Lufthansa Group airline SWISS has just announced a positive update when it comes to inflight connectivity…
In this post:
SWISS A220s & A320s getting Wi-Fi
Currently SWISS offers Wi-Fi throughout its long haul fleet, including Airbus A330s, Airbus A340s, and Boeing 777s. Fortunately this will soon also be expanding to the carrier’s short haul fleet. Specifically, SWISS will be installing Wi-Fi on 59 narrow body jets, including Airbus A220s and Airbus A320-family aircraft.
SWISS plans to start this project as of the winter 2024/2025 season, which would be somewhere between late October 2024 and late March 2025. That’s only when the project starts, though, and it’s anyone’s guess how long it will take for the entire narrow body fleet to be equipped with this technology.
SWISS’ short haul inflight internet will be provided using a new hybrid technology known as the European Aviation Network (EAN), which combines a satellite link with ground-based radio technology to deliver a reliable broadband internet connection. The airline is also marketing this technology as sustainable, as the onboard system weighs less than previous technology, leading to decreased fuel consumption.
Even though SWISS is considered the “premium” carrier in the Lufthansa Group, the airline has been lagging when it comes to inflight connectivity. While Lufthansa has Wi-Fi on virtually its entire mainline narrow body fleet, SWISS doesn’t have it on any aircraft.
Inflight Wi-Fi is of course always a great feature, though in fairness, many flights within Europe are ultra-short. While there are some flights that are three or so hours, they’re quite rare, and many SWISS flights are well under an hour.
SWISS will offer free messaging on short haul flights
In mid-2023, SWISS announced improvements to its long haul Wi-Fi, including lowering Wi-Fi pricing and introducing free messaging. The good news is that this will also apply to short haul aircraft once they’re equipped with internet.
So SWISS customers traveling on flights within Europe will enjoy free internet chat access, including for messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, so that they can send and receive unlimited text and pictures free of charge.
On top of that, for a fee, passengers will be able to purchase a pass for full internet access, with different options depending on whether you desire email, surfing, or more.
Bottom line
SWISS will finally be introducing Wi-Fi throughout its short haul fleet, which seems long overdue. You can expect Airbus A220s and Airbus A320-family aircraft to be equipped with Wi-Fi starting in the next year or so, and then presumably it’ll take at least an additional year for the project to be complete.
While SWISS’ long haul fleet has had Wi-Fi for years, it’s great to see this finally being extended to short haul flights as well.
What do you make of SWISS adding Wi-Fi to A220s and A320-family aircraft?
This is great, as long as you don't end up on an AirBaltic wetlease, which on many intra-EU routes you're almost certain to...
this used to be the case, but recently it is very rare to encounter AirBaltic planes flying for Swiss.
Hah just noticed that the LX A321 in your last picture is HB-IOC... They retired it a couple of weeks ago and Swiss even made a tribute video about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuS3CVnnl3A&ab_channel=SwissInternationalAirLines)