Cheap taste of Swizzerland ? - intra-Europe service

Old Jun 26, 2012, 2:04 pm
  #1  
Raf
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Cheap taste of Swizzerland ? - intra-Europe service

I made an intra-Europe IST-ZRH-PRG flight on LX lately (1'st segment was WAW-IST on LO).
My impression was at least...negative:
- on IST airport it's not possible to check-in neither on LH counters nor on LH/Austrian check in machines. Pax just wait in line until 2 h. before departure until the "dedicated" counters will be opened. It's really tiring when you come to the airport earlier.
- the contracted lounge for FTL's is just on opposite site of the terminal than boarding gate, Turkish Airlines lounge, despite situated much closer is not available
- On board product - not eatable at all; just warmed noodles (box sized on two packages of cigarettes, not worth to call even a snack, with unidentified tomato sauce and cookie with date "22/12/2012". Well carbohydrates + carbohydrates. Even good quality sandwich would be better (as LOT does). If the guys from Lufthansa / Swiss did not realized that they compete with Turkish Airlines (served full, quality meal)?
- Lounge in ZRH has not been touched / modernized since my first visit there in 2012. It looks and smells just old
-On ZRH-PRG Fokker 100operated by Helvetic (old-fashioned interior; you feel like flying in 80's) -they serve just a sandwich with unidentified melted ham, that my neighbor pax just left after a first bit (I declined such an offer.

It seems that being in LH Group doesnt give any positive effects for Swiss, just a clear cheapness-feeling, not standardized to any solid product.
There is no reason now to pay any premium fee for flying with Swiss over the Easyjet or any other airline.

That's pity, as I remember Swissair times when the feeling of flying with them was justSwissness".

Raf
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Old Jun 26, 2012, 2:47 pm
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Originally Posted by Raf
- the contracted lounge for FTL's is just on opposite site of the terminal than boarding gate, Turkish Airlines lounge, despite situated much closer is not available
I was in IST just last week and also noticed that. However itsn't it the lounge everyone LH, LX, OS (all Star Alliance?) goes to, no matter if FTL or HON? I thought the lounge is very nice. A pool billiard table, haven't seen that anywhere else... I was more upset about the unfriendly security/customs people. Also fast track is only available for people flying Turkish Airways.

Originally Posted by Raf
- On board product - not eatable at all; just warmed noodles (box sized on two packages of cigarettes, not worth to call even a snack, with unidentified tomato sauce and cookie with date "22/12/2012". Well carbohydrates + carbohydrates. Even good quality sandwich would be better (as LOT does). If the guys from Lufthansa / Swiss did not realized that they compete with Turkish Airlines (served full, quality meal)?
It's quite known that food on LX is very average, specially intra-europe. Also OS provides much better food.

Originally Posted by Raf
- Lounge in ZRH has not been touched / modernized since my first visit there in 2012. It looks and smells just old
Which lounge do you mean? The LX business class in Terminal A with the "longest bar"? I think this lounge is fine and to me doesn't look old at all - and it also isn't that old anyway. There are many other lounges on that planet I wish would be on the same level.

Originally Posted by Raf
It seems that being in LH Group doesn’t give any positive effects for Swiss, just a clear cheapness-feeling, not standardized to any solid product.
Haha, wait until the Score program really hits the floor

Originally Posted by Raf
There is no reason now to pay any premium fee for flying with Swiss over the Easyjet or any other airline.
Easyjet? Really? I'm actually fine to pay a little more just to have a flight that is normally on time and you can be sure they are really flying unlike Easyjet that tends to cancel flights for whatever weird reasons.

Last edited by CheckInPeach; Jun 26, 2012 at 3:13 pm
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Old Jun 26, 2012, 2:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Raf
- on IST airport it's not possible to check-in neither on LH counters nor on LH/Austrian check in machines. Pax just wait in line until 2 h. before departure until the "dedicated" counters will be opened. It's really tiring when you come to the airport earlier.
I had the same problem with a LH flight departing from IST. I must wait until 2 or 3 hours before departure before I can check in. I arrived in the airport earlier to go into the lounge but without success.

Originally Posted by Raf
- the contracted lounge for FTL's is just on opposite site of the terminal than boarding gate, Turkish Airlines lounge, despite situated much closer is not available
Raf
I found it weird too that the lounge I am allowed to visit and the departure gate are at different ends of the airport.

Personally, I did not like the lounge. There is a limited spread of food compared to what THY offers.

But I think being a *G, I am allowed to visit THY's lounges. I did not try it though.
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Old Jun 26, 2012, 3:23 pm
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Originally Posted by Raf
- Lounge in ZRH has not been touched / modernized since my first visit there in 2012.
Do you expect lounges to be refurbished every few months? Or do you mean it hasn't been cleaned since your visit there several months ago?
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Old Jun 27, 2012, 9:33 am
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Originally Posted by anaidross
But I think being a *G, I am allowed to visit THY's lounges. I did not try it though.
You are allowed to visit THY's lounge, it's probably the best J-lounge in Europe. Do try it next time.
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Old Jun 28, 2012, 7:09 am
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Originally Posted by Raf
- on IST airport it's not possible to check-in neither on LH counters nor on LH/Austrian check in machines. Pax just wait in line until 2 h. before departure until the "dedicated" counters will be opened. It's really tiring when you come to the airport earlier.
Online check-in is your friend (granted, if you don't have any bags that is)

Originally Posted by Raf
- the contracted lounge for FTL's is just on opposite site of the terminal than boarding gate, Turkish Airlines lounge, despite situated much closer is not available
There's no dedicated LX gates in IST. Sometime you end up at 305, the next time at 220, etc... I'm there every 2-3 weeks and have seen every gate of that airport by now. The only airline that seems to be at the same gate range everytime is EK.
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Old Jun 28, 2012, 2:44 pm
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Originally Posted by iainbhx
You are allowed to visit THY's lounge, it's probably the best J-lounge in Europe. Do try it next time.
From what he describes I'm pretty sure the op flew in whY class. Sonne should be happy that he got lounge access and a warm meal. Taste of switzerland is only in available in c.
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Old Jun 28, 2012, 3:09 pm
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I hadn't flown on LX whY for a while and was shocked to find the other day all that was offered on a morning flight (2 hour block time) was a dry, plain croissant. Even LH gives you a ham or cheese sandwich, an apple, some chocolate (which you do get on LX) and sweet on flights of similar lengths.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...l#post18710991
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Old Jun 29, 2012, 3:11 am
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for Y-flights to IST you really need to fly on TK. Most of their planes now feature IFE, you get a very good meal, friendly crew and they are massively cheaper than LX. Downside is you depart/arrive from E in ZRH.

just my two cents of course...
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Old Jun 29, 2012, 7:46 am
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Agree with pilatusguy, but would add C class. If you have to option to fly TK, it's a no-brainer to take your business to them rather than LX ...
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Old Jun 29, 2012, 4:56 pm
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I have done quite a few flights recently between DUS and ZRH (MyChoice route), and I quite enjoyed the service in C. Although it is been a small cold meal, it was pretty good, and service was impeccable. I've been on the SWISS Airbus, then on the SWISS European Avroliner, and just two days ago on a substitute aircraft operated by Contact Air. The latter was really good, the Fokker 100 aircraft so quiet and smooth, and the male cabin crew did an excellent job. I managed to down a whole bottle of champagne with my businessman seat neighbour! All in all a good experience: I felt that nothing was too much trouble for the cabin crew.

Just two days ago, on a slightly delayed ZRH-GVA (which should have left at 18h15) the seatbelt signs did not go off until 10 minutes into the 30 minute flight. Then I never saw a cabin crew move faster, like headless chickens running about, dishing out the food service in C then apologetically snatching back the dishes almost immediately. I don't know how they managed it without spilling or breaking something. Isn't food service on such a short flight, even in Business, a bit absurd?
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Old Jun 29, 2012, 7:34 pm
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Originally Posted by Concerto
Then I never saw a cabin crew move faster, like headless chickens running about, dishing out the food service in C then apologetically snatching back the dishes almost immediately. I don't know how they managed it without spilling or breaking something. Isn't food service on such a short flight, even in Business, a bit absurd?
Oooh, contentious... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/swiss...-scenario.html
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Old Jun 30, 2012, 8:57 am
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You really think so in this case? I had though of asking for a glass of wine, but seeing as they were rushed off their feet and had so little time, I just settled for orange juice. I would have to have gulped the wine down like water.
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Old Jun 30, 2012, 10:28 am
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Given the weather conditions, 10 minutes is quite a long time as you said, on other days it has been off very quick, just a few mins.
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Old Jun 30, 2012, 1:19 pm
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ZRH-STR is considerably shorter than ZRH-GVA but in C they serve a sandwich, a piece of cake and drinks.
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