Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss is gearing up to completely transform the passenger experience on board its Airbus A350-900s with the adoption of swish new interiors, including more and better premium seating, 4K inflight entertainment screens from nose to tail, and a pleasing color palette.

A member of Lufthansa Group, Edelweiss currently operates a cluster of ex-LATAM, two-class A350s featuring a dated 2-2-2-configured business class cabin. But when it takes delivery of a new A350 later this year, the twinjet will boast a three-class layout with 32 modern, 1-2-1-configured lie-flats up front, inclusive of four front-row, biz-plus suites — based on Thompson Aero Seating’s excellent VantageXL+ platform — and a new-to-Edelweiss Premium Economy section.

The new A350 will enter service in December 2026 with flights bookable from this summer. Thereafter, the carrier’s in-service A350s will be retrofitted with the new interiors. Edelweiss says the conversions will happen “gradually in January, February, April, May, and July 2027.” By summer 2027, its entire six-strong A350 fleet will be equipped with the new cabins.

All in, Edelweiss is sacrificing economy class seats to add 30 additional premium seats to each of its A350s: two more business class seats and 28 new Premium Economy seats, and it’s doing so under the motto “more room to feel good.”

This strategic expansion of premium seating comes as the global premium arms race — which now even involves leisure-focused operators — rages on, and indeed as the broader Lufthansa Group works to evolve “from a group of airlines into an integrated airline group” that operates in a more networked manner than before.

To that end, Edelweiss’ new A350 interiors better align it with Lufthansa Group network carriers, which are collectively moving towards all-aisle-access lie-flats (Austrian, for example, is already there on its Boeing 787s with the ever-solid Collins Aerospace Super Diamond product up front.)

Edelweiss has notably adopted an off-the-shelf — albeit beautifully customized — business class product for its A350s, as opposed to the bespoke and objectively more complicated platforms rolling out on Lufthansa and SWISS aircraft, which are branded as Allegris and Senses, respectively, and configured in an alternating 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 layout.

Specifically designed by Thompson for the A350 (and Boeing 787), the VantageXL+ features “a series of carefully crafted adaptations to optimize customer living space and enhance the passenger experience in the A350 environment,” notes the seatmaker.

“Key modifications” include expanded footwells and re-sculpted internal walls to provide greater legroom and increased knee clearance; refined suite top rails with a newly contoured profile, enhancing personal living space; and improved IFE monitor positioning, which increases viewing distance for a more immersive experience.

Compared to Edelweiss’ current A350s, with their noisy bright blue seat covers, the new CMF (color, materials and finish) in business class is very attractive in its muted sensibilities.

For the 28 seats branded ‘Edelweiss Business,’ the airline has opted to provide privacy via an aisle side shield. Multiple personal stowage solutions, a 17.3” IFE monitor, wireless charging, a universal power outlet, and both USB-A and -C power ports with up to 60 watts of power round out the offering.

Impressively, the front row of four biz-plus seats — each dubbed the ‘Edelweiss Business Suite’ — offer a differentiated experience to guests, with moveable sliding doors and a massive 32” 4K IFE screen. In the central suites, the room divider can be individually adjusted, allowing the suite to be used flexibly for guests traveling together.

“A special feature is the generous open foot area, which offers significantly more freedom of movement when lying down,” enthuses Edelweiss of the Business Suite. “The package is complemented by a comfortable memory foam pillow and a mattress topper for restful sleep, as well as additional storage space for personal hand luggage.”

Premium Economy

The new Edelweiss Premium Economy section features 28 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration with what the carrier assures will be roughly “one meter of legroom,” i.e. at least 39-inch pitch, plus “a high-quality hard-shell seat, similar to those used on other Lufthansa Group airlines.”

That means the seats have a “cradle” recline mechanism whereby the passenger’s seat cushion slides forward and upward to preserve legroom for the passenger behind them.

The seats also feature four-way headrests, a modest winged-privacy divider, noise-canceling headphones from Edelweiss Business Class, wireless charging, USB-A and -C power ports, and 4K IFE.

A welcome drink will be offered before takeoff, says Edelweiss, while an expanded food selection, served on china on a tablecloth — and accompanied by complimentary alcoholic beverages if desired — will also be included.

Economy Class

Renderings of the new interiors indicate that Edelweiss intends to retain the nine-abreast configuration found on its current A350s. That’s good news, as the carrier could have opted for a higher density, ten-abreast layout, given its introduction of more premium seating.

“All seats offer approximately three centimeters more legroom compared to the previous cabin, as well as a greater seat tilt angle, which noticeably increases comfort on long journeys,” says the carrier.

Compared to Edelweiss’ current A350s, the new CMF (color, materials and finish) across all cabins has been toned down, with PE and economy now boasting conservative woven blues. This was a conscious choice. “Compared to the previous cabin, the color scheme has been deliberately reduced” to create “a sense of calm and harmony,” explains Edelweiss.

“The darker, more elegant color scheme underscores the premium aspirations,” notes the airline.

A new aircraft livery will accompany the new interiors. Featuring darker shades of red and blue and the carrier’s characteristic red wave pattern, the livery is a complement to the CMF of the interiors.

In line with Lufthansa Group’s recent announcement that it will bring SpaceX Starlink-powered inflight connectivity to its entire 850-strong fleet, Edelweiss will offer free Starlink Wi-Fi in all travel classes aboard the refitted A350s.

Additionally, the embedded IFE will feature “over 400 films and series” and a 3D inflight moving map, and it will pipe content from external cameras.

“With the new Airbus A350, we seized the opportunity to rethink our entire cabin product and develop it consistently with our guests’ well-being in mind,” says Edelweiss CEO Bernd Bauer in a statement.

“Our aim was to create a space that exudes tranquility, is of high quality, and clearly positions itself as a premium product. The new cabin is a logical evolution of our design and represents modern comfort, Swiss quality, and a contemporary long-haul holiday flight experience.”

Related Articles:

• Lufthansa Group hands massive fleet-wide IFC contract to Starlink
• Thompson renames VantageXL+ — it’s now the A350/787-optimised XL
• Condor gives airlines a run for their money even with missing seat parts
• Lufthansa receives Allegris-fitted 787 with most biz seats blocked

All images credited to Edelweiss