Swiss Global runs a daily rotation between Zurich and Hong Kong (LX 138). Recently the equipment was upgauged from a Swiss Airbus A340-300 to a Swiss Global Boeing 777-300ER.
The upgauge apparently didn't help Swiss with its load factors. The Economy cabin was only 50-60% full.
I had a full row of 4 seats to myself in the middle. About 3 hours before I've moved to 2 free seats at the window.
Well, I couldn't notice any difference service-wise between a Swiss and Swiss Global crew. But hey, what difference does it make in Economy?
Here are some metadata about the flight:
Flight: Swiss Global Air Lines LX 138
Departure from: Zürich Airport Kloten, Terminal E, ZRH, Switzerland,
Take-off from: Runway 34, length 3,700 m / 12,139 ft
Arrival: Hong Kong International Airport, HKG, China
Landing on: Runway 07L; length 3,800 m / 12,467 ft
Distance: 5,776 miles / 9,296 km
Duration: 11 hours and 32 minutes
Travel Class: Economy Class
Lounges at ZRH: Swiss Senator Lounge Dock E
Passenger load: approx. 50% (full row of 4 seats for myself)
Pitch: 32 inches
Width: 17.3 inches
Plane: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: HB-JNB
Delivered to Swiss Global: March 2016
Engines: 2 x General Electric GE90-115B
Take-Off Thrust: 115,540 lbf each
Route: Innsbruck, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Mangalia/Romania, Black Sea, Tiflis, Baku, Caspian Sea,
Ashgabat/Turkmenistan, Kandahar/Afghanistan, Multan/Pakistan, Delhi, Lucknow/India, Himalaya (seen from the south),
Dhaka/Bangladesh, Mandalay/Myanmar, Kunming/Yunnan, Nanning/Guangxi
Here is the full travel video:
Direct link to the video:
I've spent a week in Canton Zug near Lake Zug during some sunny days (I love Switzerland):
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Taking the empty SBB InterCity train from Canton Zug to Zurich Airport:
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Taking the empty Heidebahn between Terminal A and Terminal E:
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Entering the deserted Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E:
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Lounge Terrace with good views over the appron and the Alps to the south:
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A Swiss Boeing 777-300ER arriving from San Francisco:
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Sunset dinner:
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Swiss Senator Lounge stays very quiet in the evening, as well:
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The famous bar:
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Some last snack before the longhaul flight:
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And a complimentary shower to freshen up:
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Walking towards our gate:
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Our bird to Hong Kong (Swiss Global Boeing 777-300ER HB-JNB):
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Massive General Electric GE90-115B engine:
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Exploring the Swiss Economy cabin (in 3-4-3 configuration):
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Seat pitch is allright with 32 inches:
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These are my four seats for the flight; its my cheap flatbed (cabin was only filled to 50%):
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At take off (its night and its raining, so I stayed at my four seats):
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Over Austria:
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Complimentary hot dinner, served 60 minutes after take off (pretty quick, but no wonder in an empty cabin):
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Mood Lighting at full swing (recorded throughout the flight):
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Avoiding the airspace of Ukraine (LX takes quite a southern detour via India to get to HKG; it should be faster via Russia):
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Snacks and drinks in the mid-galley :
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Aft galley:
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Over Turkmenistan with overcast:
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Entering Afghanistan airspace:
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Rough landscape of Afghanistan:
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Boeing 777-300ER Horizontal Stabilizer:
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Border region Afghanistan/Pakistan (not a place for desert tourism):
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Entering Indian airspace:
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Himalayas in the background:
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Could that be Mt. Everest?
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Border between Myanmar and China:
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Breakfast is served around 3 hours before landing:
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Mekong:
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Red River Valley:
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Kunming, Yunnan Province:
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Karst mountain areas around Guilin, Guangxi Province:
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Getting closer to Hong Kong:
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We are put into a stack before being allowed to approach HKG:
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Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge:
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Approaching HKG Runway 07L:
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Spoilers:
https://picload.org/image/ropidcra/6...-777-300er.jpg
Welcome to Hong Kong:
https://picload.org/image/ropidcrl/6...-777-300er.jpg
Our bird resting in HKG:
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HKG at landside:
https://picload.org/image/ropidlpr/6...-777-300er.jpg
First crowds in China at HKG:
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Enjoying Hong Kong around Repulse Bay:
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Here is again the full travel video:
Direct link to the video:
Enjoy!
All my trip reports on FT:
Airbus:
Iberia Airbus A340-600 London - Madrid in Y
Air Caraibes Airbus A350-900 Guadeloupe - Paris in Y
Empty Finnair Airbus A350-900 Helsinki - London Heathrow in Y+ and AY Lounge Sauna
Finnair Airbus A350-900 Helsinki - Shanghai in Y+
Finnair Airbus A350-900 Hong Kong - Helsinki in Y+
Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 Singapore - New Delhi in Upper Deck Y
British Airways Airbus A380-800 Singapore - London Heathrow in Y
Boeing:
Asiana Boeing 747-400 Combi Tokyo - Seoul in F
Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER Montreal - Cancun in Y+
Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER Cancun - Toronto in Y
United Boeing 777-200ER Houston - Newark - Amsterdam in C
United Boeing 777-200ER Amsterdam - Houston in Y+
United Boeing 777-200ER Singapore - Hongkong in C
British Airways Boeing 777-300ER London - Shanghai in Y
ANA Boeing 777-300ER Singapore - Tokyo in C
Swiss Boeing 777-300ER Zurich - Hong Kong in Y
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Hong Kong - Singapore in Y
TUI Airlines Nederland Boeing 787-8 Sint Maarten - Curacao in P
TUI Airlines Nederland Boeing 787-8 Curacao - Amsterdam in P
Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Toronto - London in Y
ANA Boeing 787-8 Shanghai Pudong - Tokyo Narita in C
United Boeing 787-9 Los Angeles - Houston in C
Trains:
CFR Calatori Bucharest - Istanbul Halkali in Sleeper Car
EuroNight Jan Kiepura Cologne - Warsaw in Sleeper Cabin
China High Speed Rail Shanghai - Xiamen in F
Caledonian Sleeper Train Inverness - London Euston in Sleeper Cabin
French TGV High Speed Train: Barcelona - Paris in F
China High Speed Rail Guangzhou - Shanghai Hongqiao in Y
Swiss Railways Lötschberg Mountain Line Bern - Brig in F
Ukraine Railways Kiev - Budapest in Sleeper Cabin
Virgin Trains West Coast London - Glasgow in F
Lounges:
Five Star Alliance Lounges: LHR
Four OneWorld Lounges: HKG
TBIT Star Alliance Lounge: LAX
Enjoy!
