okazon69

Arriving at the checkin at YUL, there was no activity at all. Presumably most other passengers had already gone through.

The First checkin agent was polite, but didn't make any particular effort to be friendly or forthcoming.

Unfortunately, no First Class ticket folder was available, in fact, there were no First Class ticket holders anywhere along this trip.

Security was quick and easy. There was one body imaging machine, not in use, with a very clear sign in English and French stating that it was possible to have a physical search instead of using the scanner. Nice to see the choice presented so clearly. ^

The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is usually very crowded in late afternoon, and today was no exception. The lounge features a reasonable selection of salads, bread, soup, and later on toward evening, pasta. Various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available. WiFi is free for Aeroplan Elite or Super Elite members; others have to pay $10, regardless of class of service.

The LX gate was quite busy, with a long lineup for Y. There was a separate J entrance with no lineup, but no mention of F.



The welcome on board was friendly and correct in all regards. Immediately a drink was offered, and I chose the Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle champagne.

A little amuse bouche was offered:



There were only four passengers in First; all four were redeeming their Aeroplan points. That made for a fun atmosphere as everyone was a little bit giddy about their first First experience.

A male and a female FA made certain everyone was comfortable and were very attentive during the entire short flight to ZRH.

The male FA brought me a nice Van Laack pajama, size L. I asked whether he thought this size was correct, and he assured me that XL would be more like a tent. He was right - it fit perfectly. A First amenity kit labeled Bally with various La Prairie products was also distributed. After an on-time departure, the meal service followed promptly.

An elegant menu was presented:




All the food is served from a cart next to your seat, a very nice feature. You can see everything, and can choose exactly what you want and how much of it.



I chose the Balik salmon, which was exquisite, to the point that I even asked for seconds, along with the duck and the plum.



This was followed by a mixed salad with a choice of dressings.



The filet of beef was, unfortunately, overdone, even though it tasted very nice.



After dinner, they brought around a cheese tray and some 20 year old port, which was excellent.





Finally, chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream rounded out the meal.



It is amazing how the FAs know exactly how large the table is below the ample tablecloth, in that they manage to place things directly on the edge of the table, while the cloth still extends several inches beyond. The table arrangement was very elegant, and perfectly set up at all times.

The little things do matter. Look, for example, at how the toothpicks are presented! A single piece of wood, cut in just the right way so as to make multiple picks that you can simply break off.



The seat itself is very comfortable, and can be adjusted in many ways via the electronic touch screen, which also controls the lighting. The video screen is 23", which is about as big as it gets on a plane. Very nice!







The seat has 110V power, as well as USB and Ethernet (what for?) connectors, and a variety of compartments to store your things.

The cabin itself feels roomy and generous, with only eight F seats. I wouldn't mind trying the older F on LX, as certainly it's the quality of the service and the food that makes or breaks it for me.

One funky thing to note, which I have not seen anywhere else so far, is that both the toilet seat and the cover had gaskets on them, effectively preventing the suction from popping your ears in that small, enclosed space, and additionally making the whole experience much less noisy than usual.

***

After dinner, I decided to try to sleep a bit. The FA promptly made up the bed, with a pad on the seat and a nice soft duvet on top.





Unfortunately, I was not yet really tired, as it was only 8pm back home, and then couldn't sleep as the cabin was very hot and dry. In the end, I think I managed about two hours or so before the captain came on and announced our arrival in 40 minutes. I suppose the southerly route did not help, either, but the flight was just too short!



I changed back out of the pajamas, and grabbed a yogurt and an espresso. Yes, real coffee on a plane! Great stuff.



A few minutes later we were in Zurich. After getting off the plane, a quick train ride in brought me from terminal E to terminal A, where the Swiss lounges are.