HajoFlyer

Whereas LX is boasting about new routes in the winter timetable (eg. new direct flight to Dublin, equipment "upgrades" and more frequencies on longhaul routes), you will find no mention of the many routes that Swiss has killed in the new schedule.

Just found out when trying to book today:

CGN-BSL Gone
FMO-ZRH Gone
LEJ-ZRH Gone
FDH-BSL Gone

What's wrong with the German market? First SN almost completely withdraws from Germany (FRA, DUS, HAJ, BRE), now LX follows suit. Fearing competition with LH? Others happily pick up the business:

New CGN-GVA EA (European Air Express, LH M&M Partner)
New CGN-ZRH 4U (Germanwings, LH/EW low cost subsidiary)

Against this trend, LX has added a 5th daily flight on CGN-ZRH. Doesn't make sense IMO, because the battle on this route is already lost. 4U offers OW for 29€ including garbage, and unlike with Ryanair et al, it is actually possible to get these fares even a a few days in advance (just booked one).

But not only flights to Germany have silently disappeared:

ZRH-EDI (was SAT/SUN) Gone

This flight was so heavily booked this summer that LX had to employ AR1 instead of the scheduled ER4 most of the time. I couldn't get award space on this flight anytime during the summer, so I was hoping for them to increase frequencies. The opposite has happened. Don't tell me it's only a summer destination. If so, why did they add DUB in winter? It all doesn't make sense to me.

I'm sure there are probably a lot more routes which didn't survive the red ink of the yield managers and which I just haven't noticed yet. So, Swiss, please stop the marketing spin about network extensions and give us the real picture.

I can only but hope for the Summer Timetable.