Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan

It is SWISS’s aim to make every flight a safe and pleasant experience and further enhance customer comfort on the ground and in the air. SWISS’s Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays (“Contingency Plan”) is another step to reach this goal.

This Contingency Plan has been developed to reflect our commitment as a full-service premium carrier and to provide our passengers with clear information about what they can expect from us, particularly during occasional irregular operations. The Contingency Plan contains specific commitments which will allow us to act promptly to meet our customer’s needs and expectations. 

The Contingency Plan is adopted for the departure or arrival of international flights at covered Canadian airports operated by SWISS. This Contingency Plan is subject to change without notice and is separate from and does not form part of SWISS’s Contract of Carriage or Tariff. 

SWISS’s Commitment to its Customers: 

For international flights covered by this Contingency Plan, SWISS will not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours (unless SWISS is assured by Air Traffic Control that departure is imminent within 45 minutes, or conditions do not allow SWISS to safely return to a gate) and will return to the gate, or another suitable disembarkation point, where passengers will be allowed to deplane.

Delays longer than three hours may be necessary if there are safety-related or security-related restrictions or air traffic control advises the pilot-in-command that returning to the gate or permitting passengers to disembark elsewhere would significantly disrupt airport operations.

SWISS will provide information about a change in the status of a flight within 30 minutes after becoming aware of such a change and will update delay information every 30 minutes thereafter, including reasons for the delay, if known.  Services such as heating/cooling, lavatories, and use of mobile devices will also be made available 30 minutes after becoming aware of such a delay, and will remain available for the duration of the delay unless security or safety reasons arise (i.e. the plane begins to taxi and the fasten seatbelts light is laminated).  In the event a passenger needs urgent medical attention at any point in a tarmac delay, SWISS will work with the airport authority and emergency services to provide medical services.

Passengers on delayed flights will be notified beginning 30 minutes after scheduled departure time, including any revised departure time that passengers were notified about during boarding, and every 30 minutes thereafter that they have the opportunity to deplane from an aircraft that is at the gate or another disembarkation area with the door open if the opportunity to deplane actually exists. 

For all flights covered by this Contingency Plan, SWISS will provide adequate food and potable water no later than one and one half (1.5) hours after the aircraft leaves the gate (in the case of departure) or touches down (in the case of arrival) if the aircraft remains on the tarmac. Additional food and drink will be provided, with consideration on type and amount being given to the time of day and typical meal times.

Services may be precluded if there are safety-related or security-related restrictions or the pilot-in-command determines that the commencement of service would lead to further delays or missed opportunities for departure.

For all flights covered by this Contingency Plan, SWISS will provide operable lavatory facilities, as well as adequate medical attention if needed, while the aircraft remains on the tarmac. 

SWISS has sufficient resources to implement this Contingency Plan. 

Disembarking Order: In the event of a lengthy tarmac delay, SWISS will work with the passengers to ensure that, if feasible, all passengers with disabilities, along with their support person or service animal, are allowed to disembark first. 

Start of Tarmac Delay: For an aircraft departing from a Canadian airport, the tarmac delay clock will start when the main aircraft door is closed rather at than the gate departure time (i.e., the time the aircraft pushes back from the gate). However, in acknowledging there may be a few instances in which the opportunity to deplane may still exist after the aircraft doors are closed (for example, when the jet bridge is still attached to the aircraft and the crew is available and willing to open the aircraft door immediately to allow a passenger to deplane).

Flight Diversions: Diversions will be treated as arriving flights up to the point when passengers have an opportunity to deplane. Thereafter, the diversion will be treated as a departing flight and after that point, the departure delay exception could apply if a flight begins to return to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane passengers within the timeframes specified in the exception.

Safety/Security Exceptions: The 3-hour tarmac delay limit will not apply if the pilot-in-command determines that deplaning passengers at a suitable disembarkation point would jeopardize passenger safety or security, or there is a safety related or security related reason why the aircraft cannot leave its position on the tarmac to deplane passengers.

For more information, please contact our Service Center.