As any frequent flyer can attest to, not all seats within the same cabin are created equal. Airlines use all kinds of techniques to have as efficient of a layout as possible, and in many cases that means some passengers get better seats than others.
In the case of SWISS’ wide body fleet, the best seats are the “throne” seats, so I wanted to talk about what those are, and how you can assign them at no cost. I wrote about this several years ago, but the procedure for snagging these has changed since then.
In this post:
The basics of SWISS’ business class throne seats
SWISS has fully flat business class seats on all of its long haul aircraft, comprised of Airbus A330s, Airbus A340s, and Boeing 777s. The seats are in a staggered configuration, meaning that in each row the position of seats alternates.
Due to how this configuration works out, SWISS planes have what are often referred to as throne seats. Take SWISS’ Boeing 777-300ERs, for example, where the configuration in each row alternates between being 2-2-1 and 1-2-2.
Below is what that looks like in practice.
As you can see, a majority of seats are in pairs, whether seated in the center section or by the windows.
However, in each row you have a single seat, that’s referred to as a “throne” seat. Personally I love these seats, given how much privacy they afford, and since you have direct aisle access and a window view.
There is one downside to these seats, though, for what it’s worth — the footwells are quite small. That’s because the reason these seats are so efficient is because the footwell is located between the seats in front.
For those curious, here are the exact seats that are throne seats on each SWISS aircraft type:
- On the Airbus A330-300, throne seats include 4A, 6A, 8A, 10A, and 12A
- On the Airbus A340-300, throne seats include 4A, 6A, 8A, 10A, and 12A
- On the Boeing 777-300ER, throne seats include 4A, 5K, 7A, 8K, 9A, 10K, 11A, 12K, 14A, 15K, 16A, and 17K
As you can see, the 777 has throne seats on both the left and right side of the cabin, while the A330 and A340 just have throne seats on the left side of the cabin. That’s because the cabin is narrower, so on the right side there’s only one seat along the windows in each row.
SWISS usually charges for throne seats
SWISS realizes that people prefer these seats to “normal” seats, so the airline typically charges somewhere around $150-200 (USD) to reserve one of these seats in advance. When you pull up the seat map for a flight in advance, you’ll see that pricing reflected.
The only exception is that elite members of the Miles & More program can assign these seats in advance at no cost. Specifically, this applies to HON Circle members and Senator members.
How to select SWISS throne seats for free
Obviously it varies by flight, but in my experience rarely do throne seats all fill up in advance. There might be a few Senator and HON Circle members per flight, but beyond that, not many people want to pay cash to assign seats in business class (just don’t tell British Airways).
Fortunately as the departure approaches, any business class passenger can select one of these. However, there’s a trap you need to watch out for.
If you access your reservation on SWISS’ website or app starting around 48 hours before departure, you’ll suddenly see that these special seats show as being free of charge, and no longer list a price.
Back in the day, this trick worked, and you could assign those seats as of that point. However, that’s no longer the case. If you try to assign a throne seat in the 24-48 hour window, that new seat assignment won’t stick, and on top of that, you’ll lose your previous seat assignment.
Nowadays the way to secure throne seats is to select them during online check-in, starting 23 hours out. If you do it at that point, then the seat assignment should confirm without issue, and you won’t be charged.
This even works if you’re checking in through a partner airline. For example, I was flying from Miami to Montreal to Zurich on Air Canada connecting to SWISS, and SWISS directed me to Air Canada’s website for online check-in. Air Canada’s website showed me all available SWISS business class seats, including the throne seats.
Bottom line
SWISS’ business class throne seats are generally considered to be the best seats in business class on the airline. Reserving these in advance either requires paying extra, or requires having a high status tier in the Miles & More program.
Fortunately these seats open up to all business class passengers during online check-in, so keep an eye out for those. Just don’t try to assign one of these seats between 48 hours of departure and when online check-in opens. While SWISS might not show a cost for these seats, the seat assignment won’t stick.
What has your experience been with assigning SWISS throne seats?
The screen shots are not the throne seat... the throne seat config is on the 1-2-2/2-2-1 seating, the 1-2-1 seat / K are not throne seats.
Also I've tried your 48hour trick. the price tags are still there
I'm on a connecting (also LX) to a flight where I'd like to try to reserve a throne seat. Should I try 23 hours from the first flight or wait until 23 hours before departure of the second flight, with the actual throne seats? Thank you!
I just checked in for tomorrow's flight from NRT to ZRH and was glad I read this article beforehand, alerting me to the fact that the previous trick 24-48 hours before departure no longer works. But changing my assigned seat to a thrown seat during check-in worked like a charm!
Fortunately, 8 out of 12 thrown seats were still available (in contrast to all other biz class seats, which were all taken), so I...
I just checked in for tomorrow's flight from NRT to ZRH and was glad I read this article beforehand, alerting me to the fact that the previous trick 24-48 hours before departure no longer works. But changing my assigned seat to a thrown seat during check-in worked like a charm!
Fortunately, 8 out of 12 thrown seats were still available (in contrast to all other biz class seats, which were all taken), so I was able to take my pick. Looking forward to a very relaxing 14-hour flight!
I'm sitting on an LX 773, having paid for the throne seat on the assumption that the 4A bulkhead seat would not have a constricted footwell. It does not - I have a solid 2 feet of space for my feet. (Wish I could post the photo I took.) Worth the €225 I paid; I'll have more space to move my feet than the cats give me at home. (Bonus: there's also a storage slot...
I'm sitting on an LX 773, having paid for the throne seat on the assumption that the 4A bulkhead seat would not have a constricted footwell. It does not - I have a solid 2 feet of space for my feet. (Wish I could post the photo I took.) Worth the €225 I paid; I'll have more space to move my feet than the cats give me at home. (Bonus: there's also a storage slot to the left of my footwell that fits my backpack perfectly in an upright position.)
Thanks to OMAAT for being a source of detailed info on LX seats. I'm looking forward to a comfy 10:45 flight tonight.
I'm writing this from the west wing of the Adani Lounge in Bombay Airport ahead of my BOM-ZRH flight later tonight. Had to tell you how fortuitous it was that I went through the daily OMAAT email newsletter earlier this evening and saw this post. Thanks to your tip, I checked in online and was able to bag the throne seat for free on my next sector- ZRH-JFK. Couldn't get it for BOM-ZRH as it's...
I'm writing this from the west wing of the Adani Lounge in Bombay Airport ahead of my BOM-ZRH flight later tonight. Had to tell you how fortuitous it was that I went through the daily OMAAT email newsletter earlier this evening and saw this post. Thanks to your tip, I checked in online and was able to bag the throne seat for free on my next sector- ZRH-JFK. Couldn't get it for BOM-ZRH as it's clearly a packed flight. Anyway, being a regular reader of your blog has always paid off, so thank you! I definitely wouldn't have known to change seats at this late stage and expected the $200 fee for the throne seat to be waived!
In the paired seats, it appears that one side has much more storage space. Is this correct, or just an illusion?
The one time I sat in the Swiss throne seat I felt very conspicuous. Solo traveler here, so prefer one of the center pairs w the armrest closer to the aisle. And as a point of reference, current offer for my Zurich to LAX flight next week is $339 CAD/$252 USD. Not worth it.
Thanks for sharing. Exactly had the same experience you mentioned: I lost my original seat assignment after chosing these seats when I saw they were open for selection for free right 48 hours before my original flight. The hotline also failed to put me to the original seat. While check in I was able to choose these seats for free.
Good article! Regarding "just don’t tell British Airways": Or Finnair. Or Air France + KLM. It's a plague.
I'm flying Zipair in a few weeks just for fun. They call themselves a LCC. These other airlines are just becoming LCCs and pretending otherwise.
As noted below, the point of charging a seat assignment fee in J is so that the preferred seats are more available for status holders that have spent lots of money with the airline. If you're paying the seat assignment fee, it means that you don't spend lots of money with the airline, and they are naturally prioritizing the big spenders just like other airlines do (UA GS and 1K board before regular business class...
As noted below, the point of charging a seat assignment fee in J is so that the preferred seats are more available for status holders that have spent lots of money with the airline. If you're paying the seat assignment fee, it means that you don't spend lots of money with the airline, and they are naturally prioritizing the big spenders just like other airlines do (UA GS and 1K board before regular business class passengers, as another example). For those big spenders, the introduction of seat assignment fees in J is actually a positive, because those better seats will more likely remain available for them.
Does this work 23 hours prior to the first leg? Eg if leg 1 is intra Europe, overnight in Zurich, leg 2 is long haul the following morning, will the throne seat on leg 2 be available to assign as of check in which will open 23 hours prior to leg 1 (24-48 hours before leg 2)?
I don't mind sitting next to someone so doesn't make much of a difference.
I booked and paid for the thrown seats for my wife and I. Had to cancel because of covid. I did not get my money back for the thrown seats.
Frankly, the Swiss (LX as well WK) business class product is appalling. It‘s either 2-2 with small footwell or 1 with extra small footwell at extra charge (free 23 hours out).
Generally their 23 hour check-in window is the worst of any airline (including ULCC provide 24 hours, at least). And yes, it does matter, e.g. for flights departing around midnigh, the check-in opens around 1am …
Traveled JFK-ZRH-SIN (330 > 777) last year. As Star Gold - I had access to the mini cabin - which I prefer.
Throne seats were blocked, and some of the aisle seats (of 2) which have a table at the aisle were also blocked. But as it gets closer to flight time (month) they start opening the blocked seats, except throne..
Throne seats opened as you say at checkin time. But for two I...
Traveled JFK-ZRH-SIN (330 > 777) last year. As Star Gold - I had access to the mini cabin - which I prefer.
Throne seats were blocked, and some of the aisle seats (of 2) which have a table at the aisle were also blocked. But as it gets closer to flight time (month) they start opening the blocked seats, except throne..
Throne seats opened as you say at checkin time. But for two I preferred the center seats (2) each having aisle access in the mini cabin.
On 777, the bulk head in mini cabin is good. It is 1-2-2. Bulk head has bigger foot wells.
Got one for free without hassle GVA-NYC return.
The primary point of charging to assign seats in J for BA (and now other carriers like AF and KLM) where there aren't throne seats is not to generate revenues from fliers but to keep better seats available for elite fliers, which makes total sense for the airline. Let's not continually whine about that and pretend like that's somehow hard to understand.
I have a reservation for Zurich-Toronto-SLC, with Air Canada being the second leg. When I look at my reservation on the AC site (not Swiss), I see the throne seats available. I didn't try to change my seat (I prefer the single seat closer to the window).
But I think I could easily change to a throne seat for no charge, if using the AC site.
I have done that and the system moved me to another seat after a few days
Thanks for clarifying. I won't be changing my seat anyways, but good to know!