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The Airbus A350-900 looks much larger in person than it does in photos — especially when you’re standing on the ground looking up at it.
That was my first impression of SWISS’s brand-new, first-in-fleet Airbus A350. My second was that it’s an impressive piece of heavy machinery with an intricate paint job that's impossible to fully appreciate.
My own personal impressions aside, this fancy new aircraft will play a major role in completely redefining the long-haul experience for SWISS passengers. That much was clear after walking around the plane, exploring the new cabins, and hearing SWISS executives talk about what a milestone this is for the airline.
AwardWallet had the unique opportunity to tour the SWISS A350 just days after the Airbus officially handed over the keys. And like SWISS did for us, we’ll introduce you to Lausanne (the aircraft’s name), take you on a head-to-tail walkthrough of the new jet, and show you what to expect from SWISS in the years ahead.
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SWISS Welcomes Its First Airbus A350
On October 9, 2025, the first of ten Airbus A350-900 aircraft bound for SWISS touched down at Zurich Airport. Its arrival marked the dawn of a new era for the airline.
The first of the type, registered HB-IFA and named Lausanne, is set to become the airline’s new flagship aircraft when it enters revenue service on October 25, 2025, with an inaugural flight to Palma de Mallorca. Its North American debut will follow shortly after on the Zurich to Boston route, which the new jet will operate for the first time on November 20, 2025.
The arrival of this aircraft has been a long time coming. Back in 2019 — just before the world shut down — the Lufthansa Group (of which SWISS belongs to) revised its A350 aircraft order upwards, allocating five of them to SWISS to replace its aging A340-300 fleet.
In 2021, that order doubled to ten. Fast forward to today, and SWISS has officially taken delivery of its first A350, with plans to add two per year through the end of the decade.
This first airframe is special — for many reasons, but most visibly because of its livery.
A visual marvel: The SWISS Wanderlust livery
Lausanne is covered in art from nose to tail. As SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger explained, the one-of-a-kind “Wanderlust” livery is “an homage to Switzerland and its diversity, with lively illustrations of iconic places, buildings, and cultural motifs.”
The artwork was created by a Swiss artist and applied to the aircraft as large, meticulously placed decals. It’s a marvel to look at. And it's nearly impossible to take in all the details at once.
If you happen to spot the aircraft, it’s worth snapping a photo. This special livery is unique to Lausanne and won’t be re-created or reimagined on any other SWISS aircraft — at least for the foreseeable future.
That’s mostly because of the price tag. As Fehlinger explained, decorating a plane like this is expensive, and SWISS would rather invest those resources into enhancing the passenger experience, both in the air and on the ground.
What It’s Like Onboard SWISS’s New Airbus A350
Outside of being the first A350-900 in the SWISS fleet, Lausanne is also the airline’s first aircraft to feature the new SWISS Senses product. And this means two things.
First, SWISS Senses is the name of the airline’s reimagined cabin design. Every seat you see on the A350 is new to SWISS. And for now, it's exclusive to this aircraft type.
While it’s not Lufthansa’s Allegris product, there are some clear similarities. But there are plenty of differences, too — most notably in the cabin layout.
The SWISS A350 features four first-class seats, 45 business-class seats, 38 premium economy seats, and 156 economy seats for a grand total of 243 seats. That’s 24 fewer seats than you'll find on Lufthansa’s Allegris-equipped A350s. SWISS opted for a larger premium economy section and a more spacious business class cabin instead of packing in additional economy seats.
The second meaning behind SWISS Senses is more literal. It’s a nod to the five human senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
Passengers will notice this concept throughout the A350 and increasingly so in SWISS’s lounges. In the sky, the airline will embody the concept with a lighting system that adjusts to natural daylight to help reduce jet lag (sight), a new signature scent called Alpine Valley (smell), a cabin that’s nearly 50% quieter than SWISS’s other long-haul aircraft (hearing), refreshed food and beverage offerings (taste), and entirely new seat designs (touch).
Now that you know the backstory, let’s step inside the first A350, starting from the pointy end of the plane and working our way to the back.
First class
Even though many airlines are phasing out traditional first class in favor of expanding or upgrading their business class cabins, SWISS is sticking with a bona fide first class product on its A350-900 aircraft, much like it already offers on its other long-haul jets. That said, the A350’s version looks quite a bit different from what you’ll find elsewhere in the fleet.
The new SWISS First cabin features an entirely new suite concept. Each suite includes its own sliding door, wardrobe, spacious dining table, and fine-wool upholstery with elegant wood accents.
Two adjacent suites can even be combined into what SWISS calls a Grand Suite. This is more space than anyone could reasonably need on a flight of any length. But I digress.
First class passengers will also enjoy redesigned amenity kits, pajamas, and the airline’s signature high-touch service.
But as beautiful as these suites are, one design choice left me scratching my head: the “door.” SWISS refers to it as a door, and technically that’s accurate, but it’s really more of a thick felt curtain with a handle, not a solid sliding partition like you might expect from looking at the suite's exterior. To put it bluntly, it feels cheap.
Whether this was a cost-saving decision or simply the most practical option given certification rules, I’m not sure. But it’s still an odd choice, especially considering that some of SWISS's business class suites have actual doors.
Business class
For those of us (myself included) who’ve been waiting for SWISS to give its business class cabins a proper refresh, the Airbus A350 is a breath of fresh air. The airline’s newest jet features 45 business class suites spread across two sections separated by a galley. Every seat affords direct aisle access, converts into a fully flat bed up to seven feet long, offers wireless device charging, and provides ample personal storage.
Visually, these seats look almost identical to Lufthansa’s Allegris business class product. Fehlinger noted that the Lufthansa Group as a whole favors this seat design because it offers a configuration for every type of traveler while still maximizing space efficiency compared to traditional layouts.
While these seats are far more private and comfortable than SWISS’s older business class product, the mix of configurations can be a bit confusing for unassuming passengers. There are five options: Business Suite, Privacy Seat, Extra Space Seat, Extra Long Bed Seat, and Classic Seat.
Of these, the Business Suite is the most premium. There are eight of them on the A350. You'll find four in each business class cabin — and they’re the only suites on the entire plane with true hard-shell doors. These seats fall somewhere between traditional business class and first class in terms of privacy and comfort.
To select one of these seats — or an “Extra Space” throne-style seat — you’ll need to pay extra. At the time of writing, SWISS charges about $588 per person for a Business Suite or $200 for an Extra Space Seat on an example flight between Boston and Zurich. However, business class passengers can choose a Privacy Seat, Extra Long Bed, and Classic Seat free of charge.
By comparison, Lufthansa charges for every seat type except the Classic Seat, even on award bookings. It remains to be seen whether SWISS will expand paid seat selection to additional types or apply similar policies to award tickets booked through partner programs.
That said, there’s really no bad seat here. Even the Classic Seats — which are closest to the aisle and offer the least privacy — represent a massive upgrade over SWISS’s older business class.
Premium economy class
On its Airbus A350, SWISS went all in on premium economy. The aircraft features an impressive 38 premium economy seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. It's a clear indicator of how much the airline values this cabin, which multiple executives noted as being continuously in demand.
True to its name, premium economy offers more space and privacy than standard economy. Each seat includes an adjustable headrest with side panels that extend outward to help block the view of neighboring seats, a larger in-flight entertainment screen, nearly 19 inches of seat width, and an expanded tray table for dining or work. The cabin itself feels cozy — perhaps even more so than either of the business class sections, and certainly more than the main economy cabin.
If you want an experience that’s closer to business class without paying business class prices — in cash or miles — premium economy is a solid middle ground. And since flights between the U.S. East Coast and Switzerland aren’t particularly long, this cabin may be a practical alternative to business or first class for more reasons than one.
That said, I wasn’t completely sold on SWISS’s new premium economy seats. The first seat I tried felt extremely firm — as did the second and third. It’s possible they just haven’t been broken in yet, but I actually found the economy seats behind them to be noticeably more comfortable from the moment I sat down. Weird, I know.
Economy class
SWISS’s economy cabin on the Airbus A350 is also a big step up from what you’ll find on the airline’s older long-haul jets. On the A350, SWISS installed a relatively modest 156 seats split between one main cabin and a smaller mini cabin. The larger section holds 140 seats, while the smaller one has just 16.
For the most part, every seat is identical. Each features a 13.3-inch HD inflight entertainment screen, Bluetooth connectivity for personal headphones, and both USB-A and USB-C ports. Compared to other long-haul economy products I’ve experienced, these seats rank among the better ones — though I’d need to fly the product on a long-haul route to say for sure.
And while some travelers dread the thought of flying economy, I don't think I'd really hesitate to fly SWISS economy. But that’s largely because of how unique the mini economy cabin is.
This small 16-seat section is located directly behind premium economy and feels incredibly private. The divider between the two cabins is practically non-existent, but the space feels quiet and comfortable. I was especially impressed by the pairs of seats along the windows — 25A and 25B on one side, and 25H and 25J on the other. These preferred seats offer noticeably more legroom than most. If you’re flying economy, these should be your first pick outside of the exit rows.
Most rows in the main economy cabin follow a standard 3-3-3 layout. The only exception is row 43H and 43J in the rear cabin, where you’ll find a two-seat pair instead of three. These seats do recline, though perhaps not as far as others.
Speaking of recline, I found it to be quite generous — more so than on many competing airlines. That’s great news if you like to lean back, but maybe less so for the person behind you trying to work on a laptop, eat a meal, or use the tray table in any capacity.
The one area where the A350’s economy cabin falls short is seat width. I found the seats fairly narrow, especially around the shoulders. As someone with broader shoulders, I felt a bit cramped when reclining, and extremely so if the seat next to me was upright.
Still, when I first sat down, I found the seat surprisingly comfortable. I’d want to test it on a long-haul flight to be sure, but based on first impressions, SWISS economy on the A350 has piqued my interest.
Additional amenities
There are two more aspects of the SWISS A350 that most passengers care about, even if they’re not top of mind: the number of lavatories and onboard Wi-Fi.
Lavatories
The SWISS A350 is well-equipped in this department, with a total of eight lavatories across the aircraft. There’s one in front of the first class cabin, two between the business class cabins, four between premium economy and standard economy, and one at the very back of the plane.
While that’s a reasonable number overall, the lack of multiple lavatories in the rear may create some congestion near the mid-cabin lavatories — particularly after meal service or about 30 minutes before landing.
Wi-Fi
If you plan to work, stream, or doom scroll social media during your flight, you’ll be glad to know the A350 offers onboard Wi-Fi. However, it’s not complimentary unless you’re flying in first class or hold Miles & More HON Circle status.
SWISS does offer some free services, such as text messaging through apps like WhatsApp, but you’ll need to purchase a plan for anything beyond that. You can find current pricing and package details here.
Next Up: SWISS Senses Retrofits Across the Airline’s Long-Haul Fleet
While it’s undeniably exciting that SWISS now has a brand-new flagship aircraft, the reality is that it currently has just one — for now. In other words, you’ll only find the SWISS Senses cabin on Lausanne until Airbus delivers additional A350s to Zurich.
And with SWISS expecting to receive just two A350s per year through the end of the decade, it’ll take some time before the new flagship jets become a more common sight.
But as SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger explained to AwardWallet, the airline wants to ensure that the experience passengers have on one long-haul aircraft matches the experience on another. To achieve that, SWISS is embarking on a major project to retrofit its Airbus A330-200, A330-300, and Boeing 777-300ER fleets with the new SWISS Senses product. The exception is the aging A340-300, which will be retired as additional A350s enter service.
The biggest question here is timing. From our conversation with Fehlinger, SWISS appears to be prioritizing the Airbus A330 fleet first. The airline plans to send aircraft to Hong Kong for what it describes as a “complete reconstruction,” beginning in the near future. Fehlinger also noted that North America is SWISS’s most important market, and travelers there could start seeing SWISS Senses-equipped aircraft as early as summer 2026.
The timeline for updating the Boeing 777s is less certain, as those jets already feature the newest version of SWISS’s older cabins. Still, the goal is to complete the full retrofit program by around 2030. It's an ambitious target that means work will need to ramp up soon, and it appears it will.
SWISS Senses coming to lounges, too
At the same time, SWISS is also investing heavily in its lounge network. The airline has begun updating its lounges to reflect the SWISS Senses design philosophy, focusing on enhancing the overall guest experience and expanding lounge space. During the A350 unveiling, SWISS confirmed that new lounge spaces are already in development at Zurich Airport. Ideally, similar improvements will extend beyond Zurich to other airports where SWISS operates its branded lounges.
Booking SWISS's New A350 Using Miles
If you thought we’d go all the way to Zurich without a points and miles angle, you’d be mistaken. As of the time of writing (less than a week after SWISS took delivery of its first A350!), you can already book a seat on it using points and miles.
For example, you can try out the new SWISS Senses business class cabin between Boston and Zurich for as few as 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points — or fly in economy for just 35,000 Aeroplan points.
You can also book the same flight for 44,000 United MileagePlus miles in economy or 88,000 miles in business class.
Unfortunately, first class likely remains off-limits for award bookings unless you book through Miles & More. However, it may be possible to book business class with partner points and then pay for an upgrade at check-in. It’s not guaranteed, but it's worth a try.
Bottom Line
While it may be the aviation fan in me talking, I’m genuinely excited about what’s ahead for SWISS. The airline’s two main hubs — Zurich and Geneva — are fantastic cities (albeit expensive). Like any traveler, I’d welcome a more comfortable way to fly to and through either one. The arrival of the SWISS Airbus A350 and the broader investments the airline is making in its onboard product should make that possible.
If you get the chance to redeem your Aeroplan points, MileagePlus miles, or even Miles & More miles, for a flight on SWISS’s brand-new A350, let us know in the comments how it went. We’d love to hear whether your impressions match ours or if you saw the aircraft in a totally different light.
One thing’s certain, though. SWISS has an incredible new aircraft, and AwardWallet was honored to give readers an inside look at what it’s like.
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