Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.

P.O. Box 207

~ast Meadow, t'lY 11554

Via Electronic Submission

U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket OST-1998-3304

Via Federal Express

Erik Grosof

Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance

National Transportation Safety Board

490 L'Enfant Plaza East, S.w.

Washington, DC 20594

January 17, 2014

AfJSWISS

Re: Amendment to Family Assistance Plan of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.

Dear Sir or Madame:

Enclosed please find the amended Family Assistance Plan of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.

The enclosed plan describes procedures that comply with the requirements of the Foreign Air

Carrier Family Support Act of 1997, as amended by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment

and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) and the Vision 1OO-Centuryof Aviation

Reauthorization Act.

Should you have any questions concerning Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.'s operations or

the procedures described in the plan, please do not hesitate to contact me.

,~~_Si.Pcer. ' _'"

Lawrence Mullins, Esq.
Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.

d/b/a

SWISS

FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN

January, 2014

OVERVIEW

This Family Assistance Plan is submitted in compliance with the Vision 100-Century of

Aviation Reauthorization Act. In this plan, Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., d/b/a

Swiss ("SWISS") uses the organized procedures that have been put into place to best

meet the needs of customers and families as outlined in the Vision 100 Century of

Aviation Reauthorization Act.

SWISS' plan to assist those affected by an aviation disaster is part of a larger organized

effort, which includes the National Transportation Safety Board and many other

government agencies to provide the highest level of support to survivors and family

members.

SWISS will provide for equal treatment of the families of revenue passengers, nonrevenue passengers, crew, any other person aboard the aircraft, or any other victim of

the accident.

Certain specialized services which are required following an accident may be

accomplished on behalf of SWISS by vendors having. expertise in those areas.

PRE-RESPONSE PLANNING

Committing Sufficient Resources

SWISS will commit sufficient resources and trained employees to meet the needs of

survivors and family members following an accident, to assist in accident investigation,

media relations, as well as liaise with government agencies and support organizations.
To ensure this, SWISS will require the assistance and support of its partners

represented in the United States in order to give a consistent and efficient response to

survivors and families affected by an air accident involving one of its flights.

Coordination of activities will be done via a dedicated command center network, linked

by worldwide communications.

SWISS will provide adequate training to its employees and agents to meet the needs of

survivors and family members following an accident. Periodic training, simulated

incidents and airport drills are organized within SWISS' corporate structure in order to

test the airline's emergency response plan. If applicable, code share and alliance

partners will be included in the emergency planning process.

The primary SWISS family assistance organization consists of a dedicated Passenger

Inquiry Center.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES

Telephone Enquirv Center

SWISS will establish a toll-free telephone number dedicated to accident related calls

within 1 hour after its Operations Control Center has received information indicating that

an aircraft operated by the airline has been involved in a major incident and that there

are serious injuries and/or fatalities.

This telephone number will be staffed by trained representatives in United Airlines

Telephone Enquiry Center (TEC) in the Chicago.

Simultaneously, SWISS will operate a Passenger Inquiry Center at its hub in Zurich,

Switzerland as well as at its North American Headquarters.

Only information which has been authorized for release will be provided.

Passenger Manifest

Immediately following an accident, SWISS will begin the process of determining which

passengers actually boarded the flight and establish a verified passenger manifest.

For this purpose, a preliminary passenger list is assembled by comparing the ticket

coupons and other verifying data at the departure airport to the list of those holding

computerized reservations (Passenger Name Records) for the flight. Information in the

PNR's can also be accessed to begin the process of determining the passenger's

address and establishing contact with the next of kin.

Internal policy prohibits the unauthorized release of this confidential, sensitive manifest

information.
Upon request of the NTSB, SWISS will provide a list of the names of the passengers

who boarded the aircraft to the NTSB Director of Family Support Services designated

for the accident.

This list, based on the airline's best available information at the time of the request, will

be marked preliminary and unconfirmed and will be continuously updated.

SWISS will transmit a list of the confirmed names of non-U.S. nationals to the U.S.

State Department to facilitate interaction with the appropriate foreign embassies.

Next of Kin Notification

SWISS will activate a Family Assistance Center to notify the next of kin of passengers

involved in an accident. This unit will be staffed by trained personnel of SWISS,

supported by the SWISS Call Center staffed by Enhanced Customer Care Solutions,

Inc. for the purpose of telephonic family assistance support. Simultaneously, SWISS

will operate a Family Assistance Center at his hub in Zurich, Switzerland as well as at

its

North American Headquarters

As soon as it has verified that a passenger was onboard the flight, notification will be

made to the next of kin, regardless of whether verification of all passengers onboard the

flight is complete.

SWISS will not publicly release a passenger's name until after the next of kin has been

notified. If the next of kin requests that the passenger's name not be made public,

SWISS will convey that information to the NTSB in an effort to do all possible to honor

that request.

The medical examiner or coroner is responsible for the positive identification of fatalities

and will provide official notification of death to the family.

In cases where local capacity is exceeded, this task may be carried out by a member of

the disaster mortuary team.

For injured passengers, the hospitals are responsible for periodic status updates and

either the hospital or the airline will continue to advise the families.

FAMILY TRAVEL TO ACCIDENT LOCATION

SWISS will provide next of kin with reasonable physical care, accommodation and

transportation. This includes travel to the location of the accident, if so desired. SWISS

will maintain regular contact with the families who elect not to travel to the site of the

accident, as well as with hospitalized survivors.
Professional counseling services will be made available through the designated

organization responsible for family care and mental health.

Upon request, SWISS will work with the responsible authorities to arrange family visits

to the accident site. Access to the site may be limited by terrain, biohazard and/or

hazardous materials concerns, security measures or other, unforeseen conditions.

SWISS will continue to assist farnily members as they depart the accident location and

will maintain contact with the family until it is no longer appropriate or required.

HUMAN REMAINS

Recovery, identification and disposition of identifiable and unidentifiable remains is the

responsibility of the local medical examiner, coroner or other designated authority. The

carrier will cornply with decisions made by the responsible authority and will, to the

extent possible, honor the next of kin's wishes as to arrangements they prefer for the

remains identified as those of the passenger.

Personal Effects and Possessions

SWISS may retain contract services which have expertise in the cleaning and

restoration of personal effects. For personal effects within the control of SWISS which

have been identified as belonging to a passenger, SWISS or a representative of its

contractor will describe to the next of kin the items and their condition and will consult

with the next of kin as to the return or disposition of the items.

Unclaimed personal effects which remain within the carrier's control will be retained for

a period of at least 18 months either by the carrier or by the contracted vendor.

MONUMENTS

If the families express a desire for a monument at the accident site, SWISS will consult

with the family of each passenger about its construction, including any inscription. All

comments and concerns of the families (along with statutory and/or regulatory

requirements or considerations arising from the place of construction) will be given

careful consideration.

Each family will be given a choice of whether or not to include the passenger's name if

an inscription of the names is planned as part of the agreed design. The goal will be to

achieve a full consensus of all families on a specific design. Should that not be

possible, in an effort to avoid lengthy delays, it may be necessary to implement a plan

agreeable to the majority of the families.

The next of kin will be given an opportunity to visit the monument when construction is

complete.
CONSULTATION

In the event that SWISS volunteers assistance to the United States citizens within the

United States with respect to an aircraft accident outside the United States involving a

major loss of life, the carrier will consult with the NTSB and the Department of State on

the provision of assistance.

RELATIONSHIP WITH

DESIGNATED INDEPENDENT ORGAMZATION

SWISS will establish a liaison with the independent, non-profit organization that the

NTSB designates under section 1136(a)(2) of Title VII, Section 703 of the Federal

Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 in order to work together on an ongoing basis. The

goals will be to ensure that mental health and counseling services, as well as any other

appropriate services, are provided to families following an accident.

Compensation of Designated Organization

SWISS has established a procedure to pay reasonable compensation to the NTSBdesignated independent, non-profit organization under section 1 1 36(a)(2) of Title VII,

Section 703 of the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 for services provided

by the organization. SWISS will request, and expect, a plan of tasks and anticipated

expenses prior to the designated organization's full deployment, consultation about

costs as they are incurred and an itemized list of services rendered and expenses to

accompany the organization's invoice.

Filing of Family Assistance Plan

SWISS has filed this plan at the Department of Transportation and at the National

Transportation Safety Board as required by the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act

of 1997, as amended by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for

the 21st Century (AIR-21) and the Vision 1DO-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act.

Emergency Contact

Under separate cover,. SWISS will provide the NTSB with the telephone and fax

numbers of its 24-hour Operation Control Center.

Damage to Property

In the event that an accident causes significant damage to a man-made structure or

other property on the ground that it is not government owned, SWISS would provide

prompt written notice to the owner regarding liability for property damage with means

for obtaining compensation. Such notice shall advise the owner to (i) contact the insurer

of the property as to the authoritative source for information about coverage and

compensation; (ii) to not rely on unofficial information offered by foreign air carrier
representatives about compensation by the foreign air carrier for accident-site property

damage; and (iii) to obtain photographic or other details evidence of property damage

as soon as possible after the accident, consistent with restrictions on access to the

accident site.

NTSB Hearings

In the event the NTSB holds a hearing on a flight's accident at a location more than 80

miles from the accident site, SWISS would ensure that such proceedings are

simultaneously available by electronic means at a location open to the public at both

the origin and destination city of the flight (if such city is located in the United States).

SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES LTO.

FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS

TelePhone:"

Facsimile:

SWISS Operations Control Center

SWISS Operations Control Center