Posted in the American Airlines Forum, by MiamiFlyer: "candidates are understood to be American and Delta "

SWISS EXPECTS SMALLER LOSS; FLEET ANNOUNCEMENT IMMINENT
Aviation Daily – 19 March

Swiss, the newly formed national carrier of Switzerland, will post a significantly smaller loss than expected for the year 2002, according to CEO Andre Dose. The airline's load factor on long-haul routes is far ahead of projections, Dose said at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin.

The Swiss business plan was based on the assumption that the airline would report a CHF1 billion loss. Also, Swissair is likely not to use up the CHF1 billion that the Swiss government injected so that flight operations could be continued until April. Dose said he would make a decision on a bilateral alliance with a U.S. carrier by monthend. "I have two contracts on my table ready to be signed," he said. Although Dose did not disclose the identity, the leading candidates are understood to be American and Delta. Swiss also aims at becoming a member of either oneworld or SkyTeam, but Dose pointed out that it was of critical importance to move ahead with a bilateral alliance with a U.S. carrier quickly. Swiss and its partner would have to file a new application for antitrust immunity.

The new carrier has made a decision on the early replacement of 13 MD-11s that it will integrate as of April 1, but Dose declined to disclose his choice, referring to the airline's annual news conference March 26. Swiss has evaluated the Airbus A340-300 and the Boeing 777. Dose said the A340 offered communality with the A330-200s that will make up the other half of the long-haul fleet, but the 777 has more capacity and provides opportunities for traffic growth. Industry sources believe that Swiss will opt for the A340s.Nine aircraft are scheduled to be taken over in 2003. Dose said the MD-11 is a very expensive aircraft to operate and maintain. In his view, the aircraft's image has suffered specifically in Switzerland since the 1998 Swissair crash off the coast of Nova Scotia near Halifax. Swiss is expected to sign a wage agreement with its ground staff today, having already signed one with cabin crew. Dose said he is confident that a solution in the dispute with the former Crossair pilots can be found.