CEOInterviews.AI"Live from the CEO's office" with Swiss CEO Dieter Vranckx

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Interviewer4:48

Thank you for being here at the airport and for answering our questions and those from the 20 Minuten community.

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Dieter Vranckx5:16

Today, I look at the whole process from security to check-in as a normal passenger. I always use the regular passenger lanes to see how things are running and if everything is smooth from the customer's perspective—the entire journey from check-in to boarding.

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Interviewer7:27

Are you flying more or less for ecological reasons?

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Dieter Vranckx7:30

Both, probably. We clearly see that travel behavior has changed, especially among business travelers—we're still about 30% below 2019 volumes. Second, it's important for us as an airline to become greener and to offer our customers green tickets. We've actively integrated green fares into our sales process since Q1.

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Interviewer8:14

Business class?

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Dieter Vranckx8:31

Business travelers are flying much less for a one‑day trip to the US and back. Instead, they combine multiple meetings into one trip. And ecologically, it makes sense to use green fares to offset emissions.

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Interviewer9:07

Let's talk about the situation at Zurich Airport. In May and June it was quite chaotic, with extremely long queues.

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Dieter Vranckx9:12

We are in close contact with Zurich Airport, all the parties there, and the cantonal police. The measures we initiated in May and June are now taking effect. We're proud that the last weekend, with over 60,000 passengers on Sunday, went very well. The Swiss team worked hard both on the ground and in the air to get our passengers to their destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible. I personally went to the cantonal police and said, 'Dear colleagues, this can't go on.' We've addressed all levels and we're constantly optimizing the entire system together with our partners. So far during the summer holidays it has worked really well.

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Interviewer11:56

Organized?

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Dieter Vranckx12:03

It was of course not ideal that we had a difficult situation in May and June. But when we compare ourselves with European competitors—London last year, Amsterdam where there were 3 km queues on the street and too little staff combined with incredible growth—then here it's still not that bad. For example, last summer in July 2022 we had 99% reliability, actually 99.4%. That means almost all planned flights operated as scheduled. We set the same goal for this summer.

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Interviewer13:25

Did the chaos in May and June damage the image of Switzerland and Swiss?

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Dieter Vranckx13:35

In the short term, probably not ideal. But in the medium and long term, together with the cantonal police and our partners at Zurich Airport, we will ensure that quality returns to where it belongs for Switzerland.

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Interviewer16:57

What about operating hours at the airport?

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Dieter Vranckx17:08

We currently set up the system to work optimally between 6 AM and 11 PM. Any further restriction would be disastrous for Swiss and Zurich Airport, because the whole system with long-haul and short-haul routes can only function within those hours. Further restrictions are not possible.

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Interviewer17:50

Understood. Any plans to extend beyond 11 PM?

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Dieter Vranckx17:59

No, we have no plans for that. The important thing for us now is the runway extension. It brings more safety and stability. It does not increase capacity—we have had no extension for two years and still grew. But when the wind blows from the east, capacity is reduced by almost a third, leading to delays and cancellations. The extension helps reduce that negative impact.

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Interviewer19:20

There is political resistance in the Zurich region.

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Dieter Vranckx19:32

The importance of Zurich Airport for Switzerland is clear. After Swissair disappeared, the airport is worth billions for our country and our economy, connecting Switzerland to the world. Most resistance comes because people misunderstand the consequences: they think runway extension means more capacity, but it doesn't.

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Interviewer21:12

Punctuality is a problem. In June, 57% of flights were on time. Where does the problem lie?

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Dieter Vranckx21:30

We are in close contact with our partners. The punctuality issue is also driven by external factors: staff shortages, strikes in Italy, air traffic control problems in Germany and France, and severe weather like thunderstorms that halt operations. All these combine to make punctuality less than optimal.

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Interviewer22:43

Provocatively: could it be that Swiss is doing better than others?

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Dieter Vranckx22:53

Good question. We've built our network planning with a lot of buffer to compensate for external problems. We also have an above‑average number of reserve aircraft—up to five for European routes and one for long‑haul. Stability of operations is our top priority. That's why, despite being unpunctual for various reasons, we bring our passengers to their destinations. That is our promise, and we keep it.

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Interviewer25:47

Punctuality compared to other airlines?

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Dieter Vranckx25:57

We operate internationally, not just within Switzerland. We are part of the European aviation system and cannot isolate ourselves from what happens in Europe. Our top goal is to be reliable and stable, bringing passengers from A to B. That's what matters most to our customers, especially after COVID.

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Interviewer27:20

Many followers ask: why is Swiss actually called Lufthansa?

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Dieter Vranckx27:44

Good question. We are a Swiss airline, based in Zurich‑Kloten, with Swiss employees, registered in Switzerland, and we work with Swiss partners. In our DNA, we are Swiss. Regardless of who the shareholder is, we are clearly the airline of Switzerland, connecting the country to the world. We pay taxes here. We are 100% Swiss.

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Interviewer29:50

But your staff are not all Swiss?

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Dieter Vranckx29:52

Actually, more than three‑quarters of our crew are Swiss. The Swiss element is 100% present.

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Interviewer30:20

A question: Are you always last to get new aircraft?

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Dieter Vranckx33:17

That is not true. For example, the Airbus A220—Swiss was the first worldwide to operate it. Also, we are getting the new A350 long‑haul aircraft in 2025, as we wished. That's because we are profitable and can invest 1.5 billion from our own cash flow.

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Interviewer35:35

Why is Swiss becoming more like a low‑cost airline?

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Dieter Vranckx35:50

We've noticed that individuality is important—each customer wants to decide what to pay for. So we've individualized the product. On short‑haul, we offer high‑quality options like Sprüngli, while on long‑haul everything from economy to first class is part of the product. Premium is not just a free coffee; it's also the promise to deliver the product as sold, which budget airlines sometimes fail to do.

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Interviewer38:26

Questions about salaries: big differences between cabin crew and pilots?

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Dieter Vranckx38:50

We are in negotiations for a new collective labor agreement for cabin crew. We aim to improve conditions significantly. It's important that the entire crew works together as a team to serve our customers.

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Interviewer40:32

Why should I book Swiss and not easyJet for Europe?

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Dieter Vranckx40:45

The service on board in Europe is different. The quality of Sprüngli, the training of our crew—they are at the top of European aviation. Our customer surveys always place us at the top.

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Interviewer41:41

Why don't you board from back to front, like in the US?

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Dieter Vranckx41:50

Different concepts have been tried. Boarding from back to front can cause balance issues—the aircraft might tip. We stick with our priority boarding system in groups.

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Interviewer42:46

Last question: why is overbooking allowed? Isn't it a form of fraud?

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Dieter Vranckx43:11

We have strongly reduced overbooking compared to pre‑COVID. Overbooking exists across all airlines to account for no‑shows—on some routes 5–8% of passengers don't show up. Flying with empty seats would be inefficient and not environmentally friendly. Our revenue management systems calculate precisely how many no‑shows to expect.

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Interviewer44:46

Why is a flight to Pristina more expensive than to the US?

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Dieter Vranckx44:55

That's not entirely true. There may be a few days when it seems so, but overall, flights to the US are at least twice the price of flights to Pristina.

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Interviewer45:17

Are there plans to bring back the Swissair brand?

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Dieter Vranckx45:33

No, we have no plans to bring back Swissair. We are Swiss and we are on the offensive.

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Interviewer46:12

Final thoughts on ecology and the joy of flying?

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Dieter Vranckx46:42

Flying connects cultures and people. That need will not disappear in the next 20 years. Our priority is to fly more efficiently and greener, not less. We have set targets: -50% CO2 by 2030 and net zero by 2050. The main levers are new aircraft (each new plane reduces CO2 by 20%), sustainable aviation fuels (which are 4–6 times more expensive), operational technology (e.g., with Google Cloud we saved 15,000 tons of CO2 last year, and a special paint on the 777 saved 20,000 tons), and compensation. We now offer climate-neutral flying for every passenger.

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Interviewer52:44

Will you make compensation mandatory?

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Dieter Vranckx52:44

We are considering introducing mandatory compensation on certain routes, for example between Zurich and Geneva.

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Interviewer53:21

A short question: is the tomato juice always the same?

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Dieter Vranckx53:30

Yes, it's the same. Tomato juice tastes best in the air.

When an aircraft takes off, it's always wonderful. It represents the future, connecting people and cultures. Flying is emotional.

Thank you for the questions from the 20 Minuten community. It was a great pleasure to share these five years with my colleagues. We are never finished, but I am grateful for what we have achieved. Thank you for your attention.