Since September 7, 2023, the Swiss airline has only been selling so-called "green fares" on its domestic route between Zurich and Geneva. However, this only applies to point-to-point passengers, as transfer passengers are exempt from this measure.

The Swiss Lufthansa subsidiary is thus forcing passengers traveling point-to-point on this route to “donate” surcharges that have already been calculated for climate protection projects and SAF fuel. According to a media statement, only the so-called “Green Fares” are now offered on this route within the Swiss Confederation. This is an economy fare class that the Lufthansa Group came up with to make its products appear particularly environmentally friendly and to appeal to passengers who are interested in compensation and the like.

However, sales of these "green flight tariffs" are extremely slow, as only a few travelers are willing to pay the surcharge for them. Although frequent flyers are offered more miles, the fare does not differ much in terms of the product. Allegedly, the carbon dioxide emissions are to be compensated and SAF is to be purchased for the passenger. However, the latter can hardly be controlled. For this reason, among other things, environmental protection organizations also raise the accusation of greenwashing with regard to “green fares”. However, the Lufthansa Group is definitely not an isolated case, because in Europe almost every airline tries to give itself a particularly green and environmentally friendly image. As a result, one or the other lawsuit due to misleading advertising is pending.

At Swiss, the fact that the mandatory Green Fare tariff is being tested between Zurich and Geneva is probably more of a test run. However, only point-to-point travelers - for lack of alternatives - are obliged to book these "green tariffs", because transfer passengers are excluded. This is a bit absurd, since they usually cause more carbon dioxide emissions than point-to-point passengers on this ultra-short route due to the longer total travel distance.

Of course, Swiss boss Dieter Vranckx sees this a little differently and announces: “We have a great responsibility towards society and the environment. By 2050, we aim to have a net-zero carbon footprint. We can only achieve this ambitious goal with a whole series of measures. The Green Tariff on all domestic flights is a further step and part of our strategy. We will continue to expand our offerings for more sustainable air travel."