SWISS Blog

ILS

What is the meaning of the abbreviation ILS, we asked you yesterday on our Facebook page. Here’s the answer:

ILS stands for instrument landing system, a facility that provides pilots with both lateral and vertical guidance signals to help them land, especially in conditions of limited visibility. The lateral guidance is provided by the localizer, which tells the pilots if they are aligned with the runway centreline; and the vertical guidance is provided by the glide slope, which leads the aircraft down at a prescribed angle of approach. By following the intersection of the localizer and glide slope signals, pilots can guide their flight right down to the runway’s touchdown zone. All the runways in Zurich, Geneva and Basel that are used by our flights are ILS-equipped. And the system will generally be used by approaching aircraft whenever it is available, unless ATC prescribes a different approach or the pilots opt to perform a visual approach for training purposes.

“For me wine is a form of art”

The world of wine owes much to Swiss-born Margrit Mondavi. Together with her husband Robert Mondavi, she built up the Mondavi wine empire, which established the pleasure of wine as a major lifestyle focus.

Interview: Chandra Kurt for the in-flight magazine SWISS Universe

You are now 87 years old, you go into the office every day, travel round the world, and together with your late husband Robert Mondavi you brought radical changes to the world of wine. Where does so much enthusiasm come from?

I have been very lucky in my life. Everything was possible when I first came to California in the sixties. I was full of ideas and always loved the chance to link wine up with other areas. With music, for example, or with art. For me, wine has never been just wine.

Today, Napa Valley is the embodiment of premium wines from the USA, and California is responsible for some 90 per cent of total US grape production. What was the situation like back in the sixties?

Completely different. In those days, there were only 21 wineries and the sort of wine tourism that exists today was totally unknown. Wine tended to be a rather unexciting and extremely complicated matter. And, back then, it was very much a maledominated business.

How did you get involved with wine?

In 1964, I was looking for sponsors for a musical project and my search took me to six wineries. Five of them sent me packing but one agreed. That was the Charles Krug Winery, where I organised the first concert ever given in a Californian winery. The event proved to be a great success and I was offered a job as a tour guide – at 2 dollars an hour.

That wasn’t very much ...

Career prospects were pretty limited when you grew up as a young woman in the closed society of Switzerland in the forties and fifties: you became a teacher, secretary or nurse. There were many more opportunities for women in the USA, which was one of its great attractions for me. America was moving much faster than Switzerland. The 2 dollars an hour didn’t matter, far more important was the totally new world of possibilities that was opening up before my eyes and I was bursting with ideas.

A little later on, you started working at the Robert Mondavi Winery. How did you manage to get big names like Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte and Natalie Cole to perform at your concerts?

I simply asked them. Robert once said to me, “Don’t bother asking me whether it’s a good idea. If you feel something’s a good idea then just do it.” So I was in a position to make a dream come true. When word spread that we were staging concerts at the winery, everyone wanted to come. One of the stars who sang for us there was Ella Fitzgerald. It was pure magic. People sat everywhere on folding chairs on the lawn listening to her music.

Years later, you married Robert Mondavi and together you made California’s wines famous all over the world ...

The relationship between Bob and me was like a soap opera with a happy end. We were never interested simply in wine, but in all the pleasure that surrounds wine. We never celebrated just our own wines, but the entire region and everything else involved in the pleasure that wine gives. For me wine is a form of art. I’m a passionate painter, for instance, so it’s important for me to link wine with all areas of art.

How did you learn the most about wine?

By always being curious and sampling a lot of wines – both in restaurants and at wine tastings. The best way is to go out with wine lovers; that way you really learn a lot. It’s also well worthwhile buying an expensive bottle from time to time and making notes about the wine.

Do you drink wine every day?

Of course I do. I drink a glass of wine every day, mostly red wine. I can’t enjoy a meal without wine. Obviously, it’s important to enjoy it in moderation. I love Pinot Noir. Older wines, too. They bring back memories. Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is a wine that can age wonderfully.

Christian Lüdi, Social Media Manager

Hi folks!

I am delighted to be the SWISS “Instagrammer” for October, which will be a special month for me as it is my last at SWISS. After 5 super years with the airline, during which I had many special experiences, I am looking forward with great anticipation to a round-the-world trip that will last at least nine months.

Before I leave, however, I would like to take you on a tour behind the scenes at SWISS during my final month as an airline employee. For the past four and a half years I have been responsible for our Social Media Marketing activities. This means that everything that is in any way related to social media or with which social media could be associated eventually lands on my desk. This includes content and community management, training sessions, internal and external presentations, trend research, integrating social media in major projects (e.g. introduction of the Bombardier CSeries aircraft, integration of social media within crisis management).

I vividly recall the spring of 2009 when we first become active in the field of social media, with little idea at the time just how important this new communication platform would become. The speed with which the role of social media has evolved in recent years mirrors the diversity of my day-to-day work. In the early days, there were hardly any rules and we adopted a strategy of trial-and-error as we made our way forward on unfamiliar terrain. Many ideas were tried out, some efforts were abandoned after a while, and new approaches were repeatedly undertaken. Those that bore fruit were optimised. In the meantime, social media has become a fixed element in our communication with the public (as our 24/7 Customer Service demonstrates, in terms of the commitment on our part and the frequency with which these services are used). Consequently, my daily work is now far less operational than it was at first. Instead I am now more involved with the development of strategy and concepts, in-house training, formulation of guidelines and development of our activities and integration of departments and countries (e.g. integration of social media within Customer Service, integration of local content).

It will be my pleasure to give you an impression of daily work and my own last actions as SWISS Social Media Manager. The focus will be on a smooth transition and hand-over and bringing various projects to conclusion. On a personal note, I am busy making travel plans for me and partner. In addition to working out the approximate routing, this includes vaccinations and making arrangements to sublet my apartment. I will also share five personal highlights from the past five years at SWISS. To find out more, simply follow us on Instagram.

I look forward to your comments, questions and interest, and I hope that you’ll enjoy looking at my pictures. If you would like to follow me on my travels, you are welcome to do so via my private account as of November.

Thank you for following @FlySWISS and your keen interest!
Christian

How do you become a SWISS pilot? What are the necessary skills? How much practice and how much theory is scheduled? Follow Jasmin Iqbal, who just started her training at SWISS Aviation Training as she describes in fascinating detail her personal journey to become a SWISS pilot. This is the first blog entry of a series.

By Jasmin Iqbal, pilot in training

How time flies! On 22 July, a group of 19 young people, me included, began a new chapter in our lives when we started training to become a pilot.
We are now in the process of learning the necessary skills at SWISS Aviation Training PK 3/13, the designation for our pilot training class. Nineteen young people, each one of us with the dream of learning to fly. All of us are highly motivated and delighted to have the opportunity to make our dream come true. Before beginning my pilot training, I spent several years as an aircraft mechanic, working on B737 and the Airbus A320 family of aircraft. My primary hobby is hang-gliding, but I have often found myself looking up at the sky at the airplanes overhead and thinking: “I want to be a pilot”. Now the chance is here; the dream of making flying my career is coming true.

The training period lasts approximately 18 months, divided up into alternating phases of theory and practice. There are three practical phases: The first flight training takes place in Grenchen, Switzerland; the second is at Vero Beach, Florida, and the third phase sees us return to Grenchen, before we advance to process of type rating. Prior to starting our actual training, we held our first get-together on the Observation Terrace at Zurich Airport and then had dinner together at Runway 34, a restaurant not far from the airport. This occasion gave us an opportunity to become acquainted with one another. Here, too, the time went by very quickly. There was so much to talk about, with plenty of laughter included.

On the following Monday, the big moment finally arrived – the first day at the training centre. After being welcomed by members of the training centre’s top management and administrative staff, we set off on a tour of the facility, the highlight of which was visiting the full flight simulators. That was followed by distribution of instructional material, and a first “uniform” session. Further introduction and orientation followed throughout the first day, which came to an end late in the afternoon. Each of us headed home in a positive frame of mind and with a storehouse of fresh input and impressions.

The next day was the first day of a seven-week block of theory. Pilot training classes take place at the SWISS Aviation Centre facility the mornings, Monday through Friday, generally beginning at 08:15 and ending at 17:40. The range of subjects includes navigation, meteorology, air traffic rights and aerodynamics, to name just a few. There is no shortage of questions to deal with. How does a pilot fly an aircraft from A to B, taking into consideration the current wind conditions? How does weather occur? Can a pilot simply fly an aircraft around freely within the surrounding airspace? What rules apply? How does an aircraft even fly? Everything is explained with great thoroughness during the theory sessions. All this knowledge needs to be absorbed. Some of my colleagues in the course already have some form of flying experience, from motorised aircraft to model aircraft and hang-gliding. Others, however, are absolute beginners. The common goal of becoming a pilot bonds us together and makes the learning easier – as there is so much to do. The amount of material to be studied and mastered is immense. Serious commitment and self-discipline are called for. But it’s great fun at the same time. After a certain time, we are granted a radio license which authorises us to take part in radio communication under visual flying conditions. With time racing along, the first seven weeks soon come to an end. The first block of theory concluded recently with a comprehensive examination of all of the subjects studied. Now we are ready to start actual flight training, aboard a single-engine DA40NG Diamond aircraft. We are all extremely keen at this prospect. PK 3/13 is ready for take-off!

Traffic rights

What do “traffic rights” regulate, we asked you last Friday on our Facebook page. Here’s the answer:

Traffic rights regulate the type and the number of flights – passenger, cargo, mail and technical – that can be operated between and within countries.

Every airline requires an air operator’s certificate, issued by its national supervisory authority, to perform its commercial flight operations. The corresponding traffic rights are based on eight “Freedoms of the Air”, which range from the right to overfly a country to the right to stop there for technical reasons, transport passengers to or from that country, transport passengers from that country to another country or even transport passengers within that country.

These traffic rights are negotiated by the states concerned. And they may often be liberalized or dealt with more restrictively, depending on a country’s political and/or economic situation.

Arnaud Delaloye, e-marketing Greater Geneva Area

Bonjour à tous!

I am extremely glad to take over the @FlySWISS Instagram account for the month of November and let you discover all the cool activities that are currently running in the “Romandie” region, the French-speaking part of Switzerland!

I recently joined the SWISS Marketing team in Geneva, where our company is developing a lot of exciting projects: opening many new routes within Europe, new Crew Base, new fare structure, new marketing campaigns and partnerships etc., etc. My tasks are mainly to develop and execute online marketing activities: for example, we have just launched our own weekly eNewsletter and Facebook page SWISS GVA (www.facebook.com/flySWISS.GVA) ! My goal during the following weeks will be to introduce to you all the people who are running these projects and share with you interesting “behind the scenes” views of SWISS and the airline world.

On a personal note, I live in Geneva but am originally from canton Valais. I often go back and forth, which will hopefully give me the chance to show you pictures of all my favourite places, from Lake Geneva to the Valais Alps. And I will try to take you on board of our planes as often as I can, because if you are reading this and following us on Instagram that’s probably because, just like me, you love airlines.

See you on Instagram and thanks for following @FlySWISS here: Instagram.

Have you ever wondered why Swiss aircraft registrations (including those of our own fleet) begin with HB?

The definitive answer is lost in the mists of time, but here’s the most plausible explanation: Up until 1932 Switzerland’s country registration code was “CH” (for Confoederatio Helvetica, the Latin name for the Swiss Confederation).

Then, in 1934, the revised Paris Convention entered into effect, whose provisions included the stipulation that an aircraft’s registration must be identical to its radio call sign. The call signs for on-board radios had already been established in the Washington International Radiotelegraph Convention of 1927, under which Switzerland had been allocated the block of “HBA” to “HBZ”. So the later Paris Convention assigned Switzerland the “HB” country code for its aircraft registrations. Precisely why the 1927 Washington Conference had given Switzerland the “HBx” call signs is unknown.

Julia Schuchardt, Marketing Scandinavia & Finland

This month Julia, Marketing Manager for SWISS in Scandinavia, will provide you with a look behind the scenes during a very exciting month that will include, for example, insights about an Instagram contest running at Oslo Airport and a new connection to Geneva.

Hello everyone, nice to “meet” you! My name is Julia and I am working as Marketing Manager for SWISS in Scandinavia. Three years ago I moved from Germany to Sweden and really fell in love with this country. I am very much looking forward to taking over the FlySWISS Instagram account for the month of December. My plan is to provide you with some insights about what is going on in the Nordic markets. We have some exciting projects coming up, such as the launch of our new connections to Geneva. Most probably I will be on the first flight from Stockholm to Geneva – so let’s cross our fingers and hope that I can provide you with some nice shots from the cockpit, too. Personally, I also love to travel around the world during my leisure time. Let’s see where I will go during the upcoming Christmas holidays - of course I will keep you posted on that. Bye for now and see you soon on Instagram! Thank you for following @FlySWISS.

"Your flight has been delayed...". Being a passenger on a flight that is delayed or even cancelled is very annoying, but the crew also faces some challenges in such situations. Here is a glimpse about what happens behind the scenes (and closed cockpit doors).

By Mathias Iwersen, Co-Pilot

When asked by passengers why a particular flight is delayed, there is sometimes just no good answer. Most of the time the inbound aircraft arriving from another airport is already delayed by some minutes, which makes the time for all ground duties (loading and unloading, cleaning, catering, crew change, etc) very tight. The reason for those delays is sometimes the dense arrival traffic in Zurich, a slow boarding at the departure airport or passengers not showing up, therefore making a baggage search necessary. Especially during wintertime such delays can accumulate during the course of the day and combined with de-icing and unfavourable departure slots your pilots and crew cannot do a lot against it.

Besides those small and sometimes hard to explain delays there are also the really major delays, which are xplainable but way more disturbing. Such a delay happen very rarely, but when it does, it is then most likely due to a technical problem with the airplane. For us pilots the safety of our passengers, crew and airplane is always the first priority. That is why we involve the maintenance team right away to help us solve the problem and to coordinate the next steps, from a small system reset to changing the aircraft, which is the worst case option.

This was also the case on one of my flights during the winter. We were scheduled to leave Zurich late in the afternoon for a flight to Madrid and fly from there to Geneva. We left the gate on time and were on our way to the departure runway when we experienced a technical problem with one of our engines. We stopped the aircraft, shut down the engine and contacted our maintenance team. It soon became clear that we would have to change our aircraft as a repair would have taken too long. Not only Madrid had to be reached, but we had to think of the second flight to Geneva, where sooner or later a night ban would come into effect. At that point the work of organising the aircraft change began.

In such a case a lot of things have to be thought of. Is another aircraft available and where is it? When will it be fuelled with the amount needed? Is the loading crew present to transfer everything? Do we need more catering? Is a new loadsheet or flight plan needed? While the Captain stayed in contact with our operations control and briefed the passengers, I organized the whole fuelling, loading and catering issues, ordered a crew bus for our transfer and stayed in contact with the mechanics who were still checking the engine. The Captain instructed the passengers to proceed to the new gate without delay and not to stop at the duty- free shops, and amazingly everybody boarded the new aircraft on time.

In the meantime it had started to snow in Zurich and so after preparing everything again, we first had to de-ice our plane to be ready for a high speed flight to Madrid. We organised a very quick turnaround there and managed to get an extension for the Geneva night ban of 30 minutes, just long enough for the flight not to be cancelled. After another high speed flight we landed in Geneva only 5 minutes before airport closure. This was a by-the-book example of how a system failure can affect the whole operation and how the many tasks that arise are managed. We were glad that everybody involved performed so well and enabled us to make the arrival in Geneva before the night ban.

By the way: In the end it turned out, that the engine problems were caused by a faulty EIU (Engine Interface Unit). The EIU is responsible for transmitting engine parameters to another system called “FADEC” which manages and controls the whole engine, from ignition to shut-down.

Every hopeful cabin crew applicant knows that they will be asked in the interview process about their flexibility and adaptability to unforeseen consequences that might occur during their duty, such as delays or force majeure.

by Lilia Mironov, Cabin Crew Member

Many aspiring individuals choose this job because they are curious and adventurous, think outside of the box and are prepared to deal with the unpredictable. Routine is not a subject that fits the job description – this is the most exciting career imaginable!

Over the years I have encountered quite some unforeseen events and delays. I remember when 9/11 happened, I was on a three night layover in Tokyo. We will always remember where we were that day, regardless of our career paths. It has been one of the most haunting experiences in my life and from my perspective 9/11 made us bond as crew members. The solidarity we hence developed towards each other and towards other airline colleagues was one of a kind and for me, and it still continues. But there’s also been so called events of higher power that have enchanted me – mainly being snowed in in an attractive city!

I have experienced such blizzards in Chicago, New York, Boston and Tokyo. The first blizzard, in Chicago, was many years ago and had the airport closed down. Our return flight was delayed for two days. Traffic was to a standstill in the city, because of four feet of snow. Here too, we bonded as a team. A maître de cabine of ours, me and another friend of his from the city became friends for life by hiking across the snow covered deserted Michigan Avenue towards the Adler Planetarium which amazingly was open. We still get together yearly with fond memories of that blizzard.

A couple of years ago I got stuck in Manhattan over New Year’s Eve! Instead of arriving back home in time for celebrations with our families, a blizzard had closed down the New York airports. That was seriously romantic! Fifth Avenue and Central Park under masses of snow! That’s by the way how I discovered the Metropolitan Museum – I went there with wet feet and shoes full of snow seeking warmth and shelter and came out hours later as an art lover. Instead of flying back that night I bought a ticket to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. When we finally flew home two days later, when the airport reopened, Sophia Loren was our guest on board. She too had missed that New Year’s Eve at home in Switzerland!

Best regards,
Lilia

This month on our Instagram account: A320 Captain Manfred Simon takes you along into his world as a SWISS pilot and Deputy Fleet Chief and shows the challenges and advantages of this fascinating job.

Manfred Simon, Captain and Deputy Fleet Chief

Hello Swiss community and a happy new year to all of you. I wish you all the best in 2014. My name is Manfred Simon and I am working as A320 Captain and as Deputy Fleet Chief A320 in the fleet office. I spend about 50% of my time in the aircraft flying on our short-haul network and the other 50% in the fleet office. It’s a pleasure for me to show you some insights of my job in the cockpit and in the office. Winter operations is quite a challenge for the pilots. At the end of January I’m scheduled for a trip to Moscow, which will show you how hard the winter further north can be.

My career as a pilot started 25 years ago with Swissair. I’m still convinced that it is a huge privilege to work as pilot in a company like SWISS. What I like most on our short-haul network is the pace of the operations, the challenging conditions and of course the night stops together with my crew. On the other hand, when I’m working in the office, I see how many people are involved in a safe and reliable and of course profitable airline. It needs a lot, to get an aircraft airborne.

I live close to the airport in Zurich, together with my wife and our two sons. In my free time I like to cook, which gives me a good balance to our working environment. Hopefully I can provide you with some new aspects and snapshots this month. And now, see you on Instagram! Thank you for following @FlySWISS.

Friends and family members of cabin crew staff often have the view that our job is more like a holiday than real work and that all we do is enjoy ourselves and have no idea of what stress means. Although it is exciting to discover new destinations, our job is certainly not about just taking it easy.

By Kristina Roder, Cabin Crew Member

When I was recently assigned to a Montreal rotation that included a two-night stay, I immediately asked my mother if she would like to accompany me. Since parents of staff enjoy travel at a reduced fare, a weekend trip to Montreal really sounds attractive, right?

My mother accepted my invitation. Even though her dream destination is Hong Kong, I wanted to see how she would cope with a relatively short flight to Montreal before letting her sit in a jump seat on a flight to the Far East for 12 hours. The low fare is available on a standby basis, which means that a seat is not guaranteed. You take what you can get. And a jump seat is better than no seat, which would mean not flying at all.
The predicted availability on the outbound flight, however, was poor, which prompted me to “sign up” for duty in the Economy Class galley. I thought that if my mother was given the jump seat then I would at least be able to brief her on the procedure and attend to her en route. Personally speaking, I find daytime flights in Economy Class much more demanding than in Business Class, where passengers often prefer to sleep between meal services. There is always a lot going on during a daytime flight in Economy, which is fun but much more tiring. But as it turned out, my mother was in luck on the flight to Montreal and was even able to travel in Business Class. So while I spent the seven hours of the flight organising and serving, my mother was pampered by my colleagues.

We really enjoyed our time in Montreal. After arriving we went out for a meal and on the next day explored the old town quarter. The French influence is clearly visible and we partly felt as though we were in Brittany. Our return flight was on the third day. This was an evening flight with a very short flying time, which meant there was barely an hour between the first and second meal service. This time I was on duty in Business Class, with a positive attitude as always. The flight was fully booked, however, and my mother this time travelled back seated in the Economy Class jump seat.

After the first service I made a quick visit to Economy Class to see how she and my colleagues were doing. Everything was fine but I could sense that the stress level among my colleagues was on the high side. Preparations for the second meal service were in full swing. My mother was impressed by the amount of organisation and teamwork required to keep things running smoothly, along with the pace at which my colleagues had to work. She got a close-up look at the demanding side of our job. And even though the comfort of travelling in a jumpseat is rather limited, I think it’s good for family members to see what a day in the life of a cabin crew member is really like. All in all, this was a unique experience, and not only because of the great time we had in Montreal.

Best regards, Kristina

My blog: A cocktail a day

Instagramer of the Month in February: Florian Trojer, First Officer BAe Avro RJ100

Dear followers and fans of SWISS. My name is Florian and I will be your Instagramer of the month in February, giving you insights into my work as a First Officer on the BAe Avro RJ100. I have been flying on our short-haul network for about one-and-a-half years now and will regularly share photographs taken while en route to various European destinations from my home base of Zurich.

We operate to most of the European destinations in our SWISS route network and also handle all scheduled SWISS flights to various destinations from Basel.

Two special airports in our network are City Airport, located not far from the financial center of London in the United Kingdom, and Florence Airport in Tuscany, Italy. Both places have a rather short runway and require extra training in order for us pilots to fly there. The Avro exclusively serves these airports as the Airbus family of aircraft in our fleet are not certified for that. I look forward to taking you along virtually!

I myself wanted to fly for a living all my life. I started flying gliders at the age of 17, single-engine and multi-engine propeller aircraft at the age of 20 and flew on a jet aircraft for the first time at SWISS at the age of 24.

I fondly remember my training in the United States, where general aviation is a lot more integrated into people’s lives and indeed a tool to experiencing freedom. There you are able to fly almost everywhere without much hassle. My most adventurous flight so far was on a multi-engine Cessna 340 from the State of New York all the way to Iceland via Canada and Greenland, together with two more experienced pilots.

Anyway – that’s all about me for now – I hope you enjoy the photographs I get to share with you, follow us @FlySWISS.

This year sees the 150th anniversary of the first-ever diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan. To mark the occasion, some modest celebrations were held at the departure gates of SWISS’s Zurich-Tokyo and Tokyo-Zurich services on Friday 7 February. Along with the travellers on the flights concerned, the events were attended by a number of SWISS representatives and official invitees.

by Myriam Ziesack, Media Relations

Photos: Rumi Sakunaga, Online Marketing Japan

Switzerland’s relationship with Japan in aviation terms dates back to May 1956, when the initial bilateral air services agreement was signed between the two countries. The first official flight on (what was then) Swissair’s new Far East route to Tokyo took off from Zurich in April the following year, and reached Japan’s capital via intermediate stops in Geneva, Beirut, Karachi, Bombay, Bangkok and Manila.

Swiss traffic rights to Japan have been fairly limited over the years. Despite repeated efforts on Switzerland’s part, the more restrictive policy practised by the Japanese authorities meant that SWISS could only operate five weekly frequencies to Tokyo in its first ten years of existence. The situation did improve somewhat in 2012, though, when the total flights permitted were raised to nine a week (of which SWISS has been flying seven and Edelweiss two).

All that is about to change, though. In the course of his recent official visit to Japan to mark the sesquicentennial, Swiss Foreign Minister (and current Swiss President) Didier Burkhalter co-signed a new open-skies agreement between Switzerland and Japan. Under the new accord, both Swiss and Japanese airlines will enjoy total flexibility in planning and operating their services between the two countries in terms of where they fly to, how often they do so, with what types of aircraft and more. The new agreement also provides more scope for SWISS to work with partners (including Japanese carriers) on the services concerned.

It’s a welcome development: Japan is Switzerland’s second-biggest trading partner in the region (after China), and is one of its prime markets for incoming tourists, too.

A vital bridge

One man at SWISS is especially pleased at all this: Noboru Okabe, our Head of Sales for Japan and Korea. Noboru has been with SWISS and its predecessor Swissair since 1974. Over all those years he’s been a vital bridge between the Swiss and the Japanese cultures; and he was also closely involved in the new open-skies agreement.

We took the opportunity to ask him a few questions:

Noboru, what do you feel has changed most since the early days of Swiss air services to Japan?
Noboru Okabe: Well, the route was first served back in 1957. The service was operated using Douglas DC-6s, and with stopovers in Beirut, Karachi, Bombay, Bangkok and Manila. That all took a lot of time, of course, and over the years the routing was improved to one stop in Bombay, one stop in Anchorage or one stop in Moscow. Now we fly the route non-stop, and it takes less than half the time it did at the start.

How important is this new open-skies agreement between Switzerland and Japan?

Noboru Okabe: Very! In the past Japan’s air services have been fully regulated. So if a Swiss carrier wanted to increase its frequencies or operate to a new Japanese destination, government-level talks had to be held to agree on the new traffic rights. And that’s been quite time-consuming: it’s even taken years in some cases! We want to be able to align our services more flexibly to demand. And with the new open-skies accord, that’s exactly what we can do.

How do you feel right now, and what are the next steps?

Noboru Okabe: We’re so pleased to see this big step forward. Nothing will change in the immediate future: we’ll continue to serve the Zurich-Tokyo route daily, with two extra weekly services in the peak June-to-September period. That’s adequate for the current market demand; but if that demand changes, we’re now so much better placed to respond!

What impact will this new agreement have on your own work?

Noboru Okabe: As I said, we’ll be able to match our services much better to the market demand, from Europe and from Japan. The business environment is changing all the time, for SWISS and the entire Lufthansa Group. And this new open-skies accord will enable us to be a lot more proactive, and much swifter in our responses to all these developments.

How important is SWISS in Japan?

Noboru Okabe: Well, the Tokyo-Zurich route isn’t exactly booming right now. That has a lot to do with the current state of the economy, and with currency factors, too. But this is all about getting prepared today to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The Japanese economy is expected to bounce back in the coming years. And when it does, we’ll be far better equipped to meet the higher market demand.

Wearing a uniform on the way to or from work sometimes generates memorable encounters. And Pristina is an ideal destination for the same.

By Kristina Roder, Cabin Crew Member

Sometimes I am in uniform when I travel to and from the airport. For example, when having the extra time at home is more important than the anonymity of travelling in civilian clothes, or when I am travelling from Bern rather than from my parents’ place, or have to get home as fast as possible in order to keep an appointment. But travelling in uniform is a lot less relaxing than doing so in civilian clothes. Other rail passengers often seem to feel that I should know everything and be ready to help everyone. That after a 12-hour flight I might not be in the mood for small talk is not always met with understanding.

But wearing my uniform also generates some memorable encounters. Such as on the morning of Christmas Day.

If I have the time I like to get a coffee-to-go somewhere in the rail station. My order often meets with a broad smile and the question: "Pristina?" Which is what happened on Christmas Day. Not many Swiss work at station shops on Sundays and official holidays. And the Swiss probably don’t fly with our airline as often as people who have family members in the Balkans, a region SWISS serves in cooperation with Edelweiss, Air Pristina and Air Kosovo to Pristina and Skopje. Flight attendants know that these flights are special. On no other flights are the passengers so grateful and misunderstandings so amusing. While most of the younger travellers are fluent in Swiss-German, there are many older passengers who cannot speak or understand German or English. So it goes without saying that the person in the neighbouring seat acts as interpreter. On these flights we are never treated with disrespect. And the compliments we receive when the flight is over are always sincere.

The number of children on board these flights is legendary, too. A dozen safety belts for children are always loaded on short-haul flights but usually an additional 10 to 20 belts are required for the flights to Pristina. It appears to be standard procedure that the children on these flights are no longer infants either.

On one flight someone called out to me: “Hey, I recognise you,” which perplexed me somewhat, not only because I was addressed in the familiar “du” form, which is normal on these flights. I hadn’t been assigned to a Pristina rotation for quite some time, which meant it was unlikely that I had been on the outbound flight with the passenger. He explained to me to that he was in the building trade and had often seen me because he flew on this route regularly. An amusing conversation ensued.

All of this went through my mind on this Christmas morning while I was waiting or my coffee. Almost wistfully I replied to the sales clerk: “No, Delhi” while secretly looking forward to my next Balkan excursion.

Best regards, Kristina

My blog: A cocktail a day

Nadja Waldraff, our new social media expert for Global Marketing, has successfully completed her probationary period and in March will offer you insights into her exciting and multifaceted daily work via our Instagram channel.

Hello everybody!

My name is Nadja and during March I will be your SWISS Instagramer of the month. I am relatively new at SWISS, having joined the company only three months ago. So I am naturally excited about this month because it gives me the opportunity to discover SWISS with my Instagram photos, together with you. Instagram and all the other social media networks have a special status in my daily work as I am responsible for our social media strategy and activities. Every day I am in contact with you, our SWISS fans, through various channels, which enables me to exchange thoughts with you about our exciting world of air transport.

This month you will be able to accompany me to exciting social media events in Switzerland and Germany. And we’ll be celebrating my 29th birthday too ;). You can also look forward to seeing plenty of water as I live on Lake Constance and spend as much time as possible on the lakeshore.

I am eager to see how this month plays out. Let’s see what it brings!

Looking forward to interacting with you.

Cheers

Nadja

CAT

What does “CAT” mean, we asked you on our Facebook page. Here’s the answer:

Clear air turbulence (CAT) refers to the sudden occurrence of turbulence without any visible cloud activity.

It is commonly referred to as an “air pocket” even though this type of turbulence is not the result of a sudden drop in air pressure or the presence of an air vacuum. The cause is rather a rapid change in the speed and direction of air movement. CAT occurs when masses of air moving at differing speeds collide. The altitude at which this is most likely to happen is between 7,000 and 12,000 metres in the jetstream zone or at lower altitudes near mountain ranges.

Photo: Anthony Lascaugiraud

Between December and March, SWISS and Edelweiss fly two charters a week to Kittilä in Northern Finland. The services, which are being provided for Falcontravel and Kontiki Reisen, pose quite an operational challenge for flight and ground crews alike.

By Markus Guler, SWISS Business Analyst & Project Leader Expert, and Christian Galliker, Airbus First Officer A320.

The Northern Finnish resort of Kittilä is a popular destination for snowsports fans and seekers of gentler vacations as well. For our crews, too, it’s a welcome change from the usual rotations. But it does offer its own operational and turnaround peculiarities – as we experienced in our rotation on 18 January.

“Eco-fuelling” saves money
To take one example, the aircraft operating these Kittilä flights are fully fuelled in Zurich whenever possible, to ensure that they only have to uplift the minimum extra fuel needed for the return flight when on the ground in Kittilä. The reason: kerosene is more expensive there. This “eco-fuelling” approach can save us thousands of francs. In view of the low temperatures it experiences, Kittilä Airport can also require special approach provisions. Generally, the airport is approached with a decision height of 870 feet above sea level (or 220 feet above the ground). But in extreme cold – such as on the day of our flight – 870 feet would be too low for a go-around decision, because of the denser air. As a result, our decision height was raised 45 feet to 915 feet above sea level.

Special snow warnings
Kittilä Airport’s Runway 34 has a few surprises, too. Owing to the local topography, it requires an ILS approach of 3.4°, steeper than the usual 3.0°. At 2,500 metres, the runway is about the same length as Zurich’s Runway 10/28. With a favourable weather forecast and the SNOWTAMs* reporting “braking action good”, we were able to perform our landing with little restriction or concern. Only the apron seemed to have any snow or ice on it, and was described as having “braking action poor” in the same reports. With services to and from the airport few and far between, the Kittilä ground staff do not issue loadsheets. So it’s up to the cockpit crew to use the information available (on containers, passengers per zone etc.) and make their own weight and trim calculations. These manual procedures are something of a rarity nowadays, but naturally pose no major problem to the crews concerned.

De-icing at the limit
De-icing operations, too, are pushed to the limits when the temperatures are as cold as this. Every type of de-icing fluid has its own lowest operational use temperature or “LOUT”, which is based on its freezing point plus a suitable safety margin. For the fluid used in Kittilä, it’s -33°C. On the day of our flight the local temperature was -36°C. Luckily, no de-icing was required. If it had been, we’d have experienced a nightstop in Northern Finland, too!

*SNOWTAM = Snow Warning To Airmen, used by Scandinavian operations, is a notification describing the conditions of the runway, taxiway and apron status at an aerodrome with respect to snow, ice and standing water.


The Flight Management System (FMS) provides the cockpit crew with the key data for arrival in Kittilä. Photo: Christian Galliker	“Cleared to land on runway 34”: On approach to the only runway at Kittilä. Photo: Anthony Lascaugiraud

Minus 36 degrees: Ramp agents seem immune to the biting cold. Photo: Christian Galliker	First Officer Christian Galliker enjoys the opportunity to work this rare rotation. Photo: Markus Guler

First Officer Christian Galliker prepares for return flight to Zurich. Photo: Markus Guler	Without a load planner at their disposal in Kittilä, the cockpit crew makes weight and trim calculations on the basis of available information about containers and the number of passengers per zone. Photo: Markus Guler

Who’s in the mood for a getaway? Flight attendant Kristina Roder reports in her latest SWISS Blog article about the custom among crew members of sharing good travel tips. We want to let you in on a current tip, too.

by Kristina Roder, Cabin crew member

We flight attendants sometimes behave like herd animals. Not only on board but also during a layover. If an attractive rooftop terrace, excellent steakhouse or a funky market is discovered to be near our hotel, word of the tip spreads like wildfire and entire crews soon show up there.

I enjoy going to such popular crew spots, too, especially if I am in a city for the first time and don’t know my way around or have any specific plans. After you have been to the same place a few times, however, it becomes boring. Then I look for something new: in travel guides, on the Internet or by asking friends.
Sometimes the crew finds a real gem in or near a big city, as happened in Dar es Salaam.

At the moment our hotel is a bit outside the city centre, but the beach and the pool aren’t quite enough. But not far from the hotel, paradise has been found, specifically on a small island that is also a marine reserve. The price for the ferry transport, food and admission are always negotiated anew. After an explanation has been given for the sudden increase in price, negotiations for a discount start. But that’s just part of the experience. Just like the white beach covered in shells, the turquoise water, platters of fresh fruit, and freshly caught fish served with French fries.

Does that sound enticing, heavenly and gorgeous? Yes indeed! And for precisely this reason one has to almost force oneself to see something of the pulsating city and discover something new there. Recently I was at a fish market in the city. The colourful activity and the warmth of the people compensated for passing up the opportunity to go to the beach. For once, anyway.

The next time I’m in Dar es Salaam, I’m sure to be found on the island, enjoying the tranquillity and recharging my batteries for the night flight back to reality.


Photo: Daniel Klaus	Photo: Daniel Klaus

Photo: Daniel Klaus	Photo: Daniel Klaus

Best regards, Kristina

My blog: A cocktail a day

Our Instagramer of the month in April is text editor and translator Alan Millen. With his broad SWISS experience and daily interaction with colleagues from across the company, particularly in Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alan will give you unique insights into his professional and private life.

Hello, SWISS Fans and Followers

My name is Alan Millen and I’ll be the Instagram supplier for the month of April. I have been with SWISS as a Marketing unit text editor and German-to-English translator since the company came into existence in 2002. I do a lot of work for our inflight magazine so there’s a pretty good chance you’ve read some of my work on a SWISS flight at some point. From 1991-2002 I was part of the Corporate Communications team at Swissair. I came to Switzerland from Vancouver, Canada in 1987, where I had worked as a newspaper reporter and secondary school teacher. But that’s all a long time ago now. Away from the airline business, I have done the English subtitling for a number of Swiss feature films and documentaries, the best known of which were released in English as The Foster Boy (“Der Verdingbub”), The Curse of the Alps (“Sennentuntschi”), 180° (“180° Wenn deine Welt plötzlich Kopf steht”) and The Little Room (“La Petite Chambre”).

As a SWISS employee I enjoy flying whenever the opportunity comes up. My most recent trip was to snowy Boston and New York in early February. Toward the end of April I’ll be flying to Barcelona and will make a point of sending some pictures from that trip together with friends visiting from Canada.

As I am based at head office in Zurich, most of the images I provide will be of day-to-day SWISS scenes at nearby Zurich Airport and Zurich in general. I’m looking forward to this project as it takes me out of my comfort zone. It will be a challenge to match the standards set by previous Instagrammers!

Best regards

Alan

Follow us @FlySWISS on Instagram.

Airline Glossary - ILS

Interview with Margrit Mondavi

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

Living the dream...

Airline Glossary - Traffic rights

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

Airline Glossary - Swiss aircraft registrations "HB"

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

Insight into a delay

Force Majeure (My sky-high life)

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

With Mama to Montreal (My sky-high life)

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

Red-and-white ties and open skies

Pristina? (My ski-high life)

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)

Airline Glossary - CAT

The challenge of the cold

Downtime on the island (My sky-high life)

SWISS on Instagram (FlySWISS)