Swiss International Air Lines was born out of disaster. In October 2001 Swissair ran out of cash and grounded its entire fleet, meaning every plane stopped flying. The airline had once looked so solid that people called it the flying bank. Its collapse became a national humiliation for Switzerland. A rescue plan then built a new national carrier around Crossair, which had been Swissair's regional subsidiary.
SWISS started flying on March 31, 2002, taking aircraft, routes, and staff from both companies. After early losses, Lufthansa agreed to buy it in 2005 and completed the takeover by 2007. SWISS joined Star Alliance in 2006, a group of airlines that work together. Inside Lufthansa Group it became one of Europe's most consistently profitable network airlines, meaning carriers that connect passengers through their own airports.
Its two hubs are Zurich and Geneva, the airports where its flights meet. In July 2016 SWISS became the world's first operator of the Bombardier C Series, the jet later renamed the Airbus A220. That first service flew from Zurich to Paris. SWISS was also the first airline in its region to fly the Boeing 777-300ER, its long-haul flagship. Understated service and Swiss punctuality remain its calling cards.