SWISS "Crew Surprise" Concept: Airline Tells Employees Not To Go Overboard

SWISS should have put a max amount that is eligible to reimburse at the onset of the benefit instead of take a pause later on and then be shocked at the actual amount that is being reimbursed. Good for building morale but what will the employees think when this concern comes to light? Maybe they should change their management team instead for not giving this more thought before rolling it out...

$2000 for a 12-person dinner is nothing in just about any major city that Swiss flies to (including the US, Europe, and major cities in Asia). If dinners of that amount are going to break the bank, then best to just stop with this now… especially since it’s intended to be something special and rewarding rather than just a normal per diem meal.

Important not to conflate revenue with profitability. Margins are still pretty slim in the industry, so a high headline revenue figure might still mean they have to manage expenses closely.

I dropped $1000 for a party of 4 at the Hyatt Resort in Bastrop Texas last Christmas for dinner and wine.

Good for Swiss. However, what did they expect, McDonalds?

So that's $167 per person, which is fairly steep. I'm sure that some bottles of expensive wine were involved as that often is what pumps up the price so much. The 24 oz porterhouse, while expensive, isn't going to get the check up to those heights. Now, anyone with some self awareness has to know that this is what happens when you order a couple of expensive bottles or wine or equally pricey mixed adult beverages. Since it's on the company dime, doesn't common sense come into play here? Incidents like this tend to ruin it for everyone.

At most American steakhouses you’ll spend $50-60 for a steak, more for sides, $15-20 for a starter, and then by the time you add tax and a likely mandatory tip for a group of that size, you’re just about there. Maybe one cocktail or glass of wine per person… $167pp doesn’t go as far as it used to…

I read captain + 12 person crew, so 13 people and about $153 per. That's really not that bad, at a nice steakhouse the steak alone will be 1/3-1/2 that per person, not including the sides and a couple $12-$15 mixed drinks. Add in tax and an 18-20% gratuity, $2000 is easy to hit with that many people. It really does seem like SWISS was expecting the crews to hit up a Cracker Barrel or something instead.

I go to Switzerland at least 1 time a year for work, the CHF and USD are nearly even in exchange rate. $2000usd for 13 people is WAY less than what this would cost in Switzerland itself!!!

the whole concept, while well-meaning, was too open-ended for the bean counters to ever like.
There needed to be limits and it is not likely that the amount the company really wanted to allow to be spent was enough to buy decent meals.

I was going to post something similar. A steak diner in Zurich would cost way more than 167 USD per person. I spent 108 CHF on a lunch with two drinks in Zurich last week. Just checked out a steak house in Zurich and the steaks are 24-95 CHF per 100g or 3.5 oz. So a 10 oz wagu steak is 285 CHF. A 10 oz rib eye is 84 CHF. + sides, dessert, drinks...

$167 per person at a steakhouse is steep to you? You must not live on the east coast or any major European Capital. If me and my significant other walk out of our local steakhouse without breaking 500 bucks it’s a good night.

20 year ago t took our 6 team members from Japan who were visiting our main office in California to a nice restaurant for dinner. We spent $1000. For years to come they remembered fondly and all my requests were handled promptly.

Best dinner investment ever. My management at that time thought otherwise but I still got reimbursed.

SWISS used this formula of invoice to deduction from TAX to pay at end of the year, so it’s not totally one sense so benefits for both side...
No surprising me at all if you consider how much they earned.
It's nothing compare on their final result of the year and if you consider how much it will cost in Switzerland the same dinner!

SWISS should just follow the lead of US companies. The best way to increase employee morale is a pizza party at 11:15 AM on a Tuesday. If they really care, they'll let everyone wear a Hawaiian shirt and take a group photo. That's how multi-billion dollar corporations show their workers that they really care.

I suspect the only way you can get to a $2K is with the inclusion alcoholic beverages. If they are on a "layover" I'm not so sure that is a great idea.

2000/12=83.33. I'm surprised they were able to get out of an Outback for that without any alcohol, let alone a NY steakhouse.

Excuse me $166.67. So now we are in Fleming's territory if we stay in the Outback chain.

Typical Swiss. Geizig!

Just had dinner in Zurich for 2 at a cost of over $300.
So damn expensive here. They should be happy that their crew gets treated overseas where it’s so much cheaper than Switzerland.

A captain or purser is like a team manager. Many companies give their managers a discretionary budget for things like this. Rather than asking managers to spend less just give them a budget. If the manager knows the max they'll be reimbursed over a set period of time they won't over spend.

This isn't hard and it's something the corporate world has done for decades. The fact that Swiss is having trouble just means they didn't properly define the program

That's the problem that there are no parameters for it and that the staff do not know when they can use it or not. I guess many assume they cannot use it or do not want to risk having a problem.

AA, ROBERT ISSOM, GREAT IDEA!
WE NEED A CONTRACT AND MAJOE MORALE BOAST!
ID SAY YOUR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR AMAZING BILLION$ IN PROFITS!
AND EXACTLY WHO BOUGHT UP THOSE AA SHARES CAUSING DEBT?
YEP, WE ALL KNOW WHO DID!

"Guardrails". Provide spending guidance but do not ruin a true differentiator.

Thats more a German thing rather a Swiss one.

And this is why we need to bring back Sizzler!...