ch_usa
Jan 14, 03, 8:00 am
Because FlyerTalk was down yesterday I couldn't post earlier. Sorry.
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I just got back from a quick trip to NYC. Due to many controversial posts on the Qualiflyer board regarding food service in SWISS economy class in general, as well as food quality for SWISS first class ex USA, I will try to give the food some special attention ...
ZRH-GVA LX2804 Saturday 11.1. A321
As usual always, no lines at passport control in Zurich's terminal A. So after a quick luggage scan, on to a short stop at the SWISS clubmember lounge. With Swissair's furnishing I find the lounge to be functional and fairly nice. Nothing spectacularly elegant, but OK indeed. I like the free alcohol, I like the (though expensive) wireless internet and the free internet terminals, and I like the showers. Staff is usually very friendly and helpful if one is friendly to them. Unfortunately the lounge can be quite overcrowded during busy hours.
Security was without a line, but the long line at the gate indicated a very full flight. I asked how it looked: Fully booked in business and three open seats in economy. So no operational upgrade for me today. No big deal, anyway, on a 30 min flight. Service was self service for economy passengers - with the introduction of the winter time table, drink service in Y was eliminated and replaced by self service at the gate. They had a roll-around kiosk with a Nescafe machine, bottled water, brownies, cookies, apples and lemon cake. I had a coffee, a brownie and a lemon cake. It was all quite OK. While the crowd was boarding, I relaxed, drank coffee and read the new Travelclub program guide. What a shame that upgrades are getting so much more expensive. (See Qualiflyer forum.) Newspaper selection (self service at the gate) was good.
The flight was uneventful - the FAs only came around to hand out chocolates and refreshing towels. Cloudy weather - thus no good view. Clean landing in GVA.
GVA-JFK LX22 Saturday 11.1. A330
I had an hour until boarding started, which I spent at the GVA Clubmember lounge. A really nice, new lounge. Stylish furniture, free internet, helpful staff, and best of all - free modem lines for laptops. So I drank a tomato juice and got work done. 25 min before departure - boarding hat started at least 15 minutes ago - I headed towards the gate. Entering the passway to C concourse, I almost fainted. The line was about 300 meters long! Very, very unusal. I guess it was the end of skiing vacation in great britain ... Darn! I asked two or three folks if they were going to New York, got a "no" and snuck in the tailwater of a police officer making his way to the security checkpoint. I got there within incredible five minutes - everybodey giving me looks, I asked the screener if I could cut the line since my flight was closing in five minutes, and was allowed to. I got to the gate - and it was deserted. First I thought I had missed the flight, then I noticed boarding was still going on. Actually, 2/3 had boarded, and the other 20 people where stuck in the line. The flight was wide open. So no upgrade. But: I got a whole row. So I got settled in my four seats in the middle (all to myself) and did some more work, until boarding was completed 20 minutes later. They passed out refreshing towels before take off. Newspapers had been self service at the gate. About 20 minutes after take off they came with the first drink service - they had champagne in economy class, which I enjoyed. Together with a Swiss Mix cracker bag, which was OK. Some time later, probably 15 min, they came around with a second round of drinks and the meal service. I had a glass of californian Chardonnay served from a regular 7dl bottle. It was not spectacular, but quite drinkable. Sorry I missed the winery. The meal was a choice of chicken or pasta. I opted for the chicken, and got a nice piece of chicken meat in a fine tasting sauce (I think it was roasted chicken), with risotto and fresh-tasting vegetables. It was served in an aluminum disposable plate, but it looked fancier that what american gives you because of the oval form and a porcelain-imitation plastic plate beneath. On the tray I also had a salad - fresh, OK, but not spectacular in any way - and a tasty, tiny peach fruit cake along with a porcelain-imitation plastic cup for the coffee. Oh, and a Camembert. They came around with rolls - they were warm. I was impressed by the quality of the food - everything tasted good, better than the usual airline food. But the quanitity was not very large. The cake, the camembert and the cups are the same types they use in intra-european business class as well. I found the food not quite as good and not as much as with old Swissair, but very acceptable, and a lot better than US airline's stuff. They came around with a third round of drinks during the meal service, and after that with coffe. I think I had a SWISS assemblage of Pinot Noir, which also was very solidly OK but not spectacular. Inflight entertainment was on personal screens (movies start at the same time). I watched some movie about a Tennessee clothes designer living in New York getting engaged with the mayor's son, then going back home to get divorced from a high school husband. Well, she eventually never got divorced and stayed down there after the wedding fell in the water. OK dinner entertainment. After the movie I worked my laptop till it was dead. Everybody hat a little water bottle in their seat, so with four bottles I didn't pay attention if there were any further drink services. Oh, by the way, the FAs were all excellent. No other way to put it. Friendly, courteous, brought me a new glass for the red wine, ... And when my batterie was dead and I asked them to plug it in with my plane charger, the friendly steward did so in business class while I grabbed two hours of sleep. I love having four seats next to each other. Enough room for pillows, blankets, books, folders, laptop and food at the same time. And best of all, a lie flat bed perfect for a good nap. Even though two american college girls had a loud conversation with a lot of laughter on an intimate subject concerning a whole variety of college football players (maybe they thought nobody else speaks english ...), I got a solid nap. Five minutes before my alarm was to go off the FA woke me up and gave me my fully charged laptop. I got to work, and five minutes later I was offered a choice of cheese or turkey sandwiches, together with drinks. Sandwich was tasty. I ordered a genuine swiss Appenzeller beer, which had run out on my side of the galley. He promised to bring it in a moment. A couple of minutes later, still no beer. So I asked his collegue. Seconds later I had my Appenzeller - and another few seconds another one which they solicited me in a friendly way to keep. So I was happy. He had not forgotten after all. Shortly thereafter we started our descent, I packed things up, deplaned quickly enough to avoid any lines at immigration and within minutes was meeting my brother (I only had one carry on). A very good flight. With four seats next to each other I felt comfortable not having upgraded with miles, even though I now decided on burning them for upgrades as long as there affordable. (FYI, Europe to the US will cost 35'000 instead of 25'000 after March 1st. From C to F it will even be 45'000 instead of 30'000).
I'll try to post the return flight in first class (and business GVA-ZRH) later on today - at least I hope to get to it later on.
Edited to add that my computer screen just started cracking up, so there might be a delay ...
[This message has been edited by ch_usa (edited 01-14-2003).]
---
I just got back from a quick trip to NYC. Due to many controversial posts on the Qualiflyer board regarding food service in SWISS economy class in general, as well as food quality for SWISS first class ex USA, I will try to give the food some special attention ...
ZRH-GVA LX2804 Saturday 11.1. A321
As usual always, no lines at passport control in Zurich's terminal A. So after a quick luggage scan, on to a short stop at the SWISS clubmember lounge. With Swissair's furnishing I find the lounge to be functional and fairly nice. Nothing spectacularly elegant, but OK indeed. I like the free alcohol, I like the (though expensive) wireless internet and the free internet terminals, and I like the showers. Staff is usually very friendly and helpful if one is friendly to them. Unfortunately the lounge can be quite overcrowded during busy hours.
Security was without a line, but the long line at the gate indicated a very full flight. I asked how it looked: Fully booked in business and three open seats in economy. So no operational upgrade for me today. No big deal, anyway, on a 30 min flight. Service was self service for economy passengers - with the introduction of the winter time table, drink service in Y was eliminated and replaced by self service at the gate. They had a roll-around kiosk with a Nescafe machine, bottled water, brownies, cookies, apples and lemon cake. I had a coffee, a brownie and a lemon cake. It was all quite OK. While the crowd was boarding, I relaxed, drank coffee and read the new Travelclub program guide. What a shame that upgrades are getting so much more expensive. (See Qualiflyer forum.) Newspaper selection (self service at the gate) was good.
The flight was uneventful - the FAs only came around to hand out chocolates and refreshing towels. Cloudy weather - thus no good view. Clean landing in GVA.
GVA-JFK LX22 Saturday 11.1. A330
I had an hour until boarding started, which I spent at the GVA Clubmember lounge. A really nice, new lounge. Stylish furniture, free internet, helpful staff, and best of all - free modem lines for laptops. So I drank a tomato juice and got work done. 25 min before departure - boarding hat started at least 15 minutes ago - I headed towards the gate. Entering the passway to C concourse, I almost fainted. The line was about 300 meters long! Very, very unusal. I guess it was the end of skiing vacation in great britain ... Darn! I asked two or three folks if they were going to New York, got a "no" and snuck in the tailwater of a police officer making his way to the security checkpoint. I got there within incredible five minutes - everybodey giving me looks, I asked the screener if I could cut the line since my flight was closing in five minutes, and was allowed to. I got to the gate - and it was deserted. First I thought I had missed the flight, then I noticed boarding was still going on. Actually, 2/3 had boarded, and the other 20 people where stuck in the line. The flight was wide open. So no upgrade. But: I got a whole row. So I got settled in my four seats in the middle (all to myself) and did some more work, until boarding was completed 20 minutes later. They passed out refreshing towels before take off. Newspapers had been self service at the gate. About 20 minutes after take off they came with the first drink service - they had champagne in economy class, which I enjoyed. Together with a Swiss Mix cracker bag, which was OK. Some time later, probably 15 min, they came around with a second round of drinks and the meal service. I had a glass of californian Chardonnay served from a regular 7dl bottle. It was not spectacular, but quite drinkable. Sorry I missed the winery. The meal was a choice of chicken or pasta. I opted for the chicken, and got a nice piece of chicken meat in a fine tasting sauce (I think it was roasted chicken), with risotto and fresh-tasting vegetables. It was served in an aluminum disposable plate, but it looked fancier that what american gives you because of the oval form and a porcelain-imitation plastic plate beneath. On the tray I also had a salad - fresh, OK, but not spectacular in any way - and a tasty, tiny peach fruit cake along with a porcelain-imitation plastic cup for the coffee. Oh, and a Camembert. They came around with rolls - they were warm. I was impressed by the quality of the food - everything tasted good, better than the usual airline food. But the quanitity was not very large. The cake, the camembert and the cups are the same types they use in intra-european business class as well. I found the food not quite as good and not as much as with old Swissair, but very acceptable, and a lot better than US airline's stuff. They came around with a third round of drinks during the meal service, and after that with coffe. I think I had a SWISS assemblage of Pinot Noir, which also was very solidly OK but not spectacular. Inflight entertainment was on personal screens (movies start at the same time). I watched some movie about a Tennessee clothes designer living in New York getting engaged with the mayor's son, then going back home to get divorced from a high school husband. Well, she eventually never got divorced and stayed down there after the wedding fell in the water. OK dinner entertainment. After the movie I worked my laptop till it was dead. Everybody hat a little water bottle in their seat, so with four bottles I didn't pay attention if there were any further drink services. Oh, by the way, the FAs were all excellent. No other way to put it. Friendly, courteous, brought me a new glass for the red wine, ... And when my batterie was dead and I asked them to plug it in with my plane charger, the friendly steward did so in business class while I grabbed two hours of sleep. I love having four seats next to each other. Enough room for pillows, blankets, books, folders, laptop and food at the same time. And best of all, a lie flat bed perfect for a good nap. Even though two american college girls had a loud conversation with a lot of laughter on an intimate subject concerning a whole variety of college football players (maybe they thought nobody else speaks english ...), I got a solid nap. Five minutes before my alarm was to go off the FA woke me up and gave me my fully charged laptop. I got to work, and five minutes later I was offered a choice of cheese or turkey sandwiches, together with drinks. Sandwich was tasty. I ordered a genuine swiss Appenzeller beer, which had run out on my side of the galley. He promised to bring it in a moment. A couple of minutes later, still no beer. So I asked his collegue. Seconds later I had my Appenzeller - and another few seconds another one which they solicited me in a friendly way to keep. So I was happy. He had not forgotten after all. Shortly thereafter we started our descent, I packed things up, deplaned quickly enough to avoid any lines at immigration and within minutes was meeting my brother (I only had one carry on). A very good flight. With four seats next to each other I felt comfortable not having upgraded with miles, even though I now decided on burning them for upgrades as long as there affordable. (FYI, Europe to the US will cost 35'000 instead of 25'000 after March 1st. From C to F it will even be 45'000 instead of 30'000).
I'll try to post the return flight in first class (and business GVA-ZRH) later on today - at least I hope to get to it later on.
Edited to add that my computer screen just started cracking up, so there might be a delay ...
[This message has been edited by ch_usa (edited 01-14-2003).]