Angeleno228

Part I: The Swiss Experience On the Ground in Zurich

Having flown other Star Carriers in First Class, I was itching to try Swiss First. I connected to my Los Angeles flight on Swiss from Turkish Airlines. Arriving in Zurich Terminal E from Istanbul, I was a bit confused as to the whereabouts of the First Class Lounge... Went through security once for the USA flights in E terminal, oops, no lounge. Went through the non-USA flights security of Terminal E (asked security people and they said yes lounge after security !), only to find out there were no Swiss lounges (only Emirates and Swissport Panorama I think). Oops again. Finally a very nice lady advised me that I needed to take the train to the "A" gates which would require going through Swiss Immigration. Having only 3 hours between flights, I already had wasted a good 45 minutes. But finally I figured it out and was on my way to the lounge!

Of course, all the running around and figuring out the location called for a nice shower before enjoying my Swiss experience Immediately after I arrived at the lounge, I asked for a shower room.


Bulgari Amenities



The bathroom itself is somewhat narrow, unlike the ones at the LH F lounges



Shower



Went to the dining area and grabbed a table. Was greeted by a young lady who brought out the menu for me. First Glance and I thought, hmm, this is pretty poor compared to LH. But I didn't want to make any judgements about Swiss based on the lounge experience . I knew I was in for a pretty nice ride So anyway, I ordered the Asparagus soup followed by a Turkey Sandwich (menu only had three or four choices each for soup/appetizer, main course and desserts). One could also help themselves with food from the buffet too.

Table Setup



Clear Asparagus Soup



Turkey Sandwich (with eggs, bacon, avocado, etc...) and Chips



Some of the Buffet items



The Lounge itself gets pretty crowded, I imagine all the HONs and their families have access to it. But I noticed upon exiting the lounge, there's a nice an quiet area on the other side.

Lounge Picture (crowd had all disappeared!)



Variety of Candies/Sweets on every table is nice



Upon checking in at the lounge, I was offered a Limousine service back to the E Terminal. A nice touch, however it's not a la Lufthansa where they take you to the plane... It's just to the gate area. Not sure if this only a USA thing since one needs to "clear" the USA checkpoint.

Inside the limo



My ride to LA

Angeleno228

Part II: The Swiss Experience In the Air

After passing through security for US-bound planes, I proceeded to the gate and boarded the flight. Once onboard, a very nice flight attendant greeted me by name and helped me settle down. She then offered a drink, and brought a couple of amuse bouche and nuts. Very impressed by her service and attentiveness, truly felt First Class.

The best part of this flight was only two passengers were in First, myself and the gentleman in 2A...!

Even though this flight and aircraft type have the old generation First Class seats, it still is a great product IMHO.


First Class Cabin (older generation seats)




Seated in 2K




Champagne and Amuse Bouche




Followed by some Premium Nuts




Once in the air, the flight attendant handed me the menu:



Table Setup




Selection of Appetizers




Salad




Soup




Main Course




Fruit and Cheese




Dessert




Nespresso and Sprungli Chocolate



OK, by now I was in a state of severe food coma and needed to rest and sleep! The flight attendant came with Pyjamas and offered to make my bed


Bed!




Ah...Life is really good if you can fly like this all the time!


And here I was thinking of the poor coach passengers in the back suffering throughout the 12 hour flight! If only they knew how comfortable I was, they would guillotine me just like Marie-Antoinette!!!! (just kidding)

Angeleno228

Just as we crossed the Utah border, the flight attendant came to wake me up (had asked prior to sleeping if I wish to be woken up ^) for the second meal service.

Cruising - Love the Swiss winglets for some reason




Started off with a selection of sandwiches and orange juice



Appetizer: Quiche



The FA brought some salad as well



Main Course



Dessert: I would have loved to have all of the desserts the FA offered, but I couldn't look at food anymore this point!!

So I just got one: Strawberry Mille Feuille, and it was so tasty! Yum



By the time I was done PIGGING OUT , We were approaching LAX. I was sad to see this wonderful flight come to an end!

Clear day in LA



Thank you for flying Swiss



Conclusion:
Even though the ground experience was not as good as Lufthansa, the service in the air surpassed my expectations. I would take Swiss over Lufthansa for their inflight service. Every crew member was so curteous and a pleasure to talk to. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend Swiss First Class!

UA_Flyer

Excellent photos and fantastic report as usual!^

vulle

Great report - Thanks ^

I will have my first ever F flight this July, flying LX ZRH-BKK, so I know now what I have to look forward to!

sobore

Very nice Swiss report! ^

snod08

enjoyed this nice TR! Thanks for all the pictures!

hilltopper

Interesting report thanks. Assuming British airspace reopens I am supposed to fly to HKG this week end.
I thought LX FCL offered a restaurant-style service after 6pm only?

SFO777

Great TR and photos, thanks for posting!
Can't wait to try LX when they start SFO-ZRH service June.

Paella747

What gorgeous photos! And those morsels of salmon on your appetizer look absolutely delicious! ^

Hartmann

Great pictures!

How bad was clearing security when you arrived in the limo? How much time did you have to give yourself to make it from the lounge to the flight?

Thanks!

Angeleno228

Thanks all for the positive feedback!!


It seemed restaurant style even before 6pm to me, unless the menu is expanded after 6pm, that I do not know.


Hi Hartmann,

I took the 12:35pm limo (they have 2 every hour I think) for my flight which was scheduled to depart at 1:10pm. Security was a breeze and took only a couple of minutes at most (they have premium line for First and Biz). You have to go through security twice actually. One with the escorted Swiss lounge agent to gain access to the ramp (and limo), and the other when you arrive at Terminal E for USA departures.

Seat 2A

What a marvellous experience Swiss First is, and so very nicely documented via your excellent photos. Thank you!

broms

Great TR, loved the photos. The food looked great!!

I also had a question about clearing the security, but as I look down I see it's already been answered

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

RTW4

Excellent pics... It looks like the Champagne Cuvee Louse is not more either....