Swiss (LX): FCO-ZRH-DXB in F
Feb 21, 2009, 2:34 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Nairobi
Programs: LX, AZ, BA, LH, SA
Posts: 316
Swiss (LX): FCO-ZRH-DXB in F
LX1727 Rome FCO-Zurich
ETD: 0940 (ATD 1015)
ETA: 1120 (ATA 1205)
There were no queues at check-in so I was processed quickly. Bags were sent out to DXB and I was issued with both boarding cards so I joined the queue for security check – only 4 out of many more screening stations were open and this was in peak morning hours – which took a good 30 minutes to complete. Not very civilized for an international airport and Rome airport management should really think how much revenue from retail is lost with such inefficiencies.
Swiss parks its 940am departure at gate 09 which is not in the satellite but in the main terminal building. There are no lounges here, passengers can use the lounge in the satellite but backtracking to the gate involves yet another security check so that was not an option for me. I waited at the gate. And waited.
I had been told at check-in the plane was 10 minutes late from Zurich. However it parked at the gate almost 30 minutes late, therefore boarding did not start until 9.55am. It was accomplished quickly and we were ready to go by 10.05am, but then had to wait for another 10 minutes before push-back, only to join a queue of 10 aircraft, which meant we were in the air at about 1040am, causing some anxiety for passengers with connecting flights (including myself).
On the ground newspapers, moist towelettes and a small bottle of water were offered. The cabin consisted of 4 rows of 2-2 (middle seats are free) and was about ¾ full. Once airborne the purser seemed to genuinely care for passengers with connections, and upon my request he let ground staff in ZRH know that I had two bags in the hold to take care of. Breakfast consisted of a small bowl of yoghurt with a side garnish of muesli and jam, a plate of fresh fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice, rolls and croissants, jam and tea/coffee. There were second rounds, plus an additional offer of drinks before landing. Swiss is one of the best in terms of inflight service on its European flights.
Connecting flight information appeared on the screens prior to landing and indeed passengers to several destinations had missed their connections as they were asked to “contact ground staff”. The purser came to me and reassured that my connection was granted, adding that connecting passengers from another station (Nice, I was later told) would probably delay the Dubai flight by 10 minutes. We landed at 12.05 and I effectively had 40 minutes to make the trek to Terminal E. I am not sure what sort of arrangement is provided with tighter connections for F passengers but I was secretly hoping to be met at the gate considering that I had for sure missed the last shuttle from the FCL. Seeing nobody as I walked out of the airbridge, I took the train to Terminal E and then skipped the (not very long) queue for security through the F/C channel and was at the gate by 12.20 or so.
LX242
ETD: 1245 (ETD 1255)
ETA: 2140 (ATA 2145)
Upon boarding I noticed an equipment change, from the A340 I’d flown exactly one month earlier from DXB, to an A330. No much fuss considering that the seat is roughly the same and that the 3-row cabin on the A330, compared to the 2-row one on the A340, has a much airier feel. Upon settling my jacket was hung and I was offered a newspaper, amenity kit and slippers. I opted for champagne as a pre-take off drink along with a plate of amuse-bouche (spicy chicken with melted brown bread, duck foie gras canapé and trout canapé). More champagne was offered but I declined. Hot towels completed the service on the ground and we left the gate about 10 minutes late and I was yet again reassured my bags were onboard, which kept my mind at rest. Load in F was 6 out of 12, including tennis star Roger Federer who sat in Row 1.
Here is the menu for this flight:
* created by featured chef Heiko Nieder, The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Amuse bouche
Spicy chicken with melted brown bread, trout and duck pate canapes
First courses
Selection of appetisers (*)
Quail with chocolate and porcini mushrooms
Swiss chard, dried pear and walnut terrine
Scallops with cauliflower, ginger and star anise
Langoustine with fennel, lychee and vanilla
-
Sliced fillet of Balik salmon
-
Cream of black salsify soup sprinkled with Thai purple curry (*)
Salad
Selection from the salad trolley
Main courses
Duo of beef with fig jelly, potato mousseline and chicory with Gruyère (*)
-
Pine-smoked breast of guinea fowl in kumquat sauce with Savoy cabbage and cous-cous
-
Ricotta and truffle triangoli with saffron cabbage and purslane sauce
-
Special of the day (it was a Swiss farmed lake fish, forgot the name)
-
Choice of vegetables (broccoli with hollandaise sauce, grilled tomatoes and baby corn)
Cheeses
Selection of Swiss cheeses (Mild emmental, Goldinger surchoix, Sennenfladen, Cru blanc, Goatàs milk cottage cheese)
Desserts
Spiced chocolate soufflé with sweet corn ice-cream and coriander
-
Mandarin mascarpone timbale with mandarin compote
-
Swiss chocolates
Espresso and a selection of coffees and teas
Supplementary choices
Selection of soups
-
Seasonal salads
-
Swiss cheeses
-
Fresh fruits
Once in the air all other passengers chose to sleep so, as the FA put it, I could have all the food to myself. I was offered a drink, and I opted for a glass of Chablis. However menus and wine lists had not been given out yet at this stage (they appeared later) which I though was odd. My table was set and I opted for olive oil instead of butter to go with the individual bread basket. The appetizer trolley was wheeled through and I opted for a sample of each, and was offered seconds (I only took the Swiss chard terrine, which had an interesting taste). After my plate was cleared the salad order was taken – the FA was very apologetic when she realized bacon bits had not been loaded. As customary on LX, I order the tomato soup after the salad (an optional choice), only to encounter the sole disappointment of this flight. The soup was not the usual chunky and tasty soup I’d had before – it was smooth and looked suspiciously tinned or worse still instant. After this dubious dish, lunch picked up again with a cassis sherbet, deliciously refreshing. For my main I chose the beef duo – I had told the stewardess I liked my beef medium-rare and received just that (she waited at my seat as I cut though the fillet to check if they had it right). The other half of the duo was a slow-roasted fillet which although way too cooked had still retained some moisture and was tasty enough. Fig jelly cubes were offered as a garnish along with a small bowl of endives in a gruyère-based sauce. More vegetables (broccoli with hollandaise sauce, baby corn or grilled tomatoes) were also served. I only had the broccoli and despite being one of the trickiest vegetables to get right, were still crunchy. Kudos for that.
Service was excellent all throughout and, being the only passenger to attend to, was very attentive. The stewardess told me I could slow her down at any time were I in need of a “break”. By now I’d switched to the rather mature Brancaia Tuscan red wine and had a tasting of cheese – the Emmental was not really superior to the packaged one you buy in any supermarket, but the others were delicious and went well with the side of spicy fruit mustard. I declined the offer of fruit (except for some grapes) dried fruit and Port wine. As the FA cleared most of the items on the table, she noticed some bread crumbs and promptly fetched a tool to clear them. Then to finish off the meal I was presented with a tray with the two dessert choices, followed by an offer of coffee, Sprungli pralines and liqueurs. I opted for the spiced chocolate soufflé with corn ice cream and a coriander sauce – an tasty and interesting dish – with Nespresso coffee and a dark chocolate truffle.
Lunch pics links:
Amuse bouche
Table setting
Appetizers
Salad
Soup
Sherbet
Main
Cheese
Dessert
We were by now 2.5 hours into the flight and the FA offered to make the bed which I refused as I just relaxed with the seat in Z position and read for the remainder of the flight. The choice of magazines was not huge but sufficient to pass the couple of hours or so left. Needless to say the IFE on this flight was aged (movies and programmes in cycles) so I paid no attention to it. The FA constantly checked on me while the rest of the cabin was sound asleep but I was happy with just water. About half an hour before landing the family of 3 who sat in row 2 woke up and was efficiently served a light meal of soup and salad with the whole set-up. Very impressive. I declined a final offer of Movenpick ice-cream as I was still too full from the lunch.
Before landing the purser thanked us individually (she’d introduced herself soon after take-off again individually), however we did not see much of her at all during the flight and I find this ceremony not very genuine and rather unnecessary.
Landing was on time although taxi to the gate was slow. Swiss contracts the Marhaba service which awaits F passengers at the end of the aircraft. We waited however for some friends of one of the other passengers so much of the advantage of this service (which includes a buggy transfer for the mile-long underpass to the arrivals hall) was lost. Fortunately the dedicated Marhaba passport check was empty (by contrast the line at “Fast Track” accessible to C passengers) was very long. When I reached baggage claim priority-tagged bags were on the belt so I was out in no time.
Despite the older aircraft (to be progressively replaced), LX still offers a very good first class experience with comfy seats and good food, no doubt enhanced by the light load and the personalized service I received. Zurich airport did not fail the tight connection (due to a delayed incoming flight) test and is by far my favourite airport in Europe.
ETD: 0940 (ATD 1015)
ETA: 1120 (ATA 1205)
There were no queues at check-in so I was processed quickly. Bags were sent out to DXB and I was issued with both boarding cards so I joined the queue for security check – only 4 out of many more screening stations were open and this was in peak morning hours – which took a good 30 minutes to complete. Not very civilized for an international airport and Rome airport management should really think how much revenue from retail is lost with such inefficiencies.
Swiss parks its 940am departure at gate 09 which is not in the satellite but in the main terminal building. There are no lounges here, passengers can use the lounge in the satellite but backtracking to the gate involves yet another security check so that was not an option for me. I waited at the gate. And waited.
I had been told at check-in the plane was 10 minutes late from Zurich. However it parked at the gate almost 30 minutes late, therefore boarding did not start until 9.55am. It was accomplished quickly and we were ready to go by 10.05am, but then had to wait for another 10 minutes before push-back, only to join a queue of 10 aircraft, which meant we were in the air at about 1040am, causing some anxiety for passengers with connecting flights (including myself).
On the ground newspapers, moist towelettes and a small bottle of water were offered. The cabin consisted of 4 rows of 2-2 (middle seats are free) and was about ¾ full. Once airborne the purser seemed to genuinely care for passengers with connections, and upon my request he let ground staff in ZRH know that I had two bags in the hold to take care of. Breakfast consisted of a small bowl of yoghurt with a side garnish of muesli and jam, a plate of fresh fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice, rolls and croissants, jam and tea/coffee. There were second rounds, plus an additional offer of drinks before landing. Swiss is one of the best in terms of inflight service on its European flights.
Connecting flight information appeared on the screens prior to landing and indeed passengers to several destinations had missed their connections as they were asked to “contact ground staff”. The purser came to me and reassured that my connection was granted, adding that connecting passengers from another station (Nice, I was later told) would probably delay the Dubai flight by 10 minutes. We landed at 12.05 and I effectively had 40 minutes to make the trek to Terminal E. I am not sure what sort of arrangement is provided with tighter connections for F passengers but I was secretly hoping to be met at the gate considering that I had for sure missed the last shuttle from the FCL. Seeing nobody as I walked out of the airbridge, I took the train to Terminal E and then skipped the (not very long) queue for security through the F/C channel and was at the gate by 12.20 or so.
LX242
ETD: 1245 (ETD 1255)
ETA: 2140 (ATA 2145)
Upon boarding I noticed an equipment change, from the A340 I’d flown exactly one month earlier from DXB, to an A330. No much fuss considering that the seat is roughly the same and that the 3-row cabin on the A330, compared to the 2-row one on the A340, has a much airier feel. Upon settling my jacket was hung and I was offered a newspaper, amenity kit and slippers. I opted for champagne as a pre-take off drink along with a plate of amuse-bouche (spicy chicken with melted brown bread, duck foie gras canapé and trout canapé). More champagne was offered but I declined. Hot towels completed the service on the ground and we left the gate about 10 minutes late and I was yet again reassured my bags were onboard, which kept my mind at rest. Load in F was 6 out of 12, including tennis star Roger Federer who sat in Row 1.
Here is the menu for this flight:
* created by featured chef Heiko Nieder, The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Amuse bouche
Spicy chicken with melted brown bread, trout and duck pate canapes
First courses
Selection of appetisers (*)
Quail with chocolate and porcini mushrooms
Swiss chard, dried pear and walnut terrine
Scallops with cauliflower, ginger and star anise
Langoustine with fennel, lychee and vanilla
-
Sliced fillet of Balik salmon
-
Cream of black salsify soup sprinkled with Thai purple curry (*)
Salad
Selection from the salad trolley
Main courses
Duo of beef with fig jelly, potato mousseline and chicory with Gruyère (*)
-
Pine-smoked breast of guinea fowl in kumquat sauce with Savoy cabbage and cous-cous
-
Ricotta and truffle triangoli with saffron cabbage and purslane sauce
-
Special of the day (it was a Swiss farmed lake fish, forgot the name)
-
Choice of vegetables (broccoli with hollandaise sauce, grilled tomatoes and baby corn)
Cheeses
Selection of Swiss cheeses (Mild emmental, Goldinger surchoix, Sennenfladen, Cru blanc, Goatàs milk cottage cheese)
Desserts
Spiced chocolate soufflé with sweet corn ice-cream and coriander
-
Mandarin mascarpone timbale with mandarin compote
-
Swiss chocolates
Espresso and a selection of coffees and teas
Supplementary choices
Selection of soups
-
Seasonal salads
-
Swiss cheeses
-
Fresh fruits
Once in the air all other passengers chose to sleep so, as the FA put it, I could have all the food to myself. I was offered a drink, and I opted for a glass of Chablis. However menus and wine lists had not been given out yet at this stage (they appeared later) which I though was odd. My table was set and I opted for olive oil instead of butter to go with the individual bread basket. The appetizer trolley was wheeled through and I opted for a sample of each, and was offered seconds (I only took the Swiss chard terrine, which had an interesting taste). After my plate was cleared the salad order was taken – the FA was very apologetic when she realized bacon bits had not been loaded. As customary on LX, I order the tomato soup after the salad (an optional choice), only to encounter the sole disappointment of this flight. The soup was not the usual chunky and tasty soup I’d had before – it was smooth and looked suspiciously tinned or worse still instant. After this dubious dish, lunch picked up again with a cassis sherbet, deliciously refreshing. For my main I chose the beef duo – I had told the stewardess I liked my beef medium-rare and received just that (she waited at my seat as I cut though the fillet to check if they had it right). The other half of the duo was a slow-roasted fillet which although way too cooked had still retained some moisture and was tasty enough. Fig jelly cubes were offered as a garnish along with a small bowl of endives in a gruyère-based sauce. More vegetables (broccoli with hollandaise sauce, baby corn or grilled tomatoes) were also served. I only had the broccoli and despite being one of the trickiest vegetables to get right, were still crunchy. Kudos for that.
Service was excellent all throughout and, being the only passenger to attend to, was very attentive. The stewardess told me I could slow her down at any time were I in need of a “break”. By now I’d switched to the rather mature Brancaia Tuscan red wine and had a tasting of cheese – the Emmental was not really superior to the packaged one you buy in any supermarket, but the others were delicious and went well with the side of spicy fruit mustard. I declined the offer of fruit (except for some grapes) dried fruit and Port wine. As the FA cleared most of the items on the table, she noticed some bread crumbs and promptly fetched a tool to clear them. Then to finish off the meal I was presented with a tray with the two dessert choices, followed by an offer of coffee, Sprungli pralines and liqueurs. I opted for the spiced chocolate soufflé with corn ice cream and a coriander sauce – an tasty and interesting dish – with Nespresso coffee and a dark chocolate truffle.
Lunch pics links:
Amuse bouche
Table setting
Appetizers
Salad
Soup
Sherbet
Main
Cheese
Dessert
We were by now 2.5 hours into the flight and the FA offered to make the bed which I refused as I just relaxed with the seat in Z position and read for the remainder of the flight. The choice of magazines was not huge but sufficient to pass the couple of hours or so left. Needless to say the IFE on this flight was aged (movies and programmes in cycles) so I paid no attention to it. The FA constantly checked on me while the rest of the cabin was sound asleep but I was happy with just water. About half an hour before landing the family of 3 who sat in row 2 woke up and was efficiently served a light meal of soup and salad with the whole set-up. Very impressive. I declined a final offer of Movenpick ice-cream as I was still too full from the lunch.
Before landing the purser thanked us individually (she’d introduced herself soon after take-off again individually), however we did not see much of her at all during the flight and I find this ceremony not very genuine and rather unnecessary.
Landing was on time although taxi to the gate was slow. Swiss contracts the Marhaba service which awaits F passengers at the end of the aircraft. We waited however for some friends of one of the other passengers so much of the advantage of this service (which includes a buggy transfer for the mile-long underpass to the arrivals hall) was lost. Fortunately the dedicated Marhaba passport check was empty (by contrast the line at “Fast Track” accessible to C passengers) was very long. When I reached baggage claim priority-tagged bags were on the belt so I was out in no time.
Despite the older aircraft (to be progressively replaced), LX still offers a very good first class experience with comfy seats and good food, no doubt enhanced by the light load and the personalized service I received. Zurich airport did not fail the tight connection (due to a delayed incoming flight) test and is by far my favourite airport in Europe.
Last edited by hilltopper; Feb 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Feb 22, 2009, 4:17 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: SYD+TYO+GFK
Programs: UA 1K, QF Plat, VA Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Coles FlyBuys
Posts: 2,805
Nice trip report! Agree about your final sentence as well... ZRH is definitely one of the top airports in Europe as well, unfortunately I don't fly through there very much.
Feb 24, 2009, 11:08 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,621
Wow, great report! I would love to experience LX and ZRH! Just curious if Roger Federer was flying alone or with others... and if he was the pax awaiting friends from the flight!
