Swiss International Air Lines Reviews 

Swiss air really isnt what it used to be, they keep treating their customers like cattle, make a fully packed plane board before the plane, luggage and food are loaded and ready, they cause the delay and make everyone wait for over an hour, people get angry frustrated and impatient, making us miss our takeoff slot twice, and making everyone late… as an airline (especially THE swiss airine) their primary job is to keep things moving and on time and its disgusting keeping a plane full of people locked in a cylinder tube like animals for over an hour and expecting everyone to stay calm and patient and not say anything while the fight attendants are rude is like the airline is conducting human experiments on their client trying to see how much mistreatment people will take before things implode… there are always young children and eldery on a plane and how the airlines behaves is a recipt for disaster and for creating an incident, Swiss Air should be ashamed of themseleves

Don't go with the name 'Swiss'. It's deceiving. I decided to use thier service thinking about the 'swiss' standards. No service standard at all. My family was denied entry; same day within a few hours I was able to travel in British Airways to the same destination with the same travel documents. This happened in May July 2025. Since then I have been contacting them to get a cancellation invoice, airline report so I could claim insurance. It's going to be a year, and still no response from them. I have done 25 follow up at least through email, live chat, calls etc. No luck. I guess their system is completely broken. Swiss government should sue them for using 'swiss' in the airline's name and tarnishing the image of a great country.

GVA -LHR 3rd June. Ryan and EasyJet style checks at the gate. Charging for normal size backpacks and using a cardboard type box that would be more suitable for storing file folders to check the size. Usual arrogance and aloofness from gate agents as they force people to empty backpacks and carry the clothes onboard to avoid the penalty. Just let this airline go bankrupt already - it’s a disgrace to the Swiss flag it carries. It’s now a budget airline charging Swiss prices.

LHR - GVA 4th June 1.30 delay taking off - understandable, it can happen. Reason given technical problem in Geneva and wind warning at LHR. I checked if there was a wind warning at the airport - there is not. It is blowing 15 -20 knots from the SSW. Do they make this up to avoid potentially needing to compensate for lateness - your guess is as good as mine.

There is no way to contact the company more than a chat that is totally horrible. You have to write the same thing several times and it is certainly not driven by AI. And if you ask for a human to chat with instead, they are not any better. They don't answer my emails regarding a case I have filed with them. It is like hitting a wall and they just send you in circles or ignore you. I will NEVER fly with them again.

Can I give them 0?
Absolute garbage, liars too.

Flight was cancelled due to lufthansa closing the line overall after the strikes. I ask for redirection to different airport, 1.5 weeks later > initially lady agrees and books me. Few days later I get an email, no sorry we can't do rebookings over 1 week time difference. Ok I want a refund then.

So since early May, my booking was cancelled, I wasn't put in the queue for refund. I called once - they said I wasn't in the queue and they'll put me on it. 2 more chats - yeah you're waiting for refund, 10 days from when your case is looked at. 1 call today - I haven't been put in the queue for refund.

For a month they didn't put my case for refund. This is fraud. They've been lying for a month each time I spoke with the agents. I guess that's their business model - these 20-30% of people will leave it alone.

Crooks.

Voucher support is unacceptable - Providing a useless voucher to client!!

Swiss damaged my luggage and offered EUR 47.70 to replace a EUR 159 bag — less than 30% of its value. When I cited the Montreal Convention and requested cash compensation, they responded with a copy-paste email re-explaining their depreciation formula, ignoring both legal points entirely. The bag was undamaged when I handed it over. I now need to buy a replacement and their offer doesn’t come close to covering it. Avoid checking in luggage with Swiss if you value your belongings.

First time flying with Swiss air from US round trip to Italy through Zurich

We will never fly with them again!
Late departure caused us to miss our connecting Swiss flight - we were at the gate 15 mins late - pilot assured us they would wait - plane back to US was still at gate they would not let us on… terrible customer service as well

Got stuck in Zurich over night with little help from Swiss

If I could give them a rating of less than 1 it would be a pleasure to do so

Avoid this airline at all costs!!!

I was not aware that Swiss International Air Lines had changed its policies, and that when someone buys an airline ticket from them, it is no longer guaranteed that they will actually be able to board the flight.

On February 23, I booked a ticket for May 31 from Zurich to Chicago with Swiss International Air Lines. I also purchased 23 kg of checked baggage, but I did not pay for a seat selection because I did not care where I would be seated.

To my surprise, I later found out that I was on standby and that all seats had already been sold. I was told that I would only be allowed to board if some passengers failed to show up for the flight.

In fact, all passengers boarded, and I was among the very last travelers waiting. I was only allowed to board after it was confirmed that several passengers had not shown up. It was as if I were asking them to let me fly with them for free, despite having purchased a valid ticket.

I was not the only person in this situation; another traveler was affected as well.

Two incidents, same trip.

Outbound from London City: a member of our group was denied boarding due to overbooking. Staff at the desk offered no information, no alternatives and no compensation despite being legally required to under EU261.

Return from Zurich: flight cancelled due to a technical fault with no warning, rebooked to a different London airport with minimal assistance.

Filed a compensation claim. SWISS rejected it citing "extraordinary circumstances" - a defence that directly contradicts EU case law. They know this.

Formal regulatory complaints now filed with FOCA and the UK CAA.

I was very disappointed to discover that SWISSAIR has started charging extra for cabin baggage on certain fares. One of the reasons I preferred flying with a full-service airline was to avoid the endless add-on fees that are common with budget carriers. Unfortunately, this change makes the experience feel much less customer-friendly.
The ticket price may look competitive at first, but once you add the cost of bringing a standard cabin bag, the total price increases significantly. For short trips, many travellers rely on cabin baggage only, so charging extra for it feels unreasonable and poor value for money.
SWISSAIR has built its reputation on quality service and convenience, but this policy moves it closer to the low-cost airline model while still charging premium prices. I understand airlines need to manage costs, but removing or restricting cabin baggage allowances is frustrating for loyal customers.
Because of these additional baggage charges, I will be looking at other airlines for future trips. Unless this policy changes, I do not plan to fly with SWISS again.

I have flow through the years Swiss that pride itself to be a top airlines. Ok in economy plus better in business but customer service is the worst. They charge premium prices ....
- I booked 3 flights this summer eco plus with United and return with Swiss ZRH to ORD. I can pick a seat on United and GVA-ZRH, but not ZRH to ORD..(be assigned at check-in ) not even an option to pay.
Talk to customer service via email, no explanation and delayed response,and confused... No response yet>
I guess Lufthansa group is nickel and dimming, like British Airways.
And you pay full price...no discounted fare.
So next time, no more Swiss ( no more chocolate ) when I fly to visit home.

Considering how expensive they are it’s ridiculous that they make you check in a bag that’s 800g over

I can't give less than 1 star I guess? Why don't they teach them some gentleness. So arrogant attendants! Unpleasant experience, never going to fly with them!

Delayed about 60 minutes both ways from copenhagen to Zürich.

Very bad experience with the gate staff at London Heathrow. They forced me to check my hand luggage into the hold without even asking, completely ignoring my preferences. The staff were incredibly rude and unhelpful. The level of service here felt more like a budget airline like Ryanair than a premium carrier.

NEVER FLY WITH THIS AIRLINE!!!!!!
I booked a flight, was dreaming about it, was really excited to finally chill, BUT, MY FLIGHT GOT CANCELLED BECAUSE OF NOT ENOUGH GAS.I was so dissapointed. Its like a discrimination or something because why only part of the flights got cancelled?????
Like if theres not enough gas then why dont they cancel all of the flights??? BUT NO, THEY HAVE TO CANCEL ONLY THE PART OF THE FLIGHTS. And why specifically only those flights???? I AM SO DISSAPOINTED. JUST BANKRUPT THIS STUPID AIRLINE AT THIS POINT!!!!

We had round-trip tickets from Turkey to the United States with Swiss International Air Lines. Due to the risks related to my pregnancy, I had to travel two weeks earlier with my mother-in-law. My husband and son traveled on the original dates of our tickets.

Even though we informed the airline in advance by phone, ten days before our flight back we found out that my return ticket had been canceled. They told us that our tickets could only be reactivated if we paid 1,700 dollars. However, they delayed the process for ten days. They finally approved our tickets only 11 hours before the flight.

When we tried to book a bassinet seat for our 20-day-old newborn baby, we were told that no bassinet seats were available anymore. I have never encountered such an incompetent, insensitive, and disgraceful airline company in my life. Now I will have to hold my baby in my arms during a 12-hour flight. I absolutely do not recommend this airline to anyone.

Rude desk attendants. When it was time to weigh our carry-ons, mine was 2kg over. I told them I can remove a packing cubes and use it as a personal item (has a handle) they refused to let me open my suitcase. They told me I had to pay 70 euro. When it was time to pay they tried charging me double!! Luckily it was caught so I was charged correctly. 0/10 would never recommend

A Masterclass in Corporate Greed. Shameless Pricing and Total Disrespect for Passengers.
Do not let the word "Swiss" or the cross on the tail fin fool you—SWISS has completely abandoned any shred of Swiss hospitality and efficiency. They have fully succumbed to the worst corporate impulses of their parent company, the Lufthansa Group.
We are currently paying roughly 30% more for baseline flight tickets than a month ago. How does SWISS reward its customers for paying these massively inflated prices? By completely stripping away basic passenger dignity.
They have quietly introduced an "Economy Basic" fare that eliminates a standard overhead carry-on trolley bag. This is a premium legacy airline operating a literal monopoly on key European routes, yet they are aggressively copying the exact nickel-and-diming playbook of ultra-low-cost carriers. If you make the mistake of booking the cheapest ticket shown on their site, you are restricted to a tiny under-seat bag.
Worse yet, the behavior at the gate has turned outright hostile. Agents are aggressively hunting passengers down with scales to catch anyone over their strict 8 kg carry-on limit.They are acting like bounty hunters rather than customer service agents.
You pay premium network carrier prices only to be treated worse than you would on a budget airline. It is pure, unadulterated "shrinkflation" in the skies. They call it "giving customers choice," but it is actually a hidden tax on travelers who just want to fly with a single backpack .
What Are the Authorities Doing?
Where are the regulators while consumers are being robbed in broad daylight? Fortunately, the European Parliament has finally begun pushing back against this exact form of consumer abuse. Lawmakers have drafted and voted overwhelmingly in favor of new passenger rights legislation that would legally mandate all airlines operating in Europe to provide **one free piece of hand luggage (up to 7 kg)** and an under-seat personal item on all flights, regardless of fare class.
Unsurprisingly, airline groups are fiercely lobbying against it, calling a basic right to luggage a "lunatic idea." But until these European consumer protection laws are fully enacted and enforced, airlines like SWISS and Lufthansa will continue to exploit their market dominance to squeeze every single dollar, euro, and franc out of passengers.
Shame on SWISS and shame on the Lufthansa Group. Maximize your profits all you want, but you have officially lost a loyal customer.