We landed on R/W27L at 4:29pm and parked at gate A83/Stand A17 a few minutes later.
Some cabin shots
Swissair A321 next door
For those continuing to Budapest, we just exited from the gate on top.
LX 2258 ZRH-BUD Lv1730 Arr1905 Bombardier C Series CS100 HB-JBA “Kanton Zürich”
Once again, no great shot was possible.
I really needed to charge my phone and after walking down the whole Pier A, I could not find charging stations or any outlets. I ended up going back to the lounge for maybe ten minutes to get them charge. Since I got enough cabin shots, I decided to board last. As of the third flight, not many passengers were even aware of that that they are flying on a brand new plane and this is its first day of operation and third scheduled flight. Due to our late arrival, the F/As were busy getting this plane for its flight to Budapest. Boarding began at 5:10pm and door was closed at 5:28pm.
I chose 1A for this segment, and while the legroom shot seemed better than other rows. There is actually less space for my feet. I don’t recommend row 1.
Row 1 obviously does not allow the armrests to be raised… tray table comes from the side. Pretty easy to operate!
More shots of these cute small screens showing our next leg to Budapest
Few shots while we taxied to R/W28…
After the two ping sounds, we took off at 5:49pm for our one hour and thirteen minutes flight to Budapest. Our routing took us towards St. Gallen and Oberstdorf before reaching our cruising altitude of 35,000feet, and then passing Kitzbuhel, Speilberg, Szombathely, and Sarvar, before arriving Budapest.
Business class is much more reasonable with five rows of seats, so the purser was more relaxed in serving the meal. He addressed each passenger by name, and there were a more substantial cold meal offered on this flight. There were warmed bread rolls too.
Roast beef tenderloin with Potato salad, tomato and caper sauce, along with two kinds of cheese and a cup of Mango pudding/panna cotta topped with mango and strawberry coulis
Swiss chocolate was passed out after the cold meal service.
I also had a chance to visit the bathroom in the forward cabin. The design was really nice, and while I was initially afraid of those Space flex lavatories, CS100 bathroom, at least in the front, looks decently sized. There is an infant changing table, along with smart faucet and water sink design. Unfortunately, there were issues with the water system on this segment, and there was no water coming out from the faucet. I asked for some refreshing towels and got my own disinfectant napkins. I hope it is just a teething problem and continue to not understand why regional jets especially Bombardier products have issues with providing running water. EMB-170/175/190/195 regional jets have no issues.
Descend soon began at 6:42pm and the pilot announced that we received a shortcut.
We landed on R/W31R at 7:02pm and parked at stand “45”/gate A10 five minutes later.
Despite our slightly early arrival, it took a while for the ground staff to attach the jetbridge. They were very careful with the new plane.
Transit at Budapest was easy. I exited the plane into the arrival atrium and then walked up the stairs back to the gate area. There were no charging stations, but I managed to find a power outlet at the gate. My phone was dead by now. I was relieved.
LX 2259 BUD-ZRH Lv1945 Arr2130 Bombardier C Series CS100 HB-JBA “Kanton Zürich”
For some reasons, Swiss decides to schedule a 35 minutes turn on this segment, which is beyond idealistic under even the most optimistic scenario, not to mention a brand new plane.
Once again, most passengers were not aware of flying a new plane on its first day of operation, but I spotted a few enthusiasts flying this flight. Many passengers were also taking pictures of the plane, as it looked nice.
I managed a better angle to snap a few pictures.
I love the Swiss branding.
A cockpit picture LOL
Main Entrance
Boarding began at 7:33pm and I was amazed that the three F/As were still in good spirits. It must be hard working these short intra-European flights. It was harder than long distance flights for sure.
Overhead bin – almost forget – really nice design and can hold typical roller on suitcases
I was in Row 5 for this segment right next to the engine, but there were already some scratches in the window.
Legroom shot of Row 5 – same as other non-exit rows
Door was closed at 8:02pm and push back did not happen till 8:17pm, as the ground staffs were still loading bags. I think a 60 minutes turnaround is more reasonable for the first couple months of operations, especially on new CS100 destinations. This is a brand new plane that no other airlines have yet to use.
The purser always made his welcoming announcement facing the passengers – very consistent on all four segments.
Safety demo on the little screens
Sunset over Budapest airport
A group of Budapest Airport staffs photographing our departures
We took off from R/W31L at 8:32pm for our short hour and twelve minutes flight back to Zurich at 40,000ft. These CS-100s can definitely cruise at higher altitude.
For economy class, a sandwich was offered and for business class, a snack tray was offered featuring a modern version of Tino Vitello, which is sliced veal with a tuna mousse topped with diced tomato and capters. There was a small plate of cheese and then a dessert cup of Vanilla Panna Cotto with apple compote. Warmed breads were of course offered, and the service was great. The F/As were very familiar with the equipment by now. Unfortunately the failure of the water system had affected the tea/coffee service, as no hot water was available.
On this flight, I finally realized that all the armrests are moveable and can be lifted.
The coat hook on the side
As it is summertime here in Europe now, the day hours can be long. The sun was finally setting on our approach.
We landed on R/W28 at 9:44pm and parked at gate B38 four minutes later.
This time I waited to deplane last so I could get a few more cabin pictures.
Exit row – Row 10 – new exit window design – it does feature a few more inches of legroom, but you will have to learn forward to look out from the windows.
In conclusion, it was a really great experience flying the world’s first commercial CS100 flight. Despite the slightly more low profile event, it is still a memorable experience for any aviation enthusiast. Bombardier has truly come up with a great product and I think the competition from Embraer really forces Bombardier to think about the passengers’ experiences. CS100 is a wonderful regional jet and can definitely compete against the current generation of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family, especially in terms of comfort. For Swiss’ operation, I never expect fancy amenities like Personal TV or mood lighting, but power outlets is something that IMHO no longer optional. They are must-have items, so Swiss only falls short in that aspect. Other than that small matter, the plane is beautiful and the ZIM seats are great. Those seats are just elegantly done, and for economy class passengers, most passengers will like the new seats, and the middle seat passengers will at least get slightly wider seats. For business class, even European type, the seat pitch needs to be better, and since Lufthansa has finally rescinded its move on providing same seat pitch between J and Y with more legroom in business class rows on the A320neos, I think Swiss really has to buck this trend too. London City flights are not cheap and with no lounge access at LCY, I think passengers in business class want a bit more at least one or two extra inches of legroom. Now I really look forward to flying the inaugural CS300. Flying Air Baltic is a bit more challenging, but we will wait and see. Congrats to Bombardier and Swiss International Air Lines on the successful Bombardier CS100 launch!
Thanks for reading!
Carfield
PS. Now I really want the Trudeau government and Toronto city government can work on a compromise on the Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport situation. These CS100s and CS300s will work well with Porter Airlines’ customer-friendly images. I can totally imagine myself flying C Series from Toronto City to Calgary, Edmonton, and even Vancouver.