I haven't flown Swiss for about 20 years, and then it was only shorthaul, so my notes will only compare with other carriers' F products.

My itinerary was LCY-ZRH-HKG-ZRH-lHR taking the LX138/LX139 HKG rotation last weekend, starting at LCY on Friday evening and returning to LHR on Sunday afternoon.

I traveled HBO, and had checked in online for all the segments except the last one which wouldn't work for some reason.

My trip was a last minute booking, booked the day before travel, and I was notified on the day of departure that I was too late too book a chauffeur driver for the outbound (3 working days' notice required). So, as I wasn't expecting an outbound driver, I made my own arrangements. However, I had an unexpected call about half an hour before schduled pick up time from Swiss's supposedly unbookable driver apologising that he was unlikely to make it in reasonable time due to an accident on the road ahead of him. So I told him not to worry, I'd make alternative arrangements ;-)

Shorthaul A220 connection in Business LCY-ZRH LX467 18:20-21:00
- Boarding priority seemed to work
- No lounges at LCY (no airline has a lounge here)
- Enough room to operate a slimline XPS 13 laptop
- Guaranteed free adjacent seat is welcome
- Avoid row 1, reduced legroom, and little available adjacent overhead storage
- Seems a little more noisy the A320 series
- Front washroom seems quite roomy compared to the A320 series I've experienced
- One meal option, tasty but more of a snack than a meal
- Overhead storage explicitly reserved for business passengers
- Upon landing, it can be difficult to access the crowded aisle to retrieve overhead bags, delaying egress
- Nobody (except me) seems to wait for the seatbelt sign to be extinguished before getting up
- Overall, the A220 experience is good in comparison to other European shorthaul products I've experienced

Connection from Shorthaul to Longhaul ZRH
- We arrived at a remote stand
- The separate Business minibus to main terminal complex was good, but that was the limit of ground assistance
- My gate was changed from Terminal E to Terminal D, I was notified by phone message while on train to Terminal E
- Having cleared security at Terminal E, I was sent back immediately to Terminal B/D, and had to clear security again
- Sat in B/D Senator lounge for fifteen minutes, with fairly limited food and drink options

Longhaul outbound ZRH-HKG LX138 A340 First 22:40-17:30
- Finally I went to the gate, went straight onto the airbridge, I thought my timing was pefect
- We stood on the airbridge at the aircraft door for five minutes as the aircraft waasn't ready
- Two airbridges were connected to 1L and 2L, but only 2L was in use
- I wasn't escorted to my seat in 1K
- Walking through business towards first, the aisles are very narrow for rollaboards
- Lots of galley FM in 1K, even when wearing Bose noise cancelers,
- There were four passengers on this leg, all in window seats
- Pyjamas were supplied at my request, I changed while on the ground
- There are two bathrooms on the left hand side at the front of the cabin, the slightly larger one closest to the cabin
- Grande Siecle Champagne offered on the ground, but a requested glass of sparkling water was forgotten
- Canapee plus cheese sticks offered on the ground
- Slippers and Bally amenity kit were already at the seat
- Amenity kit has quite limited content
- No flowers anywhere in the cabin
- Unbound menus distributed on the ground
- Meal order taken on the ground, although it is dine on demand
- They can't do cocktails
- Wines not particularly special except the Grand Siecle, but I do recommend trying the Swiss wines
- I kept to the chef inspired dishes, the braised beef plus a couple of enormous asparagus spears was pretty good
- Cheese is OK, but not particularly well affineured
- There are four overhead lights, all pointing in an apparently random direction
- There's a small LED light at shoulder height of limited value
- The console lamp is pleasant and useful when in the bed position
- There are no passenger controlled air nozzles, please reinstate the air nozzles!
- Panel fixtures are poorly fitting in several places
- The table is enormous but can take some man-handling to set up and store
- Although the TV screen is enormous, the IFE content was pretty mediocre
- The privacy door and screen are a good compromise
- Unlike the 777, the A340 has no electric blind, each seat has four full windows and a manual blind on each
- The 777 fuselage is 68cm wider than the A340, so the thick electric blinds wouldn't fit on an A340
- At seat storage seems a little limited
- Washroom cleanliness was OK but not up to the almost obsessive cleanliness seen on some carriers
- The three crew I spoke with were amenable and pleasant, I think two were fully allocated to the F cabin
- The best bit is the bed and the bedding, I'd put it at the top tier of in the air sleep experiences
- The duvet in particular is a good size, and the bed itself supremely comfortable
- After a superb sleep, I had a generous fruit plate and rooibos tea just prior to landing
- Arrival at HKG was via 1L straight to a fairly short walk to immigration
- Only one of the two immigration lines was open at HKG, so don't both trying to switch (like I did!)
- There was a pre-check line at HKG before your could enter the immigration line asking for previous countries visited, which took five minutes
- The immigration line itself was only a minute or so duration
- There was no departure or arrival ground assistance for F passengers on this flight

Longhaul inbound HKG-ZRH LX139 A340 First 00:05-06:10
- At HKG they won't let you into the airport building unless you have departing flight documentation
- I used check in at HKG because I'd been unable to check in for my last segment ZRH-LHR
- At HKG check in, suddenly the acclaimed Swiss F ground service kicked in for the first time
- I was escorted through the crew channel security and passsport control to the SilverKris F Lounge
- The Swiss contract lounge is the Plaza Premium First lounge, which I also used because showers were not working at the SilverKris lounge
- Half an hour before scheduled departur, I walked to the gate where I was immediately greeted by the ground staff
- I was straight away escorted down the airbridge to the F only door 1L
- My seat was 1A, with two other passengers seated in 2D/E
- Unlike the outbound, the captain came for a short chat to each of the F passengers
- There's no discernable galley FM in 1A, unlike 1K!
- I slept first for the five hours, and chose my meal about five hours in
- Again I stuck to the chef inspired creations, with a fish dish which was surprisingly well cooked but it lacked a sauce
- I managed to lose my glasses somewhere in the seat, that';s the one seat negative, if you lose something down there it's unlikely to reappear
- I took a few more hours of sleep, before waking up again about an hour before landing when I took a fruit plate and tea
- We had to hold for about half an hour due to Zurich opening times
- We arrived on time and ws greeted by an agent at 1L
- I elected to remain in Terminal E rather than go directly to the main terminal complex

Connection from Longhaul to Shorthaul ZRH
- I had a 9 hour layover (deliberate on my part)
- Unlike my incoming connection, this was a completely different ground experience
- Before going to the lounge you have to clear security
- At the Terminal E lounge, they were expecting me and immediately offered me a day room, which I accepted
- The day room is pleasant but a glaring ommission is a desk of any kind
- The shower is OK, although the towels are a bit small
- A bath robe would have been welcome
- A small amenity kit with shampoo and shower gel is offered
- The room has floor to ceiling windows onto the deck, so I recommend closing the curtains
- I had a further four hours of uninterrupted sleep
- I found the bed to be _really_ comfortable
- For brunch I had perfect soft boiled aggs in the lounge dining area
- Following on I had a steak tartare and a burger, both pleasant
- The wines are all young, so be prepared, I'd recommend trying the local Swiss wines
- I booked a ride over to the main terminal complex, for which they request 20 minutes notice
- I spent the 20 minutes in the Whisky bar
- The Whisky bar is in the Senator lounge, and I was escorted directly to and from that lounge via a secret passageway
- The airside transfer to the main terminal complex in a minibus
- At the main terminal there's a very lonely looking official who checks passports
- I was escorted into the First lounge in Terminal A by the driver
- The Terminal A lounge is plesant enough, but it's not quite the same as Terminal E
- I propped the bar up and enjoyed a couple of cocktails before walking over to the B/D gates for my final leg
- After another passport control, I had another fifteen minutes in the B/D Senator lounge
- The lounge agent didn't understand the access to the Senator lounge for a same day incoming F passenger, he had to call a colleague

Shorthaul A220 connection in Business ZRH-LHR LX324 15:25-16:15
- At the gate, I immediately went down the airbridge, only to find myself standing there for a further five minutes before the aircraft was ready
- I moved from row 1 to the next free roe, row 3, because I found the legroom wasn't as generous in the bulkhead
- I connected easily with the Swiss driver to take my home
- Everything else about this shorthaul has been covered in the outward shouthaul segment notes above

Conclusions
- First ground service is patchy, but when it works it's good, BA, my usual F carrier, could really up their game in this respect
- I don't know what you have to do to get a Merc airside transfer rather than a mini bus!
- If you like to sleep, both in the air and on the ground, I've encountered no better airline
- Food is OK but not amazing, beverage is mediocre, for a First product
- The crews I encoutered were pleasant and efficient, but I didn't find I had a particularly memorable experience because of them.