SWISS Posts 21 Per Cent Increase In Online Sales; Expands Its Online Booking Services And Options

SWISS customers from the UAE now enjoys further flexibility when booking their flights on the company’s swiss.com website as they make a provisional reservation at a guaranteed fare for up to 72 hours. The carrier now offers online customers the option of selecting their seat, too. And in addition to the classic outward-and-return flights, travellers can now also book “open-jaw” arrangements or multi-stop itineraries conveniently online.

Online bookings are proving to be popular among residents in UAE as Swiss International Air Lines registered an increase of 21 per cent in revenues for 2012 following a growth of 34 per cent in online tickets purchased for the whole of last year, both figures compare to the same period in 2011.

With the popularity of online reservations projected to further grow, SWISS has expanded the range of services and options it offers its customers on its swiss.com website. A new “guaranteed reservation” option now offers users the opportunity to keep a provisional reservation open for 48 to 72 hours at a guaranteed fare before cancelling the booking or having it confirmed. The new service is available for any flight with a SWISS flight number and for all passengers within the reservation concerned.

“More and more customers are realizing the convenience of booking their flights online. As such, our passengers from the UAE will be pleased with our new expanded service for online booking as it provides further flexibility, leaving them plenty of room to decide on a specific flight booking as well as assurance on the price they want to purchase their tickets. SWISS is on a mission to provide products and services for the utmost convenience of our customers. Both on ground and on-board, customers are assured of the quality SWISS is known for,” said Hazel Saldanha, Swiss International Air Lines Marketing, Public and Customer Relations manager for UAE and the Gulf.

Under the new service, for a fee of approximately AED100 (CHF 25) per booking, the customer can make a reservation at a guaranteed fare for up to 48 hours in the lowest Economy Class fare category and for up to 72 hours in any other fare class. The new option will give travellers more time to plan their journey and/or coordinate it with friends and then cancel the booking if necessary. If they do not do so by the corresponding deadline, the reservation will be automatically confirmed, and the customer will be emailed their electronic travel documents.

SWISS is also offering customers booking their flights online greater comfort and convenience by enabling them to select their seat(s) in advance in any seating class on long-haul services and in Business Class on short-haul flights. The new seat selection option, which can be used either when booking or any time thereafter, is available for all SWISS flights.

The online seat selection option is being offered free of charge for an introductory period. The new service does not extend to seats in emergency-exit rows or seats with greater legroom, which are primarily reserved for premium customers. And travellers who also opt for automatic check-in when making their booking and selecting their seat online need no longer concern themselves with their reservation or their checking in: they will automatically be sent their boarding pass, showing the seat they have selected, 23 hours before departure.

SWISS has also enhanced its online booking options for customers with more unusual travel routings. In addition to conventional outward and return flights to a particular destination, swiss.com users can now also book “open-jaw” flights – flying to one destination and returning from another – or routings including one or more intermediate stops.

SWISS flies non-stop daily between Dubai and Zurich and operates daily flights between Muscat and Zurich.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Mar 11, 2013

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