BANKRUPT Swiss flag carrier Swissair is to re-emerge
as Swiss in a £34 million rebrand.
The move, which retains Swissair’s traditional tailfin
cross and red-on-white livery, follows a post-September 11 deal to dissolve the
stricken carrier into regional airline Crossair.
Crossair chief executive officer André Dosé said he
hoped improvements in the on-board product – including redesigned lighting,
fabrics and meal services – would reflect traditional Swiss ‘reliability and
elegance’.
He said: “It’s hard to say goodbye to the past but
Swiss values have made us strong before and they will make us strong again in
the future.”
Crossair sales and marketing vice-president Arjen Pen
said he hoped agents would feel confident about booking tickets on the new
airline at its launch in April.
“All Swissair’s trade debts
have been paid off, so there should be no bad feeling,” he told Travel Weekly.
“We have also increased our base commission rate by 2% for key agents.”