Swiss Premium Economy on the new Airbus A350: a coincidence on the ZRH-PRG route
Flying with Swiss International Air Lines in an Airbus A350 and its Premium Economy on the Prague - Zurich route? Sounds like a bug in the booking system.
In fact, it was an accident that may not happen again. After all, Swiss is deploying new Airbus A350s on selected short-haul routes across Europe in 2025 and 2026 as part of crew training - and I didn't notice until after I paid for my ticket.
It was only in retrospect that I realized that the PRG-ZRH segment was operated by the A350. And that I could choose a specific seat for 20 eur - even in Premium Economy.
So I tried it.
A quick overview of the flight
- Route: Zurich ZRH - Prague (PRG)
- Aircraft: Airbus A350-900, registration HB-IFA
- Configuration: 2-3-2 (Premium Economy Y+)
- Flight time: 45 minutes
- Price of the whole ticket SVQ-ZRH-PRG: 160 eur
- My rating for this segment: 9/10
Current prices in Premium Economy - swiss.com
Why I booked this flight in the first place
I originally flew from Seville via Zurich mainly to collect miles for Aegean Airlines' Miles & Bonus (this was one of the very few Lufthansa Group fares that earned me at least 1,000 miles).
Honestly - it wasn't until after the ticket was issued that I noticed the aircraft type.
Widebody on an hourly route between Prague and Zurich is a rarity. And if you're flying A350, you want to pick a seat you won't encounter on regular European flights.
How to find this "hack" too
Swiss will still deploy Airbus A350s on several European routes during the first half of 2026.
The most frequent deployments will be on selected routes from Zurich until around June 2026:
- Prague
- Palma de Mallorca
- Málaga
- Düsseldorf
- Geneva
- Hannover
The type of aircraft will be displayed when you click on a specific flight on swiss.com:
The aircraft type changes from time to time with Swiss, so if you want an A350, it's worth checking your booking a few days before departure.
Upgrade for €20: does Premium Economy for 1 hour make sense?
During online check-in, the option to choose a seat for 20 eur in Premium Economy appeared.
Technically, this was not a service upgrade. Swiss provides economy class equivalent service on European flights. No upgraded menus, no amenity kits, no priorities.
But the hard product was real. And that was worth the price to me. After all, I've never flown true Premium Economy before, and I confess I didn't really understand what such a product was good for until now.
What does it mean in the practice of European flight?
- Wider seat (2-3-2 cabin layout, whereas in regular economy it's 3-3-3)
- Significantly more pitch
- Larger entertainment system screen
- Better padding
- Modern A350 cabin
Not a necessity on an hour-long flight. But as a test of a new product? For 20 eur a very good investment.
What do you get on a long-haul flight?
Once crew training is complete, the Airbus A350s will of course fly exclusively on long-haul routes from Zurich outside Europe.
In addition to a better seat and a more spacious cabin, you will get the following in Premium Economy:
- 2x checked baggage
- Welcome drink
- A better selection of complimentary meals
- A small amenity-kit
Premium Economy seat on Airbus A350
Swiss is introducing a separate Premium Economy cabin on the A350 with significantly improved ergonomics compared to economy class.
The seat is firmer, wider and feels more comfortable at first glance.
Not as "better economy", but as a true intermediate between economy and business class.
On a long-haul flight, I could imagine it without hesitation. On the Prague-Zurich route, I rather enjoyed the feeling of space - and the fact that I was sitting in something you practically don't experience on a regular European flight.
The seat has a comfortable mouldable headrest - but you can also find that in economy class.
However, in addition to the extra space in width compared to economy, you also get this in length:
- extendable footrest
- the seat reclines to a greater angle
- reading lamp
- better headphones for the IFE
- more charging options - wireless charging, universal socket, USB-A and USB-C ports
- much wider armrest
- larger and foldable dining table
- a much larger screen
Biggest differences Premium Economy vs. Economy
| Premium Economy | Economy | |
|---|---|---|
| Legroom | 99 cm | 78 cm |
| Folding angle | up to 31° | up to 8° |
| Seat width | 46 cm | 41 cm |
| Monitor | 15,6'' | 13,3'' |
| Charging | Wireless Universal sockets USB-A USB-C |
USB-A USB-C |
What's worse than economy (or business/first) class?
The view out the window.
The entire Premium Economy cabin is directly above the wing:
Service and crew
As this was technically an economy class flight, with only an extra charge for a better seat, the service and crew work was the same.
So, I can't evaluate this and look forward to trying Premium Economy on a long haul flight some day as well.
What are the prices of Swiss Premium Economy?
Aircraft with the new Swiss Senses product only fly on a few routes so far and prices tend to be higher than on older aircraft types.
As an example, I looked for prices on the Prague-Boston route with a connection in Zurich.
The average prices for a return flight with a purchase 3 months before departure are:
- Economy (without luggage) - 535 eur
- Economy (1x checked baggage) - 695 eur
- Premium Economy (2x checked baggage) - - 2 100 eur
- Business - 4 500 eur
- First - 11 400 eur
Find long haul fares - swiss.com
Is Swiss Premium Economy worth it - my verdict
I have completely changed my mind about Premium Economy after this experience.
The comfort is really noticeably different compared to the classic Economy and I have not yet experienced better service.
So the final verdict for me - is Premium Economy worth it?
✅ Yes, if:
- you are flying a long haul route (8+ hours)
- you want more checked baggage
- you want more space without the business class price
- you find a good upgrade
❌ More likely not if:
- the ticket price is more than 2 times the price of standard economy
- you are smaller and don't need as much space
Practical travel info
Our website also describes from our own experience the best way to get to the airport or how to change between flights at world airports.
But we also visit interesting places with tips on what to see.
You can read my tips from this trip to Spain:
- 👉 Connections at Zurich ZRH airport
- 👉 How I got to Sevilla SVQ airport
- 👉 Prague PRG airport taxi prices
- 👉 What to see in Ronda
Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
4 comments
Lufthansa Group has started offering Premium Economy Light - there are no longer 2 x 23 checked bags.
Premium Economy Light- Checked baggage: 1 × 23 kg (instead of 2 × 23 kg)
- Carry-on: 8 kg + personal item (unchanged)
- Seat reservation: from €45 (as before)
- Changes: possible, but with a higher fee than before
- Refunds: not possible
The new Light fares will be introduced simultaneously at Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Discover Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.
Similarly Business Class Light:
Business Class Light- Checked baggage: 1 × 32 kg (instead of 2 × 32 kg)
- Carry-on: 2 × 8 kg + personal item (unchanged)
- Seat reservation: about €80-€120 (previously included)
- Changes: possible, but with a higher fee than before
- Refunds: not possible
Regarding seat reservations:
Even for HON Circle Members, Senators, and Star Alliance Gold members, the seat reservation fee will apply in the Light fare.
It would also be nice to add that the new Light fares are at the price of the existing Basic fares and at the same time Basic fares have become more expensive by 5-10%.
The seat is also available for free in economy economy fares over miles (where the classic premium eco is not included in the booking). I've tried every seat on this plane from ECO to First. Unfortunately for me, this particular seat in Premium Eco is an absolute misery. I sat on it for several hours and was never so broken in. It is very hard and the ergonomics are not very good, including the controls. In contrast, the old LH premium eco seat (e.g. a340,747) is a steamer more comfortable for me. But that may be subjective.
I guess a flyer like you didn't know that there was a chance to try the A350 from/to PRG :-) Thanks for the awesome review, I admit that I didn't know that you can also buy that seat in premium economy for 20 EUR, good tip.
I was strongly considering trying the Zurich one from Prague, as the A350 is my favourite plane, but I was planning to do it more for the miles and tax surcharge in business (where I find it really worthwhile for the trial).
I think those A350 flights are priced a bit higher than other flights (maybe it's because there's a bit more interest and it's not the pricing that's causing it, it's just dynamic pricing), but for miles it's the same everywhere regardless of aircraft type.
I just had information that those flights from/to Prague are only on the A350 until the end of March and that didn't work out for me time-wise, I'm going to see if they really extended it until the end of June.
So far, I haven't been able to find a connection on the A350 via Zurich so that there is a meaningful break in Zurich for at least a business lounge (so not a break of maybe an hour and a half, but more) and so that the other segment around Europe is on the A350 as well (thanks for the overview of the "test" destinations, I'll check it out. Then maybe it could be even more interesting in miles if it had 4 segments and actually a 4x lounge.
Of course he knew. :D Hey. :D As for the A350 on the Prague route, it should be flying even until 22 October and they are priced identically to every other aircraft. We posted in the Ticket Corner where you can go for super extra fares and miles.
Yeah, I know there's an A350 to PRG, I even went to take a few pictures :D But this flight from Seville was a coincidence - I was mainly going back to visit the new airport (SVQ) and it was at least something to the A3.
So a pleasant surprise.
And it's nice to know that it will eventually fly into October. For me, a great experience.
Thanks to both of you for the info.
Otherwise, of course, you can also buy classic business, which in combination with checked baggage, lounge, food and drink during the flight, is not a bad option at all. The extra charge for one way is just over 100 EUR.
I think the seat width's been swapped.
Right, thanks!