With the right preparation, the right aircraft and a few well-aimed moves, a long-haul flight becomes an experience you arrive from rested.
The right mindset
Long-haul wellness does not begin at the gate but in your head. Treat the flight as lost time and that is exactly what you will get. Plan it as part of the journey and you board differently.
In practice that means: adjust your sleep rhythm slightly before the flight. To bed earlier before eastbound flights, later before westbound ones. On the day itself eat lightly, drink plenty of water, cut back on caffeine. And: comfortable clothing. Which is why SWISS Business offers exclusive Muntagnard sleep shirts made from the finest wood fibres on selected flights. In SWISS First there is even a complete change of outfit for the night, with pyjamas by Zimmerli.
The right aircraft
Not every aircraft is the same. The new Airbus A350 from SWISS makes a noticeable difference. The cabin holds up to 20 per cent more humidity than older models — which means less dry skin, less eye irritation, less of that parched feeling after landing. Cabin pressure is set lower and air filtration is state of the art.
On top of that, the cabin is noticeably quieter. Less noise means less stress, better sleep and a more relaxed experience overall. The extra-large windows add to the pleasant sense of space.
The right light
The greatest enemy on long-haul routes is jet lag. And the most important lever against it is light. Our bodies use light as the main signal for the internal clock: blue light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin and keeps us awake, while warmer light with a red component encourages melatonin production and prepares the body for sleep.
This is exactly where the Human Centric Lighting in the SWISS A350 comes in. The system is based on a scientific algorithm that calculates the optimal lighting programme for each flight, matched to the route, the direction of travel, the duration, the time zones crossed and the time of day at the destination. On night flights, light in warm tones helps you settle. Before landing, activating light takes over again. The transitions are so smooth you barely notice them.
