Just three and a half years after SWISS International Air Lines brought back the inflight Duty Free cart as mark of it being a “premium” full-service carrier, the opportunity to flick through a dog earred shopping brochure will soon be coming to an end… and this time, it will be for good.
Like many airlines, SWISS first jettisoned inflight Duty Free at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a desperate measure to reduce contact between flight attendants and passengers.
It would take SWISS two and half years to being back the Duty Free cart, although the decision to reintroduce the familiar inflight moment flew in the face of decisions of many other airlines that decided inflight Duty Free was no longer worth the hassle.
Explaining its decision, though, Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour, said bringing back Duty Free was a “a further major step back to our full premium service.”
Unfortunately, fast forward to now, and SWISS has decided that inflight Duty Free is no longer needed to stand out at a premium carrier.
At the end of September, SWISS will remove the last Duty Free carts from its planes, ending a favorite tradition among flyers.
Explaining its decision, a spokesperson for SWISS said the airline had carefully analyzed onboard sales.
“The result is clear: fewer and fewer guests are making purchases in-flight,” the airline said. “More and more passengers now research products at home, compare prices online, and make their purchases before they even arrive at the airport.”
The statement added: “The spontaneous purchase from the onboard duty-free trolley has become the exception – no longer the rule. SWISS is drawing the consequences and will discontinue in-flight duty-free sales at the end of September 2026.”
Although SWISS plans to discontinue Duty Free sales at the end of September 2026, the airline will start drawing down its stock from June, meaning that some items might be put on special offer to ensure SWISS can clear out its warehouse.
Following the end of in-flight Duty Free, a selection of goods will still be available to buy online via the Miles & More ‘Worldshop.’
SWISS certainly isn’t alone in ending in-flight Duty Free shopping, with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, SAS, and Finnair all ending the practice since 2020. Last year, German flag carrier Lufthansa also ended inflight Duty Free sales after deciding that it needed the space taken up by shopping carts for other items.
Some airlines have, though, recommitted to the increasingly rare chance to shop at 38,000 feet. Last year, both Iberia and British Airways reintroduced Duty Free shopping on their long-haul flights, while Emirates has long embraced the in-flight shopping experience.
