Fallen Star

The history of Swissair began in 1931 through the consolidation of two airlines, Ad Astra Aero and Balair, and the national airline became known for its financial stability, punctuality, reliability, and excellent in-flight service, and its sobriquet as The Flying Bank was well deserved. But throughout its existence, Swissair was handicapped by its small size, which prevented it from providing effective competition to the larger airlines. Its attempt to become a major European carrier through a risky equity-based alliance programme with several airlines, known as the Hunter Strategy, quickly unraveled and ultimately led to its demise. Swissair suffered heavy losses, and neither a strategic re-orientation plan nor a rescue attempt by the two biggest Swiss banks failed to arrest its terminal decline. Its last ever flight landed at Zurich on 1 April 2002. This book traces the histories of the various predecessor airlines and follows Swissair through the 70 years of its existence, which is amply illustrated with photographs and aircraft fleet lists.