End of an era: SWISS discontinues duty-free shopping on flights

Anyone wanting to make the most of duty-free shopping onboard a SWISS flight will soon need to switch up their habits. From September, SWISS is ending in-flight duty-free shopping.

SWISS duty-free shopping ends September 30

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) announced the move in a press release, referencing “changing passenger purchasing behaviour” as the reason for ending duty-free shopping on flights.

Instead, passengers will be able to browse items offered by SWISS via the online Miles & More Worldshop. From June, the airline will continue to sell discounted items on board flights, and from September 30, the service will end.

The move by SWISS is in response to changing shopping habits among travellers. Many choose to buy products at home or online, and utilising in-flight duty-free shopping has become “the exception”. Other European airlines, including Lufthansa, KLM and Finnair, have also recently stopped the in-flight service.

Plane enthusiasts and fans of the SWISS brand will still be able to buy limited edition items online. 

SWISS reports 26,6% decline in operating results

The flagship airline of Switzerland has faced some challenging years after the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, the company reported operating results of 502,2 million Swiss francs for 2025, a decline of 26,6 percent on the previous year. The company is also facing staff shortages, which have resulted in 326 flight cancellations over the summer holidays. 

Despite this, passenger numbers increased slightly (up 0,6 percent) in 2025 with 18,1 million people travelling with SWISS. Although Lufthansa recently cancelled 20.000 short-distance flights, SWISS has yet to announce any further disruptions directly related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.