General Conditions of Carriage

As you read these Conditions, please note the following:

"We", "our", "ourselves" and "us" means Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., domiciled in Basel, Switzerland.

"You", "your" and "yourself" means any person, except members of the crew, carried or to be carried in an aircraft pursuant to a flight ticket (see also definition for "Passenger").

"CONVENTION" means whichever of the following legal bases is/are applicable:

• the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed in Warsaw on 12 October 1929;
• the Warsaw Convention as amended at The Hague on 28 September 1955;
• the Warsaw Convention as amended by Additional Protocol No. 1 of Montreal (1975);
• the Warsaw Convention as amended at The Hague and by Additional Protocol No. 2 of Montreal (1975);
• the Guadalajara Supplementary Convention (1961);
• the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air signed at Montreal on 28 May 1999 (hereinafter referred to as the Montreal Convention).

Except as provided in 2.2, 2.4 and 2.5, our Conditions of Carriage apply only to carriage on those flights or flight segments where our name or designation code is indicated in the ticket for that flight or flight segment.

If carriage is performed on a charter flight agreement, these Conditions of Carriage apply only to the extent that they are incorporated by reference or otherwise on the ticket or by the charter agreement.

We provide certain flights in cooperation with other carriers. These are known as "codeshare" flights. These flights can be operated by a different carrier under its own designation code, under the code of a third-party carrier, or under our designation code. When you have made your booking with us and our name or designation code is stated on your ticket as the carrier, the flight could, nevertheless, be operated by one of our codeshare partners. In the event of a codeshare flight, we will inform you who the operating carrier will be during the booking process.

We provide certain routes in cooperation with other road and rail transportation companies.

In these cases, the Conditions of Carriage for ground transport are based on the respective company’s Conditions of Carriage.

These Conditions of Carriage are applicable unless they conflict with our tariffs or the applicable law, in which case such tariffs or laws shall prevail.

Should any provision of these Conditions of Carriage be invalid under the applicable law, the other provisions shall nevertheless remain valid.

Unless specifically stated otherwise herein, these Conditions of Carriage shall prevail over any other regulations we have issued for our passenger carrying activities.

3.1.1 We will provide carriage only to the passenger named in the flight ticket. You may be required to produce appropriate identification.

3.1.2 Flight tickets are not transferable. Only you yourself can use your ticket for the flight concerned.

3.1.3 Certain flight tickets are sold at discounted fares, which may be partially or completely non-refundable.

3.1.4 If you have a non-refundable flight ticket (para. 3.1.3) which is completely unused and you are prevented from travelling by force majeure, we will issue you a voucher credit for a future flight. The voucher corresponds to the flight fare, which cannot be refunded. We will, however, deduct a reasonable administration fee. As a prerequisite, you must inform us about the reason you were prevented from flying and provide evidence of force majeure.

3.1.5 The flight ticket is and remains the property of the issuing carrier at all times.

3.1.6 You shall not be entitled to be carried on a flight unless you present a valid flight ticket containing the flight coupon for that flight and all other unused flight coupons as well as the passenger coupon. In addition, you shall not be entitled to be carried if the flight ticket presented is damaged or has been altered by any party other than ourselves or our authorised agent. In the case of an electronic ticket, you shall not be entitled to be carried on a flight unless you provide positive identification and a valid electronic ticket has been duly issued in your name.

3.1.7 Your ticket and boarding pass contain personal information. You are required to take reasonable precautions to prevent these documents being used by an unauthorised third party. Please pay particular care not to share them on social media.

3.2.1 The validity of the flight ticket can be restricted in the ticket itself, in these Conditions of Carriage or by the applicable tariff. If no such restrictions are provided, the flight ticket is valid for one year from its date of issue or for one year from the date of first travel as stated on the flight ticket, provided you perform this first travel within a year of the ticket's issue.

3.2.2 If you are prevented from starting your travel within the period of the ticket's validity because we were unable to confirm your reservation at the time you made it, we will extend the validity of the ticket. Alternatively, you may demand a refund in accordance with Article 10.

3.2.3 If, after starting your travel, you are prevented from travelling within the period of the flight ticket’s validity owing to illness, we will extend the flight ticket's period of validity until the date when you become fit to travel again or until our first flight after such date. The extension is valid from the point where the journey is resumed and whether space is available in the class of service for which the fare was originally paid. Such illness must be attested to by a medical certificate. If the flight coupons remaining in the flight ticket (or, in the case of an electronic ticket, the electronic coupon) involve one or more stopovers, we will extend the validity of the flight ticket for up to three months from the date shown on the medical certificate provided. In such circumstances, we will similarly extend the period of validity of any further flight tickets held by your accompanying immediate family.

3.2.4 In the event of death of a passenger en route, we will extend the validity of the flight tickets of any persons accompanying the deceased and will also waive any minimum stay requirements on such flight tickets. In the event of a death in the immediate family of a passenger who has commenced travel, we will similarly modify the validity of the passenger's flight tickets and that of any of their immediate family who are accompanying them. We will ask you, however, to provide a valid death certificate in such cases. In all such cases, we will extend the validity of such flight tickets by a maximum of forty-five (45) days from the date of the death.

3.3.1 Your ticket is valid only for the transportation shown on the flight ticket, from the place of departure via any agreed stopovers to the final destination. The fare you have paid is based on our tariff and forms an integral part of our contractual agreement with you. The fare is only valid if all the flights are fully flown in the booked sequence. Otherwise the fare will be recalculated based on the actual flight routing. This condition also applies to intermodal travel (including, but not limited to, air and rail combined routes). This condition does not apply to flights of consumers with residence in Austria: if carriage is not used on all individual flights or is not used in the sequence anticipated on the ticket with otherwise unchanged travel data, we will recalculate the fare according to your altered routing. This does not apply if you are unable to fly all individual flights or in the sequence anticipated on the ticket due to force majeure, illness or for any other reason for which you are not responsible, and if you inform us about and substantiate the relevant reasons immediately after you become aware of them.

3.3.2 Should you wish to change any aspect of your transportation, you must contact us in advance. The fare for your new transportation will be calculated and you will be given the option of accepting the new fare or maintaining your original transportation as ticketed. Should you be required to change any aspect of your transportation owing to force majeure, you must contact us as soon as possible. We will then make every reasonable effort to transport you to your next Stopover or your final destination under the contractual conditions originally agreed.

3.3.3 Should you change your transportation without our agreement, we will calculate the correct fare for your actual travel. You will then have to pay any difference between the fare you have paid and the total fare applicable for your revised transportation. Please note, however, that any unused coupons will lose their value.

3.3.4 Please be aware that, while some changes to your transportation will not result in a change of fare, others, such as changing the place of departure (by not flying the first segment) or reversing your direction of travel, can result in a higher fare. In addition, some fares are valid only on the dates and for the flights shown on the flight ticket: they cannot be changed at all or only on payment of an additional fee.

3.3.5 Each flight coupon contained in your flight ticket will be accepted for transportation in the class of service on the date and on the flight for which your seat has been reserved. In the case of flight tickets originally issued without a reservation being specified, the seat may be reserved later, depending on the tariff concerned and the seating availability on the flight requested.

3.3.6 Please note that should you not show up for a flight without advising us in advance, we may cancel any reservations you have for your return or onward flights.

You may only interrupt your journey at a timetabled stopping place and only if this has been agreed with us before you begin your air journey and is thus appropriately reflected in your flight ticket.

If you hold a normal-fare flight ticket, you may arrange to interrupt your journey at any timetabled stopping place during your ticket's period of validity, provided this is permitted by the local regulations and our timetable.

If you are travelling on a special-fare flight ticket, certain restrictions limiting or precluding stopovers may apply.

Our name may be abbreviated to our designation code (or otherwise) in the flight ticket. Our address can be found in these Conditions of Carriage.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, fares apply only to carriage from the airport at the point of origin to the airport at the point of destination. Fares do not include ground transport between airports or between airports and city terminals. Should you change your itinerary or dates of travel, this may have an impact on the fare to be paid.

Any applicable taxes, charges and fees imposed by government or other authorities or by the operator of an airport will be payable by you. You will be advised of any taxes, charges and fees not included in the fare when you purchase your flight ticket; most of these will normally be shown separately on the flight ticket. The taxes, charges and fees imposed on air travel change constantly and can be imposed after the flight ticket has been issued. If there is a subsequent increase in a tax, charge or fee shown on the flight ticket, you will be obligated to pay it. Similarly, if a new tax, charge or fee is imposed even after your flight ticket has been issued, you will be obliged to pay it. By the same token, if any taxes, charges or fees which you have paid us at the time your flight ticket was issued are abolished or reduced, you will be entitled to claim a refund if the authorities or entities imposing these taxes, charges or fees grant us a corresponding refund.

All fares, taxes, charges and fees are payable in the currency of the country in which the ticket is issued, unless another currency is accepted by us or our authorised agent at the time or before payment is made (for example, in view of the non-convertibility of the local currency). We may, at our discretion, accept payment in another currency.

When you use a credit card as a form of payment, SWISS may charge an optional charge on the ticket as long as it is not prohibited in the country in which the ticket is sold.

5.1.1 We or our authorised agent will record your reservation(s). We will confirm them in writing on request.

5.1.2 Certain tariffs have conditions which limit or exclude your right to change or cancel reservations.

If you have not paid for your reservation by the respective ticketing time limit, we may reserve the right to cancel your reservation.

5.3.1 You recognise that we have received your personal data for the reservation, purchase of a flight ticket and other services you have chosen and for facilitating immigration and entry procedures. For these purposes, you authorise us to retain and use such data and to pass it on to our own offices, authorised agents, authorities, other carriers or the providers of the above-mentioned services.

5.3.2 We may also give your name and address to third parties if your conduct causes damage or injury to other passengers.

We reserve the right to verify payment transactions to prevent fraud and other improper usage. To this end, we use both internal and external sources of information. For this purpose, we also use distinct, identifiable technical features. If fraudulent activity is suspected and/or detected, we also reserve the right to share the relevant information (including personal data) with other subsidiaries of the Lufthansa Group, who may also verify the data for their own purposes.

5.3.3 You are aware that the authorities of certain countries require, for security and immigration purposes, access to passenger travel data related to travelling to and from such countries. You authorise us to transmit the API (Advanced Passenger Information) data to the domestic and foreign authorities. API data refers to data on the travel document (passport, ID, visa). For example it is mandatory by law to transmit such data for all travel to the USA, Canada, UK, Russia, India and Brazil. Furthermore, we are obliged to communicate to foreign authorities the passenger data stored by us in the Passenger Name Record (PNR), in particular your full name, date of birth, home address, telephone numbers, information about your reservation and the reservation of your travel partners, such as the date of reservation, itinerary, payment information, Frequent Flyer information, and information concerning your historical changes to the reservation. This PNR data is transmitted to the relevant Swiss and foreign authorities based on the corresponding agreements (for example agreements with USA and Canada). Furthermore, the authorities of some countries such as USA and Russia additionally require the transmission of the API data for flights overflying their territories. You authorise us to transmit the API data in such cases.

5.3.4 Under US law, the border authorities (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP) receive this personal information and information related to your journey when you book a flight between Switzerland and the USA. The US authorities have given the same guarantees to Switzerland, with regard to the use of data, as they have to the European Union; they will only use the information for combating terrorism and other serious, cross-border criminal offences. The data is stored for at least three years and six months and may also be shared with authorities in other countries. You can find additional information about the use of your data by foreign authorities and the measures to protect your data here.

5.3.5 In all other respects the ​provisions of our ​Privacy Policy apply.

5.4.1 Advance seat reservations subject to charges: If you paid for your advance seat reservation, you have a right to a certain seat category (standard seat, preferred seat, extra legroom seat or privacy seat). On continental flights, we guarantee you the assigned seat characteristics window, aisle or middle seat. In case of rebooking made by us (except in cases of complimentary up-grades) in case of flight cancellation or in the event of changes made by us for operational, safety, security or other reasons, we will refund you the amount paid for your reservation if your desired seat category is not available. If you cancel or rebook your ticket, the amount paid for the seat reservation will not be refunded.

5.4.2 Complimentary reservations: If you have made a complimentary advance seat reservation, we make every effort to fulfil your wishes. However, we cannot guarantee you any particular passenger seat. Changes to passenger seat allocation may be subject to a charge depending on the fare. We reserve the right to change the allocation of passenger seats even after boarding. This may be necessary for operational or safety reasons.

5.5.1 Onward or return reservations may have to be reconfirmed within specified time limits. We will advise you when we require such reconfirmation, and how and where it should be done. If a reconfirmation is required and you fail to do so, we may cancel your onward or return reservations. However, if you advise us that you still wish to travel, we will reinstate your reservation and transport you if there is space on the flight. If there is no longer space on the flight, we will do what we can under the circumstances to transport you to your next or final destination.

5.5.2 We advise you to check with any other carriers involved in your journey regarding their own reconfirmation requirements. You may need to reconfirm your reservation with the carrier whose code is shown on the flight ticket for the flight in question.

Please note that if you do not show up for a flight without advising us in advance, we may cancel your return or onward reservations. But if you do advise us in advance that you will not be taking the initial flight concerned, we will not cancel any subsequent flight reservations.

6.1 Check-in closing times differ according to the airport. Your trip will run smoother if you give yourself sufficient time before check-in closing. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation if you arrive after the specified check-in closing time. We or our authorised agent will inform you about the check-in time for your first flight. You must obtain information yourself about the respective check-in times for all subsequent flights during your trip. The check-in times for our flights is shown in our timetable or you are informed of such by our authorised agents.

6.2 You must be at the boarding gate at the latest at the time indicated by us at your check-in.

6.3 We can cancel your reserved seat if you are not at the boarding gate on time.

6.4 We are not liable for losses or costs as the result of you not complying with the provisions of this article.

7.1.1 We may, through reasonable exercise of our discretion, refuse to carry you or your baggage if we have given you written notice in advance that we will not carry you on our flights after a particular date. In such cases you are entitled to a refund.

7.1.2 We may also refuse to carry you or your baggage on our flights if one or more of the following conditions is met or could be met through reasonable exercise of our discretion:

1. Such action is necessary to comply with any applicable laws, regulations or provisions.
2. The carriage of you or your baggage may endanger the safety, security, health or well-being of other passengers or the crew.
3. Your mental or physical state, including the influence of alcohol or drugs, presents a hazard or risk to yourself, to passengers, to the crew or to property.
4. You have shown misconduct on a previous flight, and we have reason to believe that such conduct may be repeated.
5. You have refused to submit to a security check.
6. You have not paid the applicable fare, taxes, charges or fees; or due to current fraud prevention procedures, we have reason to believe that payment will not be made when the payment method chosen is payment by invoice.
7. You do not appear to have valid travel documents, may seek to enter a country for which you only hold a transit visa or for which you do not have valid travel documents. This also applies if we must assume that you might destroy your travel documents during the flight or might refuse to surrender your travel documents to the flight crew, against receipt, if requested.
8. You present a flight ticket that has been acquired unlawfully, has been purchased from an entity other than us or our authorised agents, has been reported lost or stolen or is a counterfeit. This same applies if you cannot prove that you are the person named in the flight ticket
9. You have failed to comply with the requirements of Article 3.3 above regarding coupon sequence and use, or you present a flight ticket which has not been issued or modified by us or our authorised agent, or the flight ticket is mutilated
10. You fail to observe our safety or security instructions

Unaccompanied children, passengers with disabilities, pregnant women, persons with illnesses or other people requiring special assistance can only be carried if such carriage has been agreed with us in advance. Passengers with disabilities who advised us of any special requirements they have when they made their reservation and have been accepted by us for carriage may not subsequently be refused carriage on the basis of such disability or these special requirements.

7.3.1 Children under five years of age may only travel if accompanied by an adult, i.e. a person aged 18 or older. The person accompanying must be at least 16 or older if they are a brother or sister of the child concerned. Children under two years of age may only travel if they are each accompanied by at least one adult.

7.3.2 Children between the ages of 5 and 11 years must have our permission to travel unaccompanied by an adult. They must be registered as "unaccompanied minors". Their carriage is subject to special provisions that are available at our sales offices. A surcharge must be paid for the carriage of unaccompanied minors.

You are entitled to carry a certain amount of baggage free of charge, subject to the tariff purchased and its conditions and restrictions. These conditions and restrictions are available from us or our authorised agents upon request and are also shown in your ticket.

You must pay a surcharge for the carriage of excess baggage. The relevant rates are available upon request. Please let us know in advance if you are intending to transport more than 100 kg (weight allowance) or more than 4 pieces (piece allowance) of excess baggage and/or bulky items (such as a bicycle or wheelchair). If you fail to do so, we reserve the right to refuse the carriage of excess baggage and/or bulky items. You must drop off any excess baggage to be transported as air freight no later than 24 hours before you check in for your flight.

8.3.1 You must not carry the following in your baggage:

1. Items which are likely to endanger the aircraft or persons or property on board the aircraft, including those items specified in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations and our own regulations (further information is available from us on request).
2. Items whose carriage is prohibited by the applicable laws and regulations of the country of departure or destination.
3. Items which we may reasonably consider to be unsuitable for carriage because they are dangerous or unsafe, because they cannot be transported owing to their weight, size, shape or character, or perishable or because they are too fragile for the type of aircraft being operated. Information about unacceptable items is available from us upon request.

8.3.3 Weapons such as antique firearms, swords, knives and similar objects may be accepted as checked baggage at our discretion. But they must not be taken into the cabin of the aircraft.

8.3.4 Your checked baggage must not include any money, medication, keys, jewellery, precious metals, computers, personal electronic devices, negotiable papers, securities or other valuables, business documents, passports, other identification documents or samples.

8.3.5 If, despite the above prohibitions, any items specified in 8.3.1, 8.3.2 and 8.3.4 are included in your baggage, we may not be held responsible for any loss or damage to such items.

8.3.6 Your checked-in baggage or hand baggage must not contain parcels or objects that you have received from strangers. Never say that you are willing to transport items for strangers.

8.4.1 Subject to 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 above, we will refuse to carry as baggage any items described in 8.3. We may refuse the further carriage of any such items if discovered.

8.4.2 We may refuse to accept baggage for carriage at our discretion unless it is properly and securely packed in suitable containers. Information on packing and containers unacceptable for carriage is available from us upon request.

For reasons of safety and security, we may request that you permit a search and scan of your person and a search, scan or X-ray of your baggage. Your baggage may also be searched and X-rayed in your absence. These activities are designed to determine whether you are carrying or your baggage contains any items prohibited under 8.3.1 or any firearms, ammunition or weapons of which we have not been notified in accordance with 8.3.2 or 8.3.3. If you are unwilling to comply with such a request, we may refuse to carry you and your baggage. Should a search, scan or X-ray cause damage to you or your baggage, we are not liable for such damage unless it is due to our gross negligence.

8.6.1 Once you have handed over your baggage that you wish to check in to us, it becomes our responsibility. We will issue a baggage tag for each piece of your baggage which you check in. Baggage which you intend to take on board as unchecked baggage and which we ask you to surrender to us on boarding for placement in the cargo compartment will be regarded as checked baggage covered by your baggage check.

8.6.2 All checked baggage must have your name or other personal identification affixed to it.

8.6.3 Checked baggage will, whenever possible, be carried on the same aircraft as you unless this is not possible for safety, security or operational reasons. If your checked baggage is carried on a subsequent flight, we will deliver it to you unless the applicable law requires you to be present for the corresponding customs clearance.

8.7.1 We may specify maximum dimensions and/or maximum weights for hand baggage. If we have not done so, any baggage which you carry onto the aircraft must fit under the seat in front of you or in an enclosed storage compartment in the aircraft's cabin. If your baggage cannot be stored in this manner, or if it is of excessive weight or is otherwise considered dangerous, you will be asked to surrender it to us and it will be carried as checked baggage.

8.7.2 Objects which are not suitable for carriage in the cargo compartment (such as delicate musical instruments) and which do not meet the requirements of 8.7.1 above will only be accepted for carriage in the cabin if you have given us advance notice of this and we have agreed to such carriage. You may be asked to pay an additional charge for this service.

8.8.1 Subject to 8.6.3 above, you are required to collect your checked baggage as soon as it is made available at your destination or stopover. We may charge you a storage fee if your checked baggage is not collected within a reasonable time. If you do not collect your checked baggage within three (3) months of it being made available, we may dispose of it without any liability towards you.

8.8.2 Checked baggage will only be delivered to the bearer of the relevant baggage check and baggage tag(s).

8.8.3 If a person claiming checked baggage is unable to produce the baggage check and identify the baggage by means of a baggage tag, we will only deliver this checked baggage to the person concerned if they can prove their entitlement to collect it to our satisfaction.

Animals can be carried, subject to the following conditions:

8.9.1 You are liable for all costs resulting from non-compliance with this obligation as well as for all damage that your accompanying animals cause and release us from any liability insofar as we did not cause the damage due to gross negligence or wrongful intent.

8.9.2 Any animal which we accept as baggage, together with its container and food, will not be included in your free baggage allowance. It will be regarded as excess baggage, for which you will have to pay the applicable fee.

8.9.3. A passenger’s recognised and required assistance dog is carried free of charge and wherever possible in the cabin; please refer to paragraph 8.9.5. 

8.9.4. On flights to or from the United States of America, SWISS warrants that it will comply with the mandated scope of 14 C.F.R. Part 382 and other laws requiring the carriage of an assistant animal free of charge by a person with a disability to the extent that an assistant animal is required to assist the passenger in carrying out work or tasks for his or her benefit. The retrievable prerequisites apply to the carriage. SWISS only accepts dogs as assistant animals. A passenger with a disability traveling with an assistance dog assumes full responsibility for the safety, health, well-being and behaviour of his assistance dog. This also applies to the interaction of the assistance dog with other passengers and crew members while on board the aircraft or in the gate area. A passenger with a disability travelling with an assistance dog is solely responsible for complying with all applicable state laws, regulations, and requirements applicable in the country, state, or territory to and/or from which the assistance dog is being transported and/or in which an intermediate destination of the passenger is located. This applies in particular to necessary health certificates, permits and vaccinations. The passenger's liability also includes all costs or consequences arising from non-compliance with these laws and regulations, including the quarantine of the assistance dog upon arrival. 

8.9.5. Please note that for a safe and trouble-free flight, your animal must be trained to behave well in a public environment. We only allow an animal to be carried in the cabin on condition that your animal obeys you and behaves appropriately. If your animal does not behave appropriately, you may be asked to put on his muzzle for transport, have the animal loaded into the hold (if a transport container is available), or the transport may be refused. 

Animals traveling in the cabin (including transport containers where applicable) must fit into the footwell of your seat and be adequately secured during the entire stay on board.

9.1.1 The flight times shown in the timetables may change between the date of their publication and the date you actually travel. We cannot guarantee these times to you, and they do not form part of your contractual agreement with us.

9.1.2 Before we accept your reservation, we will notify you of the scheduled flight time in effect at the time and will show this on your flight ticket. We may, however, need to change our scheduled flight time after your ticket has been issued. If you provide us with a contact address, we will endeavour to notify you of any such changes. Should we make a significant change to the scheduled flight time after you have purchased your flight ticket, but the new time is not acceptable to you and we are unable to book you on an alternative flight which is more acceptable to you, you will be entitled to a refund in accordance with 10.2 below.

9.2.1 We will take all necessary steps to carry you and your baggage punctually. To avoid flight cancellations we may, in exceptional circumstances, arrange for a flight to be operated on our behalf by an alternative carrier and/or aircraft.

9.2.2 If we cancel a flight, or fail to reasonably operate a flight in accordance with the flight’s timetable, or fail to land at your final or stopover destination, or if you miss your connecting flight for which you have a confirmed reservation, you can choose one of the following options. The provisions of this agreement are reserved:

1. You can fly on another of our scheduled flights on which space is available without additional charge and, where necessary, with an extension of the validity of your flight ticket; or
2. We will reimburse you the price of the flight segment(s) not used by you; or
3. We will refund the corresponding fare in accordance with Article 10.2 below; or
4. If it is not possible to carry you to the destination shown on your flight ticket within a reasonable period of time using our own services and if you do not wish a refund, we may use the services of another carrier chosen by us to bring you to the destination

9.2.3 If any of the events specified in 9.2.1 occur, the options outlined in Article 9.2.2 are the sole and exclusive options available to you. We shall have no further liability towards you; provisions of the Convention remain reserved.

9.2.4 If, owing to overbooking, we are unable to provide a seat for you on a flight for which you hold a confirmed reservation, we will provide denied boarding compensation in accordance with the applicable law and our own denied boarding regulations (see Article 16).

We will refund tickets or any unused flight coupons in accordance with the applicable tariff provisions as follows:

10.1.1 In the event of a cancellation or significant change to your flight, a refund of the fare is possible under certain circumstances.

Definitions

Cancelled Flight: A flight that was published in the airline’s Computer Reservation System (CRS) at the time of the ticket sale but not operated by the airline.

Significant Change: Any flight where one or more of the following has occurred –

1. the passenger is scheduled to depart from the origination airport three hours or more (for domestic itineraries) or six hours or more (for international itineraries) earlier than the original scheduled departure time;
2. the passenger is scheduled to arrive at the destination airport three hours or more (for domestic itineraries) or six hours or more (for international itineraries) later than the original scheduled arrival time;
3. the passenger is scheduled to depart from a different origination airport or arrive at a different destination airport;
4. the passenger is scheduled to travel on an itinerary with more connection points than that of the original itinerary;
5. the passenger is downgraded to a lower class of service;
6. the passenger with a disability is scheduled to travel through one or more connecting airports that differ from the original itinerary; or
7. the passenger with a disability is scheduled to travel on a substitute aircraft that results in one or more accessibility features needed by the passenger being unavailable.

If we are the merchant of record for your ticket, we will provide a refund of your airfare, including any taxes and ancillary fees, for any cancelled or significantly changed flight if you choose not to: (A) fly on the significantly changed flight or accept rebooking on an alternative flight; or (B) accept any voucher, credit, or other form of compensation that may be offered in lieu of a refund.

10.1.2 If the Ticket has been paid for by a person other than the passenger named on it and if the Ticket indicates that there is a restriction on refunds, we will only make the refund to the person who paid for the Ticket or in accordance with that person's instructions.

10.1.3 Refunds of flight tickets paid for by credit card will only be credited to the account originally used to pay for the tickets. The refund amount will only be equivalent to the amount and currency specified on the flight ticket in accordance with the terms and conditions of this clause. The refund amount credited to the credit card holder’s account may deviate from the amount originally paid for the refunded flight ticket due to conversions and fees levied by the credit card company. These deviations do not constitute grounds for claims against us by the refund’s recipient.

10.2.1 If we cancel a flight, fail to operate a flight reasonably according to schedule, fail to land at your final or Stopover destination or cause you to miss an onward flight for which you hold a confirmed reservation, we will give you a refund.

10.2.2 If did not use any flight coupons, we will refund the fare paid, including all taxes, charges and fees.

10.2.3 If you used one or more flight coupons, we will refund at least the difference between the fare paid and the applicable tariff for travel between the points for which the ticket was used. We will also refund any taxes, charges or fees you have paid for those routes in your ticket that you have not flown.

If you are entitled to a refund based on the applicable tariff conditions on your ticket for reasons other than those stated in 10.2, the refund will be made in accordance with the following principles:

10.3.1 If no flight coupons have been used, you will receive the fare paid less the cancellation penalty, service charge and OPC, where applicable.

10.3.2 If one or more flight coupons have been used, we will refund at least the difference between the fare paid and the applicable tariff between the points for which the ticket has been used, less the cancellation penalty, service charge and OPC, where applicable. Unused airport and government taxes are refundable unless otherwise specified by the government authorities.

10.4.1 We may refuse to make a refund if you do not apply for such a refund until after the validity of the flight ticket concerned has expired.

10.4.2 We may refuse to refund a flight ticket which has been presented to us or to an authority as evidence of an intention to depart from the country concerned, unless you can demonstrate to our satisfaction that you have permission to remain in the country or that you will be departing from that country on another carrier or by another means of transport.

We reserve the right to make a refund in the same manner and in the same currency as that used to pay for the ticket.

Refunds are only issued by the airline company, which originally issued the ticket, or by the authorised agent in agreement with his own regulations.

If, in our opinion, you conduct yourself in such a way that you endanger the aircraft or any person or property on board, obstruct the crew or fail to comply with any instructions of the crew, especially with respect to smoking or alcohol or drug consumption, or if you behave in a manner which causes discomfort, inconvenience, damage or injury to other passengers or the crew, we may take such measures as we deem reasonably necessary to prevent the continuation of such conduct. We may oblige you to leave the aircraft or refuse to transport you any further. We can also detain you or have you arrested. You may be prosecuted for any offences you have committed on board.

It is forbidden to consume any alcohol which you personally brought on board. It is also forbidden to bring any drugs on board or to consume them on board.

Smoking is prohibited on all SWISS flights.

For safety reasons, we may prohibit or restrict the use on board the aircraft of electronic equipment, especially mobile phones, laptop computers, portable recorders, portable radios, CD players, electronic games or transmitting devices, radio-controlled toys and walkie-talkies. The use of hearing aids and heart pacemakers is permitted.

11.3.1. Depending on the regulations of your destination, during transit and of the country of departure, or when instructed to do so by the crew to protect all those on board, you will be required to wear a mask covering your nose and mouth at all times from when you board until you disembark the aircraft.

11.3.2. Children up to the age of 12 as well as persons for whom wearing a mask is demonstrably not possible for medical reasons are exempt from this obligation. Submission of a current medical certificate issued within 48 hours preceding the scheduled departure time is required for this.

11.3.3. You can find additional information about the permitted mask type at ​FAQ about Full-Face Masks.

12.1 Reservations and other services: Additional services are not included as standard in all the rates offered. Additional charges may apply for these services. The terms and conditions of these additional services, including any relevant additional charges, may change depending on the time and the sales channel.

12.2 If we make arrangements for you with a third party to provide any services other than carriage by air, or if we issue a ticket or voucher relating to transportation or services (other than carriage by air) provided by a third party such as hotel reservations or car rentals, we will be acting solely as an agent for this third party in doing so and their own terms and conditions will apply.

12.3 If we are also providing surface transportation to you, other regulations may apply to such surface transportation. Such regulations are available from us on request.

13.1.1 You are responsible for obtaining all the requisite travel documents and visas and for complying with all laws, regulations and directives of the countries you fly from, to or through during your travel. You are also responsible for finding out which immigration documents are required for your travel.

13.1.2 We shall not be liable for any failure on your part to obtain the requisite immigration documents or visas, or for any non-compliance on your part with the laws, regulations and directives of the countries concerned.

Prior to travel, you must present all entry, exit, health and other documents required by the law, regulation or directive of the countries concerned. We are entitled to make and retain copies of these documents or to scan your documents electronically. We reserve the right to refuse you carriage if you do not comply with these requirements or if your travel documents do not seem to be in order.

If you are denied entry into a country, you will be responsible for paying any fine or charge levied against us by the authorities concerned, and for the cost of transporting you from that country. The fare collected for your carriage to the point at which you were denied entry will not be refunded.

If we are required to pay any fine or penalty or incur any expenditure through your failure to comply with laws, regulations or directives in any country, or if you are unable to produce the documents required, you will be required to reimburse us on demand for any amount so paid or expenditure so incurred. We are entitled to put the value of any unused coupons in your flight ticket or any other amounts owed to you towards such payment or expenditure.

You must attend any inspection of your baggage by customs or other authorities on demand. We are not liable to you for any loss or damage suffered by you in the course of such inspection or through your failure to comply with this requirement.

You must submit to any security checks ordered by authorities, airport officials, carriers or ourselves.

At ​www.bloctel.gouv.fr, French passengers have the option of having their telephone number deleted from the telephone directory. We will not use these telephone numbers for marketing purposes.

14.1 Since 25 May 2018, airlines operating flights from Switzerland to EU member states are obliged to transfer their Passenger Name Records (PNRs) to the competent authorities of these countries. This transfer is required by the Directive (EU) 2016/681 on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime (​www.eurlex.europa.eu) as well as the corresponding national implementation laws in the EU member states and is made in respect of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection.

14.2 Passenger Name Records (PNR data) contain information about passengers collected by the airline during the booking and check-in processes. These data records provide information about the travel details of each individual passenger and are stored in the air carrier’s reservation and departure control systems. These data records can contain a range of information, such as dates of travel, travel itinerary, ticket information, contact details, tour operator information, payment details, seat numbers and baggage information. A detailed list of this information can be found in Appendix I of Directive (EU) 2016/681. This data is transmitted to the Passenger Information Units (PIU) of the departure and destination countries of the EU member states. Passenger Information Units are authorised to analyse and process this data in order to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute serious crime and terrorist offences. Furthermore, Passenger Information Units are authorised to pass PNR data on to the competent authorities of their own country, to the PIU central offices of other EU member states, and also to Europol.

14.3 Every passenger has the right to the protection of their personal data, including rights of access, rectification, deletion and restriction as well as rights to compensation and legal remedy. The rights are stipulated in the Swiss Federal Act of Data Protection (art. 15) and the Directive (EU) 2016/680 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties, and of the free movement of such data, and repealing Council Framework Decision 2008/977/JI (​www.eur-lex.europa.eu) (Art. 12-17).

Carriage which is to be performed by us and other carriers under a single ticket or under a connecting ticket will be regarded as a single carriage for the purposes of the Convention. However, your attention is also drawn to Article 16.1.5.

16.1.1 Our own liability and the liability of each carrier involved in your journey will be determined by the Convention, applicable laws and by our Conditions of Carriage or by the Conditions of Carriage of the carrier concerned.

16.1.2 Unless otherwise stated herein, the liability rules of the Convention shall apply.

16.1.3 If your carriage is not subject to the liability rules of the Convention, the provisions of Swiss law shall apply; the following provisions shall also apply.

16.1.4 Our liability is restricted or excluded if you are responsible or partially responsible for the damage or if it has been caused or partially caused by a third party. In the event of refusal of carriage in accordance with Art. 7.1 of these terms and Conditions of Carriage, our liability is excluded wherever legally permissible; in particular we shall not be liable for any indirect damage.

16.1.5 We will be liable only for damage occurring during carriage on flights or flight segments where our designation code appears on the ticket for the flight or flight segment concerned. If we issue a ticket or accept baggage for carriage by another carrier, we do so only as agents for the other carrier. In the case of checked baggage, however, you are entitled to make a claim against the first or the last carrier.

16.1.6 If your contract of carriage is with another carrier and we are your carrier, or if your contract of carriage is with us and you are carried by a different carrier (codeshare), and if damage should occur during such carriage, you may submit your damage claim and claim damages either from us or the other carrier.

16.1.7 We are not liable for damage arising from the compliance with legal or official provisions, or for damage arising from your non-compliance with the same.

16.1.8 Unless specified otherwise in these Conditions, we shall be liable to you only for recoverable compensatory damages for proven losses in accordance with the Convention.

16.1.9 We are not liable for any illness, injury, disability or death attributable to your existing physical condition or any deterioration in the same.

16.1.10 The contract of carriage, including these Conditions of Carriage and restrictions on liability, also applies to our authorised agents, our employees and our assistants. The total amount recoverable from us and from such authorised agents, employees and assistants shall not exceed the amount of any liability of our own.

16.1.11 Nothing in these Conditions of Carriage shall waive any exclusion or limitation of our liability under the Convention or under applicable laws unless otherwise expressly stated in these Conditions.

16.2.1 We are liable for damage to checked baggage and for delay of baggage in accordance with the Convention. If the carriage is subject to the Montreal Convention, we are liable regardless of our fault. We are not liable for checked baggage if and to the extent that the damage resulted from the inherent defect, quality or vice of the baggage. In the case of unchecked baggage, including personnel items, we are liable if the damage resulted from our fault. In case of delay of baggage, we are not liable if we have taken all measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for us to take such measures.

16.2.2 In the case of damage to checked baggage or of its delay, our liability will be limited to a maximum of 22 SDRs per kilo; and in the case of damage to unchecked baggage, our liability will be limited to a maximum of 332 SDRs per passenger if the carriage is subject to the Warsaw Convention (Hague Protocol/Montreal Protocol Version No. 2). If the Convention is applicable, our liability for checked and unchecked baggage and for damage and/or delay of checked baggage will be limited to 1,288 SDRs per passenger.

16.2.3 The limits specified in 16.2.2 with respect to the Warsaw Convention/Hague Protocol do not apply if we caused the damage with intent or recklessly and with knowledge that such damage would probably result.

16.2.4 In cases in which the weight of a baggage item was not recorded when it was checked in, we will assume that the total weight of the checked baggage did not exceed the free baggage allowance for the class of travel concerned. If you declared the item in writing to be more valuable than this when checking it in (and paid the appropriate additional fee), we will be liable for any damage to this item up to the higher amount declared.

16.2.5 You are liable for damages caused by your baggage if they are due to your negligence. This holds true for any damage caused by your baggage to other persons, to the property of third parties or to our own property.

16.2.6 We are not liable for any damage to items which are not checked in as baggage in accordance with 8.3 above, including fragile or perishable goods or particularly valuable items such as money, keys, medication, jewellery, precious metals, computers, electronic devices, securities or other valuables, business documents, passports, other identification papers or samples.

Should we be liable for your death, bodily injury or other risks to health, then the terms of the agreement and of the Directive (EG) 2027/97 in the version amended by the Directive (EG) 889/2002 (provided it has come into force in Switzerland) and the following conditions shall apply.

16.3.1 No limitations of liability apply in the case of personal damage or injury according to Article 17 of the Convention.

16.3.2 For any claims up to 128,821 SDR's, we will not avail ourselves of the defence that we or another carrier were not at fault causing the damage.

16.3.3 Unless otherwise provided in 16.3.1 and 16.3.2 above, we reserve all defences to such claims available under the Convention and the applicable national law. With respect to third parties, we also reserve all rights of recourse against any other person, including without limitation, rights of contribution and indemnity.

16.3.4 We will compensate you or your next-of-kin for damage actually suffered, provided such damage is not covered by insurance policies or similar institutions which can themselves make a claim of recovery against us. We will also compensate you for moral damages in accordance with the applicable law.

16.3.5 Should you suffer an accident on board one of our aircraft and be killed, be wounded or suffer other bodily injury, or should such an event occur aboard a flight for which we are shown as the carrier in the document of carriage, we will, within 15 days of determining who is entitled to compensatory damages, make an advance payment to meet immediate financial needs.

The amount of advance to be paid will be determined by the degree of damage or injury suffered. In the event of death, it will amount to 16,000 SDRs per passenger.

16.3.6 The payment of such an advance shall not constitute any acceptance of liability on our part. We may also deduct such payments from any subsequent amounts which we are required to pay as a result of any liability on our part. This advance payment will have to be repaid if it is subsequently proven that you caused or contributed to your own death or injury through your own behaviour, especially through negligence on your part, or if your death was caused or contributed to by an existing sickness or impairment. The same shall apply if the person receiving the advance payment caused or contributed to the death or injury through negligence, or has no entitlement to compensatory damages.

If we are liable for your delay, our liability will be limited to 5,346 SDRs per passenger in accordance with the Convention. We are not liable if we have taken all measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damage or if it was impossible for us to take such measures. Please note that Art. 9 of these Conditions may also apply in cases of delay.

In the case of flights operated by us as codeshare services in association with another carrier, we will be liable to those passengers who concluded a contract of carriage with us and on whose Tickets we are shown as the carrier by our designation code. We shall only be liable for damages towards passengers of our codeshare partner if we are the operator of the flight on which the damage occurs (see also Art. 16.1.6).

18.1.1 The acceptance of baggage by you as the bearer of the baggage check without complaint at the time of delivery will be considered sufficient evidence that we have delivered the baggage in good condition and in accordance with the contract of carriage unless you prove otherwise.

18.1.2 If you wish to file a claim or an action regarding damage to checked baggage, you must notify us as soon as you discover the damage and within seven (7) days at the latest of receipt of the baggage. If you wish to file a claim or an action regarding a delay to the delivery of Checked Baggage, you must notify us within twenty-one (21) Days of the date the Baggage is placed at your disposal. All such notifications must be made in writing.

Any right to damages shall expire if an action is not brought within two years of the date of arrival at the destination, the date on which the aircraft was scheduled to arrive or the date on which carriage stopped. The method of calculating the period of limitation shall be determined according to the laws of the competent court.

The contract of carriage and its associated legal provisions are subject to Swiss law unless the application of another national law is mandatory.

The title of each Article of these Conditions of Carriage is for convenience only and may not be used for the interpretation of the text.

These Conditions were approved by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation on 25 February 2005 in accordance with Art. 4 of the Swiss Regulation on Carriage by Air.

The approved German version of these General Conditions of Carriage prevails over its translated versions.