall of oil prices in the past year.

Already in September three planes on long-haul routes will remain on the ground.

That said, Swiss has all but buried the bad memories of the collapse of its predecessor, Swissair, since it was saved by a takeover from Lufthansa in 2005. Despite facing difficulties of its own, the airline now looks on firmer ground than Austrian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Alitalia, British Airways and others.