Swiss introduces a fee to pre-reserve one of the popular solo business-class seats on its Airbus A330 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Previously, the carrier offered the “throne” seats to business-class passengers free of charge. Beginning at the end of March, Swiss, a Lufthansa group member, will charge everyone except high-tier loyalty club members who wish to pre-reserve a throne seat.

“With the remodeling of Swiss business class on long-haul routes we have introduced exclusive single seats that are marked by more space and discretion,” said Markus Binkert, chief commercial officer, Swiss. “Due to the overwhelming demand concerning these ‘privacy seats’ we will be giving our guests the opportunity to reserve these seats for a fee starting at the end of March. As a token of our appreciation we are delighted to continue offering these seats to you at no charge, as long as they are available at the time of booking.”

The seats are available on long-haul A330 and 777-300ER aircraft flights, all of which offer a staggered business-class configuration. The throne seats are sought after by solo travelers because of the privacy provided. While there are only a limited number of throne seats available on every flight, preference is given to loyalty club members holding HON Circle and Senator status. Currently, they remain free of charge to ordinary business-class passengers, but they can only claim a throne seat close to departure.

The fee will range between $100–200 depending on the flight and route. The move follows the carrier’s recent decision to allow economy passengers access to its Zurich (ZRH) and Geneva (GVA) business-class lounges for a fee.