opus17
Feb 21, 00, 3:17 pm
Once again, I am off to Switzerland...
This is the Delta codeshare of the Swissair non-stop San Francisco-Zurich flight.
I was assigned seat 8H, which is the aisle seat on the right hand of the 2-3-2 business class. 7H & 7J are curtained-off crew seats on this flight.
Business class is fairly full, only a seat or two are free. The Swissair seat is not a comfortable as the Delta Business Elite seat -- there isn't as much legroom, the seat doesn't recline as much, and the seat positioning is all manual, not electric. However, I was surprised to see the Empower outlets now available on the MD-11 -- they haven't been there before, so I didn't take my adapter.
The equipment under the seat makes it impossible to store my computer bag. I put it in the overhead with my TravelPro (it's a short trip, so I am not checking baggage).
The amenity kit is the Swissair standard -- a canvas pouch with Velcro(R) closures, containing: Socks, Mask, Toothbrush in plastic case with a small tube of Colgate, a small bottle of Crabtree & Evelyn Eau Fraiche, C&E lotion, & C&E Lip Balm. Also, two stickers: "Please do not Disturb" and "Please Wake Me for Meals". The latter is always fun to stick on peoples' chairs at work.
No hot towel, we get the "Refreshing Tissue" (a la KFC). The service schedule is unaffected by the two hours of turbulence leaving SFO. We get cold, mixed nuts and a drink. We get printed menus:
First Course:
Oriental chicken salad with black sesame seeds, complemented by New Zealand turner musssels and smoked salmon.
Fresh mesclun salad served with Parmesan and peppercorn dressing. [I didn't know the english term for this disk, just the German "blattsalat" -- it's kind of a winter lettuce]
Main Courses:
Thinly sliced beeef & sauteed mushrooms accompanied by roesti potatoes, blanched sugar snap peas and baby carrots.
Grilled shrimp enhanced by a red curry sauce, basmati rice and baby bok choy.
Rotolo filled with mushrooms and ricotta chesse, enhanced by a roasted red pepper sauce and a bean cassoulet.
Dessert:
Selection of cheese accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit.
Currant biscuit cake.
I selected the shrimp. They took orders starting from the front of the cabin.
The first course, cheese, dessert and bread plate all were served at once on a platter. Everything served came (including drinks) from a cart in the aisle.
I normally don't drink while flying, but I selected a glass of Morges Cave de la Côte Uvavins. The salmon was terrific, the chicken salad was very good. The blattsalat was in a bowl the size of Japaneese teacup -- I didn't care for it, but it isn't my favorite kind of salad. I didn't east the mussels.
There were 5 shrimp in the platter, with a very spicy curry sauce that was on only the shrimp. It was very good, but after eating a shrimp, it was hard to get any taste from the rice or the wine. The bok choy was a bit overcooked, but not bad for a plane.
A dry cheese, a brie-like cheese and some dried fruit was the fruit and cheese course, which I skipped. Also skipped was the dessert.
Chocolate was served -- all the same type -- very disappointing from a Swiss airline.
With the entertainment system disabled after SR 111, the on-screen features were a Wallace & Grommitt Short "The Wrong Trousers", the Pierce Brosnan Indian movie, "Grey Owl" (all shown in the first 3 hours of the flight). 2.5 hours before landing, "Double Jeopardy" was shown. The moving map display was on briefly at the beginning and at the end of the flight.
Most of the flight, I listened to the outstanding music selections using my new Sony NC5 noice cancelling headphones (which worked wonderfully). Music aboard Swissair is a lot like European radio, which is generally much more interesting than American radio.
About 2 hours before landing, a breakfast was served: OJ, cold cuts, fruit, birchermuesli. Also offered were warm bread & croissants, cheese & herb omlette, belgian waffle and cereals. I didn't eat much, but what I did eat was good.
Hot towels were brought around right before breakfast. These were a fairly good size, about 10X10 in (25 X 25 cm).
The flight landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Then a train to Baden, but that's getting too boring, so I'll stop for now!
Although the Delta experience (especially with the seat & entertainment) is better, I really love this flight because it gets me to Zurich fast, and gets me there in the evening instead of early in the morning. I might still take it after the SR/DL divorce, but it is going to be harder for me to upgrade.
This is the Delta codeshare of the Swissair non-stop San Francisco-Zurich flight.
I was assigned seat 8H, which is the aisle seat on the right hand of the 2-3-2 business class. 7H & 7J are curtained-off crew seats on this flight.
Business class is fairly full, only a seat or two are free. The Swissair seat is not a comfortable as the Delta Business Elite seat -- there isn't as much legroom, the seat doesn't recline as much, and the seat positioning is all manual, not electric. However, I was surprised to see the Empower outlets now available on the MD-11 -- they haven't been there before, so I didn't take my adapter.
The equipment under the seat makes it impossible to store my computer bag. I put it in the overhead with my TravelPro (it's a short trip, so I am not checking baggage).
The amenity kit is the Swissair standard -- a canvas pouch with Velcro(R) closures, containing: Socks, Mask, Toothbrush in plastic case with a small tube of Colgate, a small bottle of Crabtree & Evelyn Eau Fraiche, C&E lotion, & C&E Lip Balm. Also, two stickers: "Please do not Disturb" and "Please Wake Me for Meals". The latter is always fun to stick on peoples' chairs at work.
No hot towel, we get the "Refreshing Tissue" (a la KFC). The service schedule is unaffected by the two hours of turbulence leaving SFO. We get cold, mixed nuts and a drink. We get printed menus:
First Course:
Oriental chicken salad with black sesame seeds, complemented by New Zealand turner musssels and smoked salmon.
Fresh mesclun salad served with Parmesan and peppercorn dressing. [I didn't know the english term for this disk, just the German "blattsalat" -- it's kind of a winter lettuce]
Main Courses:
Thinly sliced beeef & sauteed mushrooms accompanied by roesti potatoes, blanched sugar snap peas and baby carrots.
Grilled shrimp enhanced by a red curry sauce, basmati rice and baby bok choy.
Rotolo filled with mushrooms and ricotta chesse, enhanced by a roasted red pepper sauce and a bean cassoulet.
Dessert:
Selection of cheese accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit.
Currant biscuit cake.
I selected the shrimp. They took orders starting from the front of the cabin.
The first course, cheese, dessert and bread plate all were served at once on a platter. Everything served came (including drinks) from a cart in the aisle.
I normally don't drink while flying, but I selected a glass of Morges Cave de la Côte Uvavins. The salmon was terrific, the chicken salad was very good. The blattsalat was in a bowl the size of Japaneese teacup -- I didn't care for it, but it isn't my favorite kind of salad. I didn't east the mussels.
There were 5 shrimp in the platter, with a very spicy curry sauce that was on only the shrimp. It was very good, but after eating a shrimp, it was hard to get any taste from the rice or the wine. The bok choy was a bit overcooked, but not bad for a plane.
A dry cheese, a brie-like cheese and some dried fruit was the fruit and cheese course, which I skipped. Also skipped was the dessert.
Chocolate was served -- all the same type -- very disappointing from a Swiss airline.
With the entertainment system disabled after SR 111, the on-screen features were a Wallace & Grommitt Short "The Wrong Trousers", the Pierce Brosnan Indian movie, "Grey Owl" (all shown in the first 3 hours of the flight). 2.5 hours before landing, "Double Jeopardy" was shown. The moving map display was on briefly at the beginning and at the end of the flight.
Most of the flight, I listened to the outstanding music selections using my new Sony NC5 noice cancelling headphones (which worked wonderfully). Music aboard Swissair is a lot like European radio, which is generally much more interesting than American radio.
About 2 hours before landing, a breakfast was served: OJ, cold cuts, fruit, birchermuesli. Also offered were warm bread & croissants, cheese & herb omlette, belgian waffle and cereals. I didn't eat much, but what I did eat was good.
Hot towels were brought around right before breakfast. These were a fairly good size, about 10X10 in (25 X 25 cm).
The flight landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Then a train to Baden, but that's getting too boring, so I'll stop for now!
Although the Delta experience (especially with the seat & entertainment) is better, I really love this flight because it gets me to Zurich fast, and gets me there in the evening instead of early in the morning. I might still take it after the SR/DL divorce, but it is going to be harder for me to upgrade.