SWISSAIR'S (EX NATIONAL SWISS AIRLINES) BANKRUPTCY On October 2, 2001, dozens of aircraft stood grounded at Zurich Unique Airport. Flights could not take off due to the simple lack of cash flow. Swissair, the airline that flew the flag and pride of the Swiss people, had declared bankruptcy. While many people knew that Swissair was ill, maybe even very ill, no one ever thought it could reach this level of gross humiliation. Passengers were left stranded with valueless tickets, and 70 years of the Swissair brand's goodwill totally disintegrated in a matter of hours.

This paper analyzes and examines the multitude of issues related to Swissair's bankruptcy. Part II discusses the evolution and impact of Swissair's bankruptcy for the hospitality, hotel, and restaurant businesses. In Part III, Swiss, the new National airlines company is reviewed. Lastly, this paper concludes with recommendations for improving the likelihood of success for Swiss.

SWISSAIR'S BANKRUPTCY AND ITS EFFECTS

Swissair's bankruptcy had numerous economic and social consequences for the Swiss hospitality, hotel, and restaurant business. First, Swissair's bankruptcy caused numerous individuals to lose their jobs as well as their retirement funds. Likewise, Swissair's bankruptcy resulted in many investors losing their investments. More immediately, Swissair's bankruptcy forced numerous consumers to scramble for new flight arrangements as their plane tickets were suddenly worthless.

Next, Swissair's bankruptcy also had social consequences for the Swiss hospitality, hotel, and restaurant business. Prior to its bankruptcy filing, Swissair had enjoyed great respect with...

Not only had Swissair been in existence for 70 years, but also it was known as a true innovator in every aspect of the airline business, from fleet decisions to catering. Such outstanding service, with an appropriate balance of innovation and conservatism, earned Swissair worldwide acclaim.
All of Swissair's former goodwill and reputation as a top-notch airline instantly disintegrated as a result of its bankruptcy filing. Once Swissair filed bankruptcy, the airline, hotel, and restaurant industries suffered. Swissair's bankruptcy filing caused individuals to lose faith in the stability of Switzerland's hospitality industry. For a period after Swissair filed bankruptcy, individuals began booking fewer flights, eating out less, and staying in hotels less often. In order for things to change, airlines in Switzerland had to restore consumer and investor faith in the stability of the hospitality industry as well as the safety of traveling.

III. SWISS, THE NEW NATIONAL AIRLINES COMPANY

The new National airlines company, Swiss should do various things to regain customer and investor confidence in the high Swiss quality and reliability. Prior to filing bankruptcy, Swissair was highly respected, both for its innovation as well as its respect for consumers and its treatment of investors. Consumer and investor confidence in Swissair immediately disintegrated upon Swissair's bankruptcy filing. Swiss, the new National airlines company has the potential to capitalize on Swissair's goodwill by restoring consumer and investor faith. In order to do this, Swiss must demonstrate the same (if not higher) level of…