Lufthansa justifies the step with the changed behavior of passengers.Image: keystone
April 23, 2026, 1:03 p.mApril 23, 2026, 4:32 p.m
Several airlines in the Lufthansa Group, including Swiss, are introducing a new entry tariff. This applies on short and medium-haul routes to passengers who are only traveling with one personal item such as a laptop bag or a small backpack.
This new entry-level tariff, called “Economy Basic”, complements the existing offer, the Lufthansa Group announced in a communiqué on Thursday. “Our current tariffs remain the same,” said a Swiss spokesman when asked by the AWP news agency. The personal item may not exceed 40x30x15 centimeters in size.
The lowest fare class to date, “Economy Light”, where you can take a personal item on board as well as hand luggage measuring a maximum of 55x40x23 centimeters, remains unchanged. And it will now be expanded to include a rebooking option. This means that customers will be able to rebook their flight for a fee in the future, which was previously not possible, said the Swiss spokesman.
Hand luggage suitcases are still possible with other tariffs
“This is an expansion of our offering. Anyone who would like to fly without hand luggage and benefit from a corresponding price will also have this option with us in the future. At least one piece of hand luggage is still included in all other existing tariffs,” said the Swiss spokesman.
The new entry-level tariff “Economy Basic” will be introduced from April 28th for trips from May 19th, wrote Lufthansa. It can be booked with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group – Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Lufthansa City Airlines and Air Dolomiti. In the future, travelers would have a total of four different fare options in economy class and three in business class.
The new tariff applies exclusively to European flights. It should not be confused with the “Economy Basic” tariff of the same name on long-haul flights. This has the same name, but includes a different offer. (awp/sda)