While the brand new First and Business Class seats on SWISS may have been warmly received when they were first revealed, the weight of such luxury is having an unwanted side effect. A spokesperson for the flag-carrier airline admitted that their new "Senses" seats are too heavy and are putting its planes off balance.

Senses First Class seats causing weight issue at SWISS

In a statement given to CH Media, the subsidiary of Lufthansa said that its brand new “Senses” First and Business Class seats - to be launched fleet-wide on SWISS from 2025 - are heavier than expected. At the same time, its economy seats are getting lighter, causing the aircraft to be more “nose heavy” than expected. 

The increasing focus on privacy in First and Business Class is a trend to which SWISS is not immune. The new Senses seats in First Class are fitted with a sliding door on long-haul flights, giving the jet setter or entrepreneur all the solitude that a commercial plane can afford when flying to and from Swiss airports. Unfortunately, this seclusion is causing balance issues, especially in SWISS’ fleet of Airbus A333s.

Lead plates to be installed on SWISS planes from the winter of 2025

Speaking to Watson, SWISS spokesperson Meike Fuhlrott confirmed that new lead plates will be installed in the planes in the winter of 2025, to rectify the balance issue by moving the plane's centre of gravity backwards. She said the change was “unavoidable”, explaining that while they had estimates, the extent of the issue only became clear once the seats were installed.

When asked whether adding more weight would increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Fuhlrott described a balancing act between "customer wishes, economic efficiency and environmental compatibility, [which] must be coordinated with one another." "We are operating in this area of ​​tension," she explained, adding that SWISS’ goal of net zero CO2 emissions would be achieved “by implementing a large number of innovative measures.”

For those worrying that the extra weight will mean that their next flight from Zurich to Los Angeles will require a fuel stop in Winnipeg, Fuhlrott assured that "the accessibility of today's destination portfolio is still guaranteed."

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