Frequently asked questions about travelling with SWISS and United Airlines
On-board product
United Airlines cabin crew speak English.
Like SWISS, United Airlines has an extensive range of food and drink available on board its domestic and international flights.
Like SWISS, United Airlines has a variety of entertainment options.
On board many of its aircraft, United Airlines offers both an entertainment system at the passenger seat and also Personal Device Entertainment. The latter is when you connect to the Wi-Fi on board and can watch films and TV or play games on your phone, tablet or laptop. The audios and subtitles are available in various languages.
Additional services and special services
United Airlines offers extensive services to its passengers that require support on their trip.
To ensure your trip goes as pleasantly as possible, we strongly recommend you contact United Airlines as early as possible if you require support on your trip.
On most longer flights, United Airlines offers a selection of special meals to meet your personal dietary needs.
Please note that the provision of your chosen special meal must be requested at least 24 hours before departure.
It is possible, subject to certain conditions, to bring animals on board with United Airlines. Transporting pets in the hold is not permitted until further notice. Please familiarise yourself with the conditions for transporting pets and service animals and the options and deadlines for registration.
Animals will only be accepted at the airport if they are registered beforehand. Please also note that you must arrive at the airport and report to the check-in desk early. If you are travelling with a pet, you cannot check in online or at one of the check-in machines at the airport.
Whilst children aged 12 years or above may travel alone on SWISS flights, United Airlines will only allow children aged 15 years or above to travel one. United Airlines offers a compulsory special assistance service for all children aged between 5 and 14 years that are travelling alone. The special assistance service is optional for children aged between 15 and 17 years. The special assistance service is not offered for transfers to connecting flights, and therefore unaccompanied children are not able to travel via such transfers. Please register children aged between 5 and 14 years with United Airlines for the special assistance service as early as possible.
If you would like to request an upgrade for your flight with United Airlines, please bear in mind the following information on upgrades on Star Alliance partner airlines:
- Please note that upgrades via miles or eVouchers can only be done if your flight booking was made on a United Airlines flight number. Upgrades cannot be booked on codeshare flights (SWISS flight numbers).
- For technical reasons, it is currently not possible to book upgrades on United Airlines flights online via milesandmore.com. However, you can make your request by telephone to your local Miles & More Service Team. When doing this, please have your Miles & More service card number and your Miles & More PIN to hand.
- An upgrade booking can only be confirmed if there is availability for flight awards in the next travel class up (Premium Economy, Business Class) in the designated booking class.
Check-in
You can always use the check-in options of the airline operating your first flight. This means, for example, that on a transfer with SWISS onto United Airlines, you use the check-in options of SWISS. You will usually then also receive a boarding pass for your connecting flight with United Airlines.
If your first flight is operated by United Airlines, you use the check-in options of our partner airline. With United Airlines, you can check in online or in the United app from 24 hours before departure. To do this, please use your United Airlines booking details that you also received upon booking. If mobile or online check-in is not possible for your trip, of course you do also have the option to check in at a machine or at the counter at the airport.
United Airlines requires special timings for check-in and baggage drop. Specific time windows apply, depending on the airport and the flight. Please familiarise yourself with the current check-in times and other information about the procedure at the airport.
Remember to bring the required travel documents, such as your passport or visa, when travelling internationally.
When transferring between flights from the USA or Canada to Europe or from Europe to the USA or Canada, you can usually check in for the entire route and receive a boarding pass for your connecting flight.
Transfers
If you are transferring, you must first collect your checked baggage on arrival at your first point of entry at the transfer airport in the USA before you can check it in again for your connecting flight after border control. There is usually a special area for this in baggage reclaim. Therefore, it is best to mention at baggage drop that you have a connecting flight so that the baggage is checked in correctly.
If you are travelling from the USA to Europe, your baggage will generally be reloaded directly when transferring and you can collect it as the final destination airport.
If you use the United Airlines app for your United Airlines flight, that is where you will receive information the earliest about your connecting flight with United Airlines. Simply check in the app upon arrival at the transfer airport and make sure your device has an internet connection. For SWISS flights, the SWISS app will allow you to reliably receive information about your connecting flight with SWISS. Alternatively, please check the screens showing departures in the airports. This is often directly adjacent to your arrival gate.
The terminals used by the airlines for arrival and departure may be different depending on the airport and also international and domestic flights. We therefore recommend you always check your departure and/or transfer airport’s websites to find out which terminals are used by the airlines that you are flying with on your trip.
If you miss your connecting flight due to a delay, for example, you will usually be automatically rebooked by the airline responsible. Once you have been rebooked, you will be notified by United Airlines or SWISS via the contact details you provided (e.g. by e-mail). If you have not received any notifications or need additional support, you can speak to our Service team at the airport at any time.
Baggage
The rules for hand baggage and checked baggage may vary depending on the airline. Therefore, find out about the baggage regulations ahead of time.
When transferring between flights from the USA or Canada to Europe or from Europe to the USA or Canada, you can usually check in for the entire route and receive a boarding pass for your connecting flight.
Please note that the regulations for the transport of dangerous goods on board can vary locally and between airlines. Please check the information from United Airlines about the transport of dangerous goods on board.
Find out about taking firearms: Every airline has its own regulations of taking firearms. Please therefore make sure to check with the airline operating your flights in good time. With United Airlines, firearms may be checked in subject to certain conditions and in strict compliance with the requirements. You can find further information about transporting firearms with United Airlines under the following link in the sports selection.
The regulations on transporting weapons on board SWISS flights can be found here:
Assistance and Service topics
If you wish to rebook or cancel your flight booked via SWISS because your plans have changed, you can either change your booking yourself on swiss.com or contact our Service Centre. For flights booked with United Airlines, please use the rebooking options of United Airlines. To request or book special services (e.g. special meals, special baggage, bringing pets etc.) on a flight, always directly contact the operating airline.
In the event of flight delays or cancellations, you will be automatically be rebooked by United Airlines and SWISS and notified via the contact details you provided. If you are already on your journey and have not received any notifications, you can contact the airport staff at any time.
If you have any questions or need help before your trip, first contact the airline you booked your flight with. For example, if you booked your flight on swiss.com, it is SWISS. Please note: To request or book special services (e.g. special meals, special baggage, bringing pets etc.) on a flight, it is always best to directly contact the airline operating your flight.
In the event that your flight is disrupted, you will find information about your passenger rights in the apps of your operating airlines and on the websites of United Airlines and SWISS.
If you start a trip from the USA or within the USA with United Airlines, please consult united.com to check the applicable passenger rights.
You can also contact the airport staff at any time.
If you miss your connecting flight due to a delay, for example, you will usually be automatically rebooked by the airline responsible. Once you have been rebooked, you will be notified by United Airlines or SWISS via the contact details you provided (e.g. by e-mail). If you have not received any notifications or need additional support, you can speak to the Service team at the airport at any time.
You should report the baggage damage to the airline operating the relevant flight once you have noticed the damage. If you travelled with more than one airline without reclaiming your baggage between connecting flights and checking it in again, please report your damaged baggage to the airline that operated your last flight.
The airline with which you arrive at your destination is always responsible for your baggage. If it was not SWISS, please report your delayed baggage to United Airlines.