Introduction
Swiss First Class Lounge Chicago
Swiss First Class Chicago to Zurich
Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich
Lufthansa Business Class Zurich to Frankfurt
InterContinental Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
Lufthansa A380 First Class Frankfurt to Tokyo
Park Hyatt Tokyo
ANA First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita, Lufthansa A380 First Class Tokyo to Frankfurt
Westin Grand Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Orlando

We made it to our departure gate at around 6:45PM, 25 minutes before departure, where boarding was well under way. We headed straight for the priority boarding lane, where our passports were checked and we were wished a pleasant flight.

Departure gate

Swiss 9
Chicago (ORD) – Zurich (ZRH)
Monday, December 26
Depart: 7:10PM
Arrive: 10:55AM (+1 day)
Duration: 8hr45min
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 1D (First Class)

At the door we were greeted by the purser, who directed us to our seats in row one. There was only one other passenger in the cabin today, so it was a light load. Last time I flew this route I had the cabin to myself, so while it wasn’t quite as empty, I’m not complaining!

First class cabin

Within moments of settling in we were greeted by our two flight attendants. The one working the galley was super-friendly, while the one working the aisle was a bit less enthused to be there.

We were offered an amenity kit along with some Christmas cookies, and also asked what size pajamas we wanted. Swiss has my favorite airline pajamas. I find it funny that they very clearly state “SWISS FIRST” where a logo would normally appear on a polo, just to make sure everyone’s aware of where you’re seated.

Amenity kit and cookies

Pajamas

This was quickly followed by a glass of champagne and small starter, consisting of some sort of crab dish, which was delicious.

Pre-departure service

Swiss has one of the classiest first class cabins, in my opinion. I especially love the world map on the wall at the back of the cabin.

First class cabin

Our seats

After the drinks and snack were cleared, we were offered hot towels.

Hot towel

As departure time approached the captain came on the PA to welcome us aboard and advise us of our flight time of eight hours, anticipating an on time arrival in Zurich.

The flight attendant working the aisle took our dinner orders before takeoff. I ordered the fillet of beef, while my friend ordered the sea bass.

She then asked which appetizers we wanted. My friend had never flown Swiss before, and I wanted to make sure he had the full experience. Last time I flew Swiss the appetizers were brought around on a cart and I could pick and choose what I wanted, and it was plated at my seat. I asked the flight attendant if we could see the appetizers on a cart, and she somewhat begrudgingly agreed, stating she doesn’t usually do it on overnight flights, but since the load was so light it wouldn’t be an issue.

After a rather long taxi to the runway we were number one for takeoff, and moments later airborne. About 15 minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off and flight attendants sprung into action, starting immediately with the meal service.

This started with the purser coming around to welcome us aboard. She was charming, engaging, and had a great sense of humor, and joked that we could practice our “proper” German together in the galley later on if I couldn’t sleep.

The dinner menu read as follows:

And for those of you that are interested, the wine list read as follows:

There are no two ways about it — Swiss has the best in-flight food of any airline I’ve flown. Asiana is perhaps a very close second, but Swiss still has the edge. To say their meals are spectacular would be an insult. And keep in mind that this flight is catered at an outstation — their food is even better departing Switzerland.

Service started with a glass of champagne and peanuts, follows quickly by the flight attendant setting our tables. Swiss has massive tray tables in first class, which can comfortably accommodate meals for two passengers. Swiss also has full sized salt and pepper mills they place on each table, which I love.

Champagne with nuts

Table setup

Since we had asked for the appetizers to be put on a cart it took a bit longer than usual for them to be brought out. Just about everything looked good, and since there was a ton of food, I requested a little bit of everything. The flight attendant happily obliged, and her attention to detail with plating was phenomenal.

Salmon and king crab legs

Air-dried meats and artichoke hearts

Once those plates were cleared the salad was served, which was equally delicious.

Salad

The fillet of beef was served next, accompanied by a baked potato, butternut squash, and roasted parsnip. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve had a baked potato in-flight, and it was excellent.

Fillet of beef

My friend ordered the sea bass, which he enjoyed.

Sea bass

For dessert the flight attendant brought around a cheese cart, and I once again ordered a little bit of everything, though was stuffed at this point so barely even nibbled.

Selection of cheeses

For dessert I had the ice cream with mixed berry compote, which was simple and delicious.

Vanilla ice cream with mixed berry compote

Given that I was flying Swiss, I had to order an espresso after dessert, which was served with a praline.

Espresso

The whole meal service took a bit over two hours, and at this point we had about 5.5 hours till landing in Zurich. We both requested that our beds be turned down, which was taken care of promptly.

Turndown service

Swiss has excellent bedding, and I got a solid three hours of sleep (about as much as I’ll ever get on a transatlantic flight).

When I woke up the flight attendant quickly appeared to offer me something to drink. I ordered a glass of apple juice, and moved over to seat 1A to enjoy the sunrise.

Apple juice

Sunrise

I watched a couple of sitcoms on the entertainment system, and about 1.5 hours out of Zurich breakfast service started with a berry smoothie.

The menu read as follows:

Berry smoothie

The flight attendant first set my table, including the bread basket, and then came around with a cart consisting of several cold options. I ordered some berry yogurt and fruit, and had a mimosa to drink.

Breakfast

Bread basket

For the main course I ordered an omelet, which was delicious. They even had Tabasco sauce in a full size bottle!

Breakfast

To finish off the meal I ordered another espresso, which the flight attendant served (unsolicited) with a cinnamon roll, the same ones Continental has.

Espresso and cinnamon roll

At this point the cabin was bright so I snapped another quick picture before landing.

First class cabin

As we began our descent I changed out of my pajamas and stored my carry-ons.

It’s no surprise that the views on approach were spectacular, as they always are in Switzerland.

View on approach

As we continued our descent the visibility was very limited, and we didn’t break out of the clouds until about 500 feet above the ground. After a smooth landing and quick taxi we parked at our gate next to a United and Thai plane.

Foggy weather on final approach

Turning off runway

Plane being deiced

Reaching our gate

As usual, my Swiss experience was spectacular. The food is always the highlight with Swiss. I have to be honest and say that the service wasn’t great. It was acceptable and by most airlines’ standards on par, but by Swiss standard sub-par. The flight attendant was perfectly happy to fulfill any request we had, though at the same time didn’t go above and beyond in any way.

Nonetheless, Swiss remains one of my favorite airlines, if not my favorite.

Dear Etihad:

This is how you serve meals in international first class.

Love,
Lucky

(Don’t worry, I didn’t eat all of it)

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: TPA-ORD on United
Part 3: ORD-ZRH on Swiss
Part 4: ZRH-LHR on Swiss and LHR-IST on Turkish
Part 5: InterContinental Istanbul
Part 6: Istanbul
Part 7: IST-HKG on Turkish
Part 8: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
Part 9: InterContinental Hong Kong
Part 10: Hong Kong
Part 11: HKG-BKK-MUC on Thai
Part 12: MUC-ZRH-JFK on Swiss
Part 13: JFK-TPA on Delta

———————————————————————-

The first class check-in is nice and secluded at MUC, and also handles Swiss First Class. We first spoke to the agent in German, but as soon as he saw our US passports he started speaking to us in English. We continued to respond in German, and he continued to respond in English. Gah, that really pisses me off! Just cause I have a US passport doesn’t mean I don’t speak German. Well, whatever, because he turned out to be awesome.

First Class check-in

First Class check-in

After a few minutes he said “Hmmm, I only see one of you booked on these flights.” Ah, then it all started to make sense to me. Remember how my brother was rebooked on Lufthansa on the way out? Well, I guess they didn’t offload him or reticket him correctly, and as a result he showed as being a no show on the earlier Swiss flights. I explained this to the agent, and it made sense to both of us. I’ve gotta say, this is where I absolutely LOVE Germans. They don’t come up with excuses, they don’t say “not my problem,” they simply solve the problem.

He got on the phone and while the supervisor seemed somewhat apathetic, our agent said “but it’s not their fault, we need to take care of them.” Once he got off the phone he started talking to us — “Ah, you’ve gotta love these assholes. All they want to do is get you out of their station, and not solve the actual issue.” Ah, this is my kind of agent!

Anyway, he tried to peck away on the keyboard for about 10 minutes, but he still wasn’t able to fix the issue, so he told us he’d be back shortly and was going to go to take care of the issue.

It was a long wait, but 30 minutes later he came back. At this point we had less than an hour to go till the flight, so I was a bit concerned. “I have bad news,” he said. At this point I thought we were screwed. He said “here’s your boarding pass to Zurich, but I’m still working on your Zurich to New York boarding pass. When you get to Zurich go to the first class lounge and the issue will be taken care of.” And we trusted him. We thanked him profusely and were on our way to the First Class Lounge.

Security was quick and the lounge was located just past security. At the entrance we were welcomed, and the agents whispered amongst each other about whether or not we’d get a car service because we were flying Swiss. The consensus was yes, and we were told to be back downstairs at 9:10AM, which was 20 minutes before the departure of our flight.

The First Class Lounge in Munich is much like the First Class Lounges at Frankfurt in terms of design. They’re fantastic, with nonstop service, all kinds of food options, and most importantly a relaxing atmosphere.

First Class Lounge

I wasn’t hungry, but I had my “must have” snack, a soft pretzel.

Mmmmmm….

Instead of decorating the table with flowers, they decorated them with Mozartkugeln. A few somehow found their way into my bag.

Mozartkugeln

In no time it was 9:10AM, and we went downstairs. Our boarding passes were glanced at and we were introduced to our driver, who would be taking us to the plane that would be flying us to Zurich.

Not a bad way to drive!

Again, not a bad way to get to your plane!

It’s always awkward driving up to a waiting plane, since in theory you’re supposed to arrive when the plane is fully loaded. I’ve seen it from the inside of a plane, and it looks quite interesting when a Mercedes drives up to the plane and an escort helps people aboard with their bags. Unfortunately we entered to find a totally empty plane, which meant a long wait.

Empty cabin!

Swiss 1101, MUC-ZRH, AR1
Monday, August 24
Depart: 9:30AM
Arrive: 10:30AM
Duration: 1hr
Seat: 1D (Business Class)

The friendly purser welcomed us aboard, and we quickly realized that we were actually assigned an aisle and a middle seat. That’s right, there’s no seat blocking in business class on this place! So it was literally like coach. Nonetheless it was only a 30 minute flight, so we were going to survive.

We were quickly offered water and a towel, which we gladly accepted. Shortly thereafter boarding began, and almost all the seats filled up. We pushed back nearly on-time, and after a short taxi were airborne. Given that the flight time was only 30 minutes (and that’s takeoff to touchdown, not “workable” time), I was curious to see what kind of service would be offered.

Well, not surprisingly it was impressive. Five minutes after takeoff the purser jumped into position and set up the cart. On this short flight everyone in business class was offered a beverage as well as a (very) continental breakfast, and just prior to landing we were all offered some chocolate. VERY impressive! Nonetheless I’ll take a United domestic first class seat without any service any day, since the pitch and width of the seat were so limited.

Breakfast

We landed on-time, and once again found ourselves at a remote gate.

Airplane

Fortunately they didn’t wait for all the passengers to deplane for the bus to leave. Instead they left as soon as most business class passengers were off, so the bus wasn’t too crowded. We were dropped off at the terminal, where we proceeded to the first class lounge.

First Class Lounge

Upon entering the lounge we informed the agent of the problem with my brother’s ticket, and they quickly looked at the record. They couldn’t have been any friendlier, unlike the agent I encountered on the way out. See, the agent in Munich really did live up to his word!

We settled into the lounge and I was once again happy to have internet. The lounge has really improved since the last time I visited a first class lounge in Zurich. It was spacious, had great views, even had a dedicated dining area, and had comfortable seats.

First Class Lounge

First Class Lounge

First Class Lounge

Coffee

Snacks

I wasn’t hungry, especially since I knew we’d be fed well on our Zurich to JFK flight, so I didn’t eat. I did shower, though, and the shower rooms were easily the nicest I’ve ever seen. They even had Bulgari shampoo and shower gel!

Shower room

Vanity mirror in shower room

At around 12:10PM we were fetched and escorted towards our plane. Now, this is where the process gets ugly, and the men (First Class Terminal experience in Frankfurt) are separated from the boys (First Class Lounge experience in Zurich).

We weren’t escorted straight to a plane. Instead we were escorted to an elevator, and then to a security checkpoint. There was a line at the checkpoint, although it wasn’t too long. We were then escorted to the nearby van, where we got a ride, along with another passenger heading to Chicago. It’s rather odd sitting face-to-face with a total stranger, thanks to the van configuration. 

Van

No, we weren’t escorted to the plane, but rather driven to an elevator which dropped us off…. in the concourse! That’s where the escort dropped us all off and said our gate was just around the corner. Unfortunately we had to go through yet another security checkpoint, just for US flights. GMAFB!

This checkpoint was a bit more…. interesting. First of all, I once again made the metal detector go off. Yes, that meant I got the behind-the-curtain feeling up from some guy. What made this rather odd was that he was talking to me the whole time. I wasn’t sure whether these were “profiling” questions to see whether I’m a threat or whether he was just trying to have small talk, but I wasn’t in the US so I couldn’t play the “am I legally required to answer this question” game.

Our conversation went something like this:
Him: “What language do you speak?”
Me: “English or German.”
Him: “OK, then we’ll speak German” (so the rest is translated)
Him: “So, where are you going today?”
Me: “New York.”
Him: “Oh, do you live there?”
Me: “No, I live in Florida”
Him: “Cool, where in Florida?”
Me: “Eh, Tampa.”
Him: “Oh, that’s nice”

I still don’t know whether he just wanted to talk or whether he was trying to profile me, because I’ve never been asked questions by one of those agents before. Whatever.

Then we got to the absolute zoo of a gate, but they called boarding, so we proceeded to the jetway entrance. There our boarding passes triggered a small alarm, and we were told we had to have our documents checked and our boarding passes stamped before getting aboard. Seriously? Couldn’t they have taken care of this in the first class lounge?

The line at the passport check desk was rather long, and I observed that everyone with a European passport was asked whether they had a return e-ticket, and everyone with a US passport was told to fill out a form. I presented my German passport (which I realize I shouldn’t have), and he said “how long are you staying?” I responded that I live there, so he requested my US passport. After arguing for a bit (and him threatening that I could be fined), he presented me with a form to fill out. This is that emergency contact form, which is OPTIONAL everywhere in the world that I’ve been to. I told him I didn’t want to fill it out, but he insisted I must. I literally scribbled on the document and handed it back to him, as I really wanted to get aboard.

We then boarded and the world all of a sudden seemed so much nicer.

Swiss 14, ZRH-JFK, 333
Monday, August 24
Depart: 1:00PM
Arrive: 3:45PM
Duration: 8hr45min
Seat: 2D (First Class)

There were already three seats taken in first class. What the hell happened to empty premium cabins? Boooo! We were promptly welcomed aboard by the flight attendant and offered pre-departure drinks, newspapers, magazines, headphones, and an amenity kit, followed by pajamas.

Pre-departure beverages

Shortly thereafter we were presented with the menus.

Menu

We pushed back on-time and started our rather long taxi to the runway. We were number four for takeoff, and I considered which movie I wanted to watch.

Once we were airborne the seatbelt sign was quickly turned off, and I immediately changed into pajamas, as I wanted to take a nap after lunch. The lunch service quickly began, starting with beverages.

The lunch menu read as follows:

LUNCH
SWITZERLAND – NORTH AMERICA

GOURMET MENU

First Courses
Selection of appetisers:
Pike-perch terrine
Scallops on polenta with an olive and plum tapenade
Mosaic of beef and garden vegetables
Lovage and cream cheese crepe roulad
–
Loch Fyne smoked salmon fillet
–
Tomato consommé with Alpine cheese grissini and basil ice cream

Salad
Selection from the salad trolley

Main Courses
Fillet of beef with summer morel ragoût, linguine pasta with red chilli julienne, baby carrot and green asparagus
–
Thai green chicken curry with basmati rice
–
Saffron pasta in a herb and mascarpone cream sauce with green asparagus and tomatoes
–
Special of the day
–
Choice of vegetables

Cheese
Selection of Swiss artisan cheese

Desserts
Chriesibragel — warm cherry compote with elderflower ice cream
–
Muota Valley fresh cream cake with kirsch schnapps
–
Sprüngli chocolates and pralines
Espresso and a selection of coffees and teas

HIGH TEA
A selection of fine teas accompanied by light, sweet and savoury favourites

The table was quickly set, at which point we were served a small plate of canapés. The purser also came around welcoming everyone aboard at this point.

Canapés

I also decided on a movie at this point, and went with Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It kept me entertained.

The next course consisted of the appetizers, which were similar to what I had on the outbound. Once again, they were delicious.

Appetizer

The service was extremely attentive, given that there were three flight attendants working in first class to serve five passengers (which seemed odd, given that it’s usually two). Next came the salad cart, and I went with all the “toppings” except for bacon.

Bacon

After that the soup was served. I loved the presentation and the soup was exceedingly delicious, although I still can’t figure out what the point of basil ice cream is. Am I supposed to have one spoon of basil ice cream and one spoon of soup? Am I supposed to put a bit of basil ice cream on my spoon and then put some soup on top to melt it? Am I supposed to put the ice cream inside the soup? I don’t get it!

Soup

Since we had been traveling for more hours than I care to remember, I wasn’t really all that hungry anymore. I wanted to nibble, but not really eat a whole lot. I always feel least guilty eating a vegetarian meal if I’m going to “waste it,” so I went with the pasta option. And you know something, I’ve still never been disappointed in a pasta dish on a foreign airline.

Pasta

I passed on the cheese, although my brother gladly accepted.

Cheese

I’m a sucker for dessert, and I went with the cream cake. Once again, it was amazing.

Dessert

My brother also had some coffee at this point.

Coffee

My movie was just finishing up, and I was feeling rather tired, so I decided to take a nap. The flight attendant made my bed, which included a pillow, duvet, and blanket. I was expecting to nap for an hour or two, but was shocked to wake up and turn to the air show, which indicated that there were 39 minutes left to go till New York. Holy crap! I got a solid six hours of sleep, which I was happy about, given what a long day it had been and that my day wasn’t quite over yet. That also meant I missed the pre-arrival snack, although that’s fine.

I went to change out of my pajamas and stow all my stuff in preparation for landing. I was a bit disappointed, in all honesty, that I wasn’t offered anything to eat or drink. I realize we only had a bit over half an hour, but serving “light, sweet and savoury favourites” close to arrival shouldn’t be that tough in international first class. Don’t get me wrong, the flight attendants probably followed the protocol, but there are always those that go the extra mile.

Hell, I remember once flying on United in first class from San Francisco to Incheon, and I slept almost the whole way. I woke up 25 minutes prior to arrival, and within seconds the flight attendant was by to ask me if I wanted to eat something. She served me the full pre-arrival meal, and kept telling me not to rush. They took the tray away from me just before the gear dropped in preparation for landing.

We began a steep descent, and landed at JFK in no time. We had a quick taxi, and parked at a gate next to two other Swiss planes.

Only door 2L was opened, which meant that most of business class was out by the time we got to the door. There were a few agents that had signs for HON members, but no one for first class (which I wasn’t expecting, by the way). The agent indicated to the two HONs he was escorting that he really served no purpose, since he couldn’t get them through immigration any faster. That made me feel a bit better.

Security took forever since an Aer Lingus flight arrived just before us (the amount of green colored clothing the passengers were wearing gave it away), so the line was maybe 20 minutes. We were asked a few basic questions but then were on our way.

I bid my brother farewell after a fun week, given that he lives in New York and I was continuing to Tampa. I took the AirTrain over to the Delta terminal, while he took a cab home.

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: TPA-ORD on United
Part 3: ORD-ZRH on Swiss
Part 4: ZRH-LHR on Swiss and LHR-IST on Turkish
Part 5: InterContinental Istanbul
Part 6: Istanbul
Part 7: IST-HKG on Turkish
Part 8: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
Part 9: InterContinental Hong Kong
Part 10: Hong Kong
Part 11: HKG-BKK-MUC on Thai
Part 12: MUC-ZRH-JFK on Swiss
Part 13: JFK-TPA on Delta

———————————————————————-

Upon arrival at ORD I headed straight to the Swiss check-in counter, which was rather empty. There was no one in the first class line, so I was immediately helped. Within less than a minute I was handed boarding passes for my flight to Zurich and my connection to London. I was also handed a lounge invitation to the Swiss lounge, as well as a letter from the station manager in a “Swiss” envelope.

Swiss check-in at ORD

I informed them that my brother wouldn’t be making the flight, as he was rerouted, and they confirmed that he was offloaded. As I was about to leave the counter the agent said to me “Well, that makes two misconnects, you’ll be the only first class passenger today, Mr. Lucky.” I was cautiously excited since I wasn’t really sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand it sounds like a hell of an experience, but won’t it be awkward to have one (or two) personal flight attendants? Hell, won’t it be downright freaky?

I headed towards security, where the line was rather long. I asked one of the TSA agents whether there was a premium security line, and she pointed me over to the crew and handicapped line. I headed over there, and the agent said she was making a “one time exception” by letting me use it. Eh, ok.

Nonetheless the line was rather long, filled with foreigners that didn’t realize they had to take off their shoes, coats, and jewelry, and take liquids and laptops out of their bags for that matter. Eventually I made it through the security line, where the Swiss lounge was immediately located.

Entrance to the Swiss lounge

I headed into the lounge, and the agent immediately smirked. I’m guessing it’s because of my age. Without looking down to verify information she says “oh, so you’re our first class passenger for today.” Again without looking at any info sheet, she tells me what year my brother and I were born in, and asks whether I am the older or younger one. I say I’m the younger one, and she laughs, almost uncontrollably so. She tells me to enjoy the first class lounge and tells me I’ll be escorted to the gate when they’re ready to board. As I walk towards the first class side of the lounge I hear her on the phone talking in German about my brother and me, but I was gone before I could hear too many details.

The first class lounge was truly underwhelming. Hell, I would take a Red Carpet Club over this lounge (you heard me right). It was literally a tiny room with about a dozen chairs all bunched together. There was one bag standing there when I arrived, but no one else. I snapped a few quick pictures:

TINY lounge

Snack and drink selection

The snack selection was pathetic, consisting of nothing more than cookies. Seriously? Anyway, I was fine with that since I was saving my appetite for the flight. They did add some sandwiches and fruit to the mix closer to departure. What annoyed me, however, was the proximity of the lounge to the TSA checkpoint. I constantly heard that annoying metal detector noise and the sound of bins being placed on the belt.

Snacks added closer to departure

I checked my email, and was surprised to see two more people enter the first class lounge by around 5:30PM. Did two people somehow upgrade at check-in, or were these more HONs? I believe they were Scandinavian, and they really liked the sandwiches being served based on their consumption. Another 15 minutes later another person entered the first class lounge. With five people in the lounge it really felt a bit claustrophobic, and more like a gate area than anything else. I was also getting worried that at least one of the passengers was going to be seated in my first class cabin.

I finally opened up the letter I received at check-in, and it read as follows:

Dear Mr. Lucky
Willkommen, Bienvenue, Benvenuto, Welcome!

On behalf of the ground staff here in Chicago I would like to welcome you on board our Swiss Airbus A330 flight today to Zurich.

The approximate flying time for your flight is 8 hours and 10 minutes.

Your pilot-in-command on this flight is ______ and your maitre de cabine is ________. Please note that the boarding for First Class is at 18:45. One of my colleagues will announce boarding from the SWISS lounge and guide you to the gate.

On behalf of the ORD Team, we thank you for flying with SWISS.

Gute Reise, bon voyage, buon volo, have a good flight!

_________
Swiss Station Manager
O’Hare International Airport

Classy!

Letter from station manager, my passports, and boarding passes

The lounge was so crappy that I decided to walk around the terminal instead, and terminal 5 at ORD isn’t exactly nice. As I was walking around I saw the Swiss plane I’d be flying to Zurich being pulled into the gate.

Terminal 5

A330-300 arriving at the gate

Eventually I stumbled upon the SAS lounge, so I decided to take a look just for fun. I had left my stuff in the Swiss lounge, so I wasn’t planning on staying very long. At the entrance the agent reminded me that Swiss has their own lounge, but I mentioned that I just wanted to check out the lounge, which she was fine with.

The lounge was quite nice, decorated similar to basically every SAS lounge I’ve been to. Most importantly, though, it wasn’t crowded at all. It was much nicer than the Swiss first class lounge in virtually every way.

SAS lounge

SAS lounge

SAS lounge

I was back in the Swiss lounge by around 6:30PM, and within 15 minutes boarding was announced. When the escort came to bring us to the plane, I was ready to go, while the others weren’t. The escort suggested she take me, while the others would be taken by another agent. Fine by me!

As we walked to the gate the agent explained to me that the flight was a bit late because the crew’s bus had a flat tire on the way to the airport and they had to get a new bus. Ouch! As we approached the gate, she ripped my boarding pass for me and left me at the front of the jetway. That wasn’t very useful, since the jetway was backed up all the way, so I still had to wait for about five minutes. Of course that wasn’t an issue, since I was happy to stretch my legs before the flight.

Swiss 0009, ORD-ZRH, 333
Sunday, August 16
Depart: 7:15PM
Arrive: 11:00AM (+1)
Duration: 8hr45min
Seat: 1K (First Class)

Boarding was about half done by the time I got aboard. I reached my seat, 1K (how appropriate), and indeed found myself in an empty first class cabin, although I wasn’t convinced it would stay that way. Within seconds of getting to my seat a flight attendant came by to introduce himself and offered me a drink. I was thirsty so just asked for some water, which he immediately served me.

Water

Service was almost nonstop. He then brought me canapés. I had no clue what they consisted of, but they were tasteful. That was quickly followed by pajamas, slippers, headphones, an amenity kit, and the menu. I made a couple of last minute phone calls, at which point I heard the magic announcement: “cabin crew, boarding complete.” Holy cow, I actually had first class to myself!

Canapés

Bally amenity kit

Excellent noise canceling headphones

Great PJ’s, proudly displaying “SWISS FIRST”

At this point the captain came out and introduced himself to me, followed by the maitre de cabine. I have to say, at first it was beyond awkward to have the cabin to myself. There was no way for the flight attendants to be discreet and check on a refill without blatantly walking up to me.

“My” flight attendant, who was a mix between Ryan Seacrest and Bruno (if they aren’t in fact the same person), couldn’t have been any better, though. As the door closed we both laughed about the empty cabin, and he mentioned he had never seen this before. I told him I’d try not to be too demanding, and he mentioned he’d do his best to take care of me, and that the other first class flight attendant would work in business class instead. I was actually happy about that, since it made the whole situation a little bit less weird.

I then brought up the fact that they had a flat tire on the way to the airport, and couldn’t help but say “the last time I had a flat tire on the way to the airport they didn’t wait for me.”

Before I knew it we pushed back and the safety video began. We had a pretty quick taxi, and right as we were about to line up on the runway the captain introduced himself over the PA, told us the flight time would be 8hr20min, and said we would be taking off within three minutes.

After a long and weak takeoff we were airborne and on our way to Zurich. While the first few minutes were pretty rough, the seatbelt sign was off fast enough. The flight attendants immediately closed the curtains between the galley and first class and between first class and business class. Moments later the first officer added his welcome aboard, and I was surprised to hear that he was Australian. I later talked to the flight attendant about this, and apparently he’s an ex-Qantas pilot. Wonder what happened there….

I then headed to the lavatory to change into pajamas. The door was closed, oddly enough, so I was expecting “my” flight attendant to just flip the switch. He told me there was actually a key he needed for it, but said I could change behind the curtain in the galley if I wanted to. While it was a nice offer, I passed, and said I’d wait.

After takeoff

Moments later the lav was open and I was able to change. As soon as I was out I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that I had the cabin all to myself. The new Swiss first class product really is top notch. It’s sleek, elegant, and the seats are well designed. With only eight seats it seemed private regardless of how many passengers there were (although in this case it was truly private).

View from my seat

Suite 2K

Entertainment control

View from my seat

Massive tray table

Table

As I got back to my seat “my” flight attendant asked me how I wanted the cabin lighting and whether I wanted all the windows open or closed. Hah, that was a first! I said I’d prefer them to stay open for the time being due to the beautiful sunset, but afterwards they could be closed.

Cabin lighting

I also explained to him upfront that I’d be taking pictures of every course, which he was totally fine with, and made the whole experience a bit more pleasant. It seems like the most awkward part of having the cabin to oneself would be picture taking, but I could mark that off the list.

I reviewed the menu choices and had a hard time choosing between the options.

Dinner menu and Diet Coke

The dinner menu read as follows:

DINNER
CHICAGO-ZURICH

GOURMET MENU

First Course
Smoked salmon fillet
Seafood, meat and vegetarian platter

Main Courses
Sautéed filled of beef with Café de Paris butter, mashed potatoes, green asparagus tips and carrot
–
Seared pheasant breast with tarragon jus, sautéed Savoy cabbage and corn and risotto cake
–
Wild mushroom ravioli with Chablis buerre blank and wilted spinach
–
Special of the day
–
Choice of vegetables

Cheese
Cheese selection

Dessert
White and dark chocolate mousse timbale with marinated strawberries
–
Sprüngli chocolates and pralines
Espresso and a selection of coffees and teas

SUPPLEMENTARY CHOICES
Selection of soups, seasonal salads, cheese and fresh fruits

I’ve always thought that Swiss food is among the best in the sky, and this flight was no exception. The whole meal service was somewhat comical given that every course was served from a cart, yet I was the only one being served. “My” flight attendant really did a hell of a job, though, rolling out every course as if he were serving a full cabin. He kept my Diet Coke topped off throughout the whole dinner service as well.

His attention to detail was fantastic as well, which I really appreciated, from making sure the logos on the glassware were facing me, to precisely plating everything. The pace was also great. The tendency in a situation like this would be to rush, but he left a few minutes between every course and promptly cleared all plates without seeming over-attentive.

The appetizer, salad, and main course were delicious. When I started my main course he brought out a huge pan with vegetables, and I felt awful saying no, but it was just too much food.

Plating

Plenty of silverware

Appetizer cart

Delicious appetizer

Salad cart

Salad

Fillet of beef

Mashed potatoes

After dinner came the cheese cart. I really didn’t want any, but I would have felt too bad taking nothing since he went through all the work of setting up the cart for me.

Cheese cart

I just took a bit of everything.

Cheese plate…. a bit more gourmet than what United serves

Finally came dessert, which was painfully good.

Chocolate mousse

I then asked for a bottle of water, which was delivered with a couple of chocolates. They were just too good to turn down.

Water and chocolate

Overall it was one of the best meals I’ve had on a plane. The service couldn’t have been better, the food quality was fantastic, and the variety was great. A+ all around. “My” flight attendant then asked if I wanted him to make my bed, and I said yes. While I wasn’t quite ready to sleep, I always like “lounging” in a bed onboard a plane, instead of sitting up.

My bed

Comfy!

The seat also has a small wall which comes out to add more privacy.

Nice and private

Now, just a couple of negatives. First, I found the padding of the seat in general to be just a bit too hard. Second, I thought the pillows were a bit too soft, although I realize that’s personal preference. I asked for an extra pillow, and that was quickly solved.

My biggest complaint, however, was the lack of air nozzles. I’ve complained about this in the past. I simply don’t understand why non-US airlines don’t have personal air nozzles onboard. It was a bit too warm for me aboard. In retrospect I have no clue why I didn’t ask them to change the temperature. I realize it’s my fault, but it’s more of a general complaint.

After dinner I decided to watch Lost in Translation, which I realize is an old movie, but I hadn’t seen it before. Very cool movie, especially when traveling. It was pretty bumpy throughout the movie, and the seatbelt sign went on a few times.

After that there were about four hours left in the flight, so I decided to take a nap. I slept rather well, despite being warm, and woke up two hours later. Within moments of waking up I was approached by “my” flight attendant, and he asked me whether I wanted breakfast. I said I’d prefer to wait a bit, and he obliged. I did order a glass of orange juice, though. I decided to watch I Love You, Man, which was hilarious.

About 1.5 hours before landing I was served breakfast. The menu read as follows:

BEFORE LANDING

SWISS BREAKFAST

Assortment of breakfast breads, preserves and honey, fresh fruits, yoghurts, muesli and cereals
–
Egg dish
–
Coffee, tea and juices

I wasn’t particularly hungry, so I just went with some fruit and a croissant.

Breakfast

As I finished up the movie we began our descent, and about 20 minutes out the seatbelt sign was turned on. I always find it interesting that the US airlines generally take forever to turn off the seatbelt sign on the climb out, but don’t turn on the seatbelt sign until well into the descent, while it seems to be the opposite for non-US airlines.

I changed out of my pajamas and restored my bags. At that point the maitre de cabine came by to bid farewell, and I thanked her for an incredible flight, and mentioned that I hoped the flights weren’t usually this empty for Swiss’ sake.

Nothing beats the approach into Zurich in terms of the incredible landscape.

On final approach

After a smooth touchdown hardly any thrust was applied as we gradually slowed down and exited near the end of the runway. From there it was just a very short taxi and we arrived at the gate. I once again thanked “my” flight attendant for one hell of a job, and he mentioned he was heading to JFK next week, although on the Geneva flight (while I would be flying Zurich to JFK).

The captain was at the door to bid everyone farewell, and I was the first one off.

To be continued….

I just got off a 162 mile, 30 minute flight from Munich to Zurich on one of those crappy little four engine Avro jets. First the negative: the plane is configured with two seats on the left side of the aircraft and three on the right side. As a result, there wasn’t even a blocked middle seat in business class. So the space was literally what one gets in coach. I’ll take domestic first in the US any day of the week.

On the plus side, the service was damn impressive. Despite the fact that this was a flight less than half the distance of Los Angeles to San Francisco, they offered water, towels, and newspapers upon boarding, and once airborne offered a continental breakfast, drinks, and Swiss chocolate to finish it all off. The flight attendant was running around like crazy from takeoff till landing, but she did an amazing job.