It was 3pm by the time all the meal services were finished and the tables cleared again. We were due to land at LAX at 4:40pm, which was on time despite departing an hour late - it's a shame because otherwise we could have arrived much earlier, giving me more time in my short stay at LAX. There was some time to go before landing so I spent most of that time looking outside the window and just contemplating how the flight went.



A very peaceful photo of the window



A view of the seat from the ottoman



Interesting clouds


When I chose to fly LX F, I expected to have an excellent flight - but I never expected to have a flight that left me this impressed. Certainly I had my share of SQ and NH F segments which were fantastic and beyond reproach. You would have to work very hard to pick any faults with either airline - you only have to read my two previous trip reports to know how much I loved those flights. But the things that impressed me about LX F was very different from what impressed me about SQ or NH F.

Firstly, there's nothing really "sexy" about LX F - there is no Dom Perignon, no Krug, no caviar, no fancy new seats with huge dimensions to boast about, and of course even the female FA's uniform is very standard, unlike the SQ Kebayas that leave very little to the imagination. To some people, this lack of flashiness could be a reason for not being impressed with the overall product - SQ clearly wins on the quantifiable aspects of the flight such as the price of champagne or the number of inches of the seat dimensions.

I have no doubt that if they wanted, LX too could bring in the Dom, Krug and caviar at any point - all you need is more money, after all. But that's not what they were aiming for. LX's real strength lies in the way they achieve such high quality in all aspects of the product without the need to boast about it. It's almost as though LX considers it vulgar to obsess about such things as how expensive the champagne is, or whether the seat is the biggest one flying. Yet everything they do simply oozes quality in a classy and understated manner.

Take the catering, for example. Alongside the recent NH F flight out of Tokyo, the quality of catering on this flight was by far the best I have experienced on any flight. The menu "made sense" from start to finish, and it was apparent that a lot of thought has clearly gone into planning the menu. The ingredients and the presentation style was simple, but the quality of each dish was good enough to completely satisfy without the need for headline items such as caviar or foie gras. Down to earth but very high quality - I feel that this is what LX aimed for, and that is what they achieved.

Moving onto the service. Even with their slight differences in personality and attributes, the encounters I had with each of the three flight attendants serving First Class left me very impressed with their refinement, their warmth and their personableness. They clearly loved their job, they were proud to be providing Swiss hospitality, and most of all I was having fun flying with them - I felt that I was speaking to real people, not training manuals.

The female FA was elegant and graceful to the point that she reminded me of what I imagine Swiss finishing schools to be like. The male FA was cheerful, ready to joke with me and treated me like a good friend more than someone he is serving. The Maitre de Cabine had a world of experience behind her, and when you were chatting and asked her about her job, she was genuinely interested in telling you her story. Three different people, three different styles. But never a doubt that a strong sense of Swiss hospitality was at each of their cores.

All three people made you feel as though you were their guest, and that they were doing their best to make you feel comfortable and at home. They weren't there to make you believe that you are the king of the world - no, it wouldn't be their style. But just like when you go to stay at a good friend's house, they were there to serve you a good meal, provide interesting and charming company, and make sure you get a good night's sleep. Things they did came from their heart, rather than a sense of obligation. It felt natural. It felt effortless.

Back to the flight... Landing preparations began at 4:00pm and amongst the usual routine of returning the seat to the upright position, storing the baggage and fastening the seatbelt, both the female FA and the Maitre de Cabine came round to say a warm thank you for flying with them today. And when they said "We hope you fly with us again soon", I really did hope I would fly with Swiss again in the near future.



Getting nearer to LAX. What airport is it at the bottom?



Very close now...



Seemed to be a more interesting mountains/hills scenery outside the right hand side..


Landing video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPo3troA4Lk

We landed at 4:40pm and it was a very long taxi to the gate, sitting still for a long time half-way because a Korean Air 744 was late in leaving the gate we needed to dock at. We eventually pulled into our gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at 5:20pm and I bid farewell to the wonderful crew who gave me such a good first Swiss First experience.

Once off the aircraft, it was a very, very long walk to the immigration control. Then I was subjected to the full assortment of fun and games that is known as immigrations and customs at TBIT. But the less said on the subject the better - it would only detract from the overall report anyway. Let's just say that it was not until 18:40 that I found myself waiting for the hotel shuttle bus on the arrivals level, meaning it took a full 1h 20m to get from the aircraft door to outside the terminal. As a comparison, had I arrived into Singapore Changi, I would have been surprised if it took much more than 30 minutes from gate to the arrivals hall.



The KE 744 that was blocking our way



Ground agent waiting for our delayed flight



Finally, waiting for the shuttle bus to the airport Sheraton


At the end of it all, I suppose Swiss First Class is a bit like a Swiss banker. They don't promise you the world. They don't make bold claims. They hate fleeting trends and fads. Instead, they are reliable, friendly and dependable, quietly delivering exactly what you want, day in and day out. When you need to get somewhere, and you need an airline that you can absolutely depend on to provide a solid product that you can walk away quietly impressed with (yet again), you should give Swiss a call.

Next: The flight back to Seoul on an Asiana 744