GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Details are emerging of the changes to the winter schedule for airline Swiss, announced last week.
In addition to new rates and the new flights to six destinations from Geneva, year-round service will go into effect for three destinations that have been summer-only: Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Porto.
The growth in Geneva will be handled by new staff, to be trained by staff from Zurich, reports industry newsletter Routesonline, citing Rainer Hiltebrand, chief operating officer.
“‘Additional business development and marketing communications personnel have been recruited; and Swiss is further creating a local cabin crew base for 150 new flight attendants and training of these new crew members is due to begin in October,’ according to Hiltebrand with the Geneva expansion being supported from Zurich until the new crew base is up to full strength.”
Swiss German newspaper Tagesanzeiger reported last week that the new jobs in Geneva could come at the expense of jobs at Swiss in Geneva, noting that Geneva-based cabin crew are working without a long-term contract at the moment.
The company has been re-building its Geneva base, which was cut back after Swissair went bankrupt, and by 2012 it had 17.7 percent of the market, up from a low of just over 12 percent in 2006.