Do the Swiss still fly to the USA since the election of Donald Trump?
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The Swiss are still keen to travel – but war, uncertainty and political turmoil are leaving their mark. Travel agencies and Swiss are observing a certain reluctance to book flights to the USA, while flights to Asia are practically fully booked.
- Swiss travel agencies and Swiss are observing a certain reluctance to book flights to the USA, while a low dollar and the soccer World Cup are acting as a counterbalance.
- Swiss has hardly adjusted its USA offer – only to Chicago will the frequency be slightly reduced temporarily.
- The war in Iran is having a massive impact on air traffic: direct flights to Asia from Zurich are practically fully booked and flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv have been suspended until the end of May.
With rising temperatures and more hours of sunshine , the desire to travel is also growing among the Swiss. However, long-distance travel currently requires more flexibility than ever before. Flight routes are constantly being adjusted, some destinations are being dropped completely – those who cannot or do not want to fly to the East are increasingly switching to the West. This was confirmed by several travel agencies when asked by blue News.
But how far west? Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the USA has been in the headlines every day – buzzwords such as tariffs, the Iran war and Greenland are doing the rounds. Do the Swiss still want to travel there?
Bookings to the USA are cautious
The travel company Dertour describes the situation as follows: “Bookings to the USA for the first and second quarters of 2026 are restrained.” At the same time, it is expected that attractive flight prices and individually tailored offers – such as round trips, nature experiences or sporting events like the World Cup – will generate more interest again. According to Dertour, destinations such as Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and city breaks to New York, Las Vegas or Chicago remain in demand.
Travel Worldwide takes a similar view: “There are still customers who want to take advantage of the current situation and travel to the USA at comparatively low prices.” The weak dollar and attractive flight prices play a role in this.
Swiss is experiencing a decline – football clubs are helping out
Swiss is also observing the change in booking behavior. “North America is still one of our most important traffic regions,” says the airline. Nevertheless: “In 2025, we saw a reluctance to book in individual months, particularly in Economy Class.” Swiss is also seeing a similar trend for 2026 – many passengers are booking at short notice, which is why the airline is counteracting this with attractive ticket prices in some cases.
In some cases, sport is stepping into the breach: in connection with the FIFA World Cup in the USA in summer 2026, Swiss is experiencing increased demand on individual routes – namely when Swiss or European teams are in action.
Swiss has not yet made any fundamental adjustments to its USA offering. The only exception: the flight frequency to Chicago will be temporarily reduced from 14 to 12 weekly flights between 29 March and mid-June – for operational reasons, as the airline emphasizes. The destination will continue to be served at least once a day.
No adjustments to the USA so far
While demand for flights to the USA is fluctuating, another segment is booming: due to the war in Iran and the associated restrictions in the Middle East, many passengers from other airlines are unable to travel on the connections they originally booked via Dubai. Many are switching to Swiss and the Zurich hub – especially for long-haul destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong, which Swiss serves directly from Zurich. “These routes are currently almost fully booked,” says the airline.
Swiss has suspended flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv up to and including May 31 due to the volatile situation in the Middle East.