I recently had a deeply frustrating and unpleasant experience with Swiss Airlines on a flight scheduled to depart on August 21, 2024, from Bukarest to Zürich. After boarding and being kept on the plane for over 30 minutes, while the plane was rolling away from terminal for take-off, the captain informed us that the lavatories were not functioning. He then suggested that anyone who couldn’t "hold it" for two hours should disembark. Strangely, the plane was already rolling on the tarmac, and the captain had just announced we had received permission to take off.

Despite this, the cabin crew asked passengers if they wanted to disembark. After several of us protested that we couldn't endure a two-hour flight without functioning toilets, the captain finally decided to taxi the plane back to the gate. Once we were in the terminal, we waited for another hour, only to be told that the toilet issue had still not been resolved. After four hours of delays, the flight was canceled.

At no point were passengers provided with water, food, transfer back to city or any form of logistical support. There was no assistance in organizing overnight accommodation or transportation. Passengers were left completely on their own, with no help whatsoever from Swiss Airlines. I had to personally pay for transportation back to the city, accommodation for the night, and meals and transfer to airport next day which was an added frustration to an already stressful situation.

Arriving in Zürich with a 24-hour delay caused me significant problems and financial loss. The lack of any support from Swiss during this entire ordeal is absolutely unacceptable.

Following this, I attempted to submit a compensation claim, as is my right under EU261 regulations. However, Swiss Airlines makes this process unnecessarily difficult. The compensation form DOES NOT EXIST on their Switzerland page. It is hidden within the Germany page, and I only managed to find it after calling customer support, who first advised me to use a "refund" form, which is not the same. Making it impossible or hard to place a compensation claim is completely unacceptable for an airline of this size.

After finally submitting the claim, I received a response from Swiss Airlines' Customer Feedback Services, denying my request for compensation and reimbursement of expenses. Their justification? The flight was canceled due to "unforeseen safety issues." This excuse is entirely false. At no point did the captain, cabin crew, or ground personnel mention any safety concerns. The plane was almost taking off, the captain wanted passengers to "hold it for 2 hours" while he got ready to fly. So obviously he had encountered no "unforeseen safety issues." The only issue ever communicated to passengers was the malfunctioning lavatories. It is absurd to claim that a toilet malfunction is an "unforeseeable safety issue." just in order to deny paying due compensation according to EU261 regulations.

Swiss Airlines’ attempt to use this excuse to avoid paying compensation is not only dishonest but also a violation of passengers' rights under EU261 regulations.

Overall, my experience with Swiss Airlines is deeply disappointing. From the poor handling of the delay and cancellation to the lack of any logistical support and the "hidding" and making hard to apply for compensation and the dishonest response to my compensation claim, Swiss Airlines showed no care for its passengers. The 24-hour delay caused me great distress, financial loss, and serious personal inconvenience. I strongly urge others to reconsider before flying with this airline, as their treatment of passengers is far below acceptable standards.

They moved me the day before my flight, separating me from my husband. No explanation. When I tried to contact them about it there was no real way to reach them. Only very bad quality AI chat that would freeze when I reached the end of options and could finally request to speak to a real person.

Disappointed. I last flew this segment in November 2022 and back then it was cleaner and some of the comfort details were better (down cushions, Soeder hand lotion and alpine mist in the lavatories). This time the cabin seemed an older version, quite noisy, there were stains everywhere on the carpet and upholstery, the lavatories were not properly cleaned or stocked with the necessary products, there was dirt accumulation in every nook and crany, the cabin crew seemed stressed and annoyed, although fairly professional. The synthetic fibre cushion were much less comfortable than the down one I was used to from past years (flying to LAX and O'Hare). The food was good, and they still have water bottles, fruit (bananas) and candy bars (Kägi) à discretion during the flight. The flight is scheduled such that you could easily sleep the 12 hours through, so a clean environment with little details could make a big difference I think.I was expecting more from Swiss as I live in Switzerland and know what quality standards look and feel like.

Terrible airline with no sense of responsibility. I lost my luggage for the first time in my life during a one-week vacation, and they provided inaccurate tracking information. Their customer service is poorly managed, with staff who don’t have access to any useful resources, and they refuse to connect you with anyone who can actually help. This has been the worst experience ever

Swiss used to be a top airline, but unfortunately the quality is declining. Service is lackluster, sometimes they are friendly, but sometimes they are really rude. And the food, which used to be very good is now really bad. You can tell they try to safe costs…. Hopefully they will realize that quality is important for the premium customers.