Cheap taste of Swizzerland ? - intra-Europe service
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2002
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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
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
#2
Formerly known as koeche
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Switzerland
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- 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)?
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
#3
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Posts: 1,292
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.
#4
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#5
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#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
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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.
#7
Join Date: Aug 2004
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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.
#8
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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
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...l#post18710991
#9
Join Date: Apr 2004
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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...
just my two cents of course...
#10
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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 ...
#11
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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?
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?
#12
Join Date: Feb 2010
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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?
#13
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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.
#15
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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.