Review of SWISS flight New York → Zurich in Economy

After a pleasant stay in the USA, it is time to head home. Since I only have a backpack and a cabin bag, taking the subway and AirTrain seems like the obvious choice. The NYC subway is quite fast, though the AirTrain isn't the most comfortable and it feels rather expensive, at a fixed $8. It does offer some interesting views of the tarmac and landing aircraft, such as the jetBlue A320 and a fellow SWISS A330, which is flying the earlier flight to ZRH.

I arrive to JFK well ahead of time, which is quite unfortunate since the departures hall is very disappointing, at least in Terminal 1. I have now noticed that all my photos of the terminal are very blurry, so please enjoy an image enhanced by AI (Artistic Inspiration). All I have to say is that it felt very cramped with little space to walk, sit or planespot; despite the vast amount of shopping options. It is also showing its age with the gloomy lighting and overall design. All in all, a terminal I'd find acceptable for a regional European airpot operating LCCs, but not for reputable airlines flying between massive international hubs. 

HB-JHI, the A330-300 that would take us to Zürich has been waiting for a while. Boarding starts and ends well ahead of schedule, so we're hoping to get an early takeoff slot too, but JFK wasn't feeling generous, and delayed us for an hour in the gate. This is 3/4 delayed flights, so here's hoping at least one will be on time. And since this is being written on the train home, I can say that it was not on time.

Today I sit upon 31A. In my naiveté, I forgot to search details of the aircraft, so the equipment box at my feet was a disappointing surprise. The window is also not as nicely aligned. The offered facilities are mostly the same as in the previous flight; a good seat with great legroom (even with the equipment box), decent tray table and mediocre IFE options. However, today we have functioning recline! It is worth noting that I am a rather small person, so I don't need too much space. The IFE controls are also more responsive, though I don't have much use for them.

Due to certain circumstances that weren't mentioned, we're held at the gate for a good 45 minutes after boarding is completed, so it doesn't look good for an on-time arrival. While I wait, I spot one of the coolest developments of the last years; a TAP A321. I wonder if I'll get to try the transatlantic narrowbody experience some day.

After a long wait in the gate, we push back and taxi to 13R, from where we take off. There are some views of Manhattan at night, but my poor phone's camera doesn't have the power to capture such small images, so the video I recorded look quite bad as well.

45 minutes into the flight, dinner is served. Since it's such a late departure may people seemed to prefer sleep, so not giving out the first snack might have been a wise decision. In the previous flight I decided to try the meat option so it would make sense to taste the vegetarian option today. In my defense, it's not often that one hears "Beef" as one of the complimentary meals, so I had to go for it. The tray has a salad of plain greens, a sachet of dressing, a bread roll with some butter, a block of Cheddar cheese and of course the main course. As dessert we have a simple cheesecake. And of course, which is always very welcome, metal cutlery.

The salad is rather dull, all the greens are lettuce or similar with no hint of aromatics. The dressing is decent, but it's nothing to write home about. The bread is way softer and tastier than in the previous flight, and even has some flax seeds. The cheese is alright, it does taste like a decent Cheddar, but nothing further than that.

Now on to the main course. The beef in question is stewed, I can see black olives and mushrooms, and it probably has red wine too. It's served with boiled carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, and roasted potatoes. This may be my lack of long haul experience in recent years, but I'm genuinely impressed with the quality of meals offered by SWISS. All ingredients are well cooked and tasty, and the stew sauce is very good. I'm pretty sure this is a French style of stew, but I cannot remember the name right now. 

As for the dessert I have no complaints. The cheesecake has texture but isn't chewy, and it tastes like cream cheese. What else is there to expect?

Now is when I try to sleep. I already know it's a hopeless endeavor, since I need total darkness and a flat bed to sleep. However, I'm so exhausted I have to try. The recline is decent, but not enough for me to have a good sleep, that's probably reserved for Business class. The headrest is adjustable only vertically so it doesn't help much. The legroom is great for this, though. I can stretch my legs completely, but I'm stuck in an awkward situation, trying to find whether it's less uncomfortable to stretch them or sit normally. The pillow barely helps, but the blanket is alright; pretty soft and warm. Attached is a photo of the sleeping supplies. I get a total of 3 hours of frequently interrupted sleep before I give up.

As we enter continental Europe, I open my window to see a fellow SWISS A330 also coming from North America. Overall, there isn't much to remark about the flight route; the Atlantic crossing was calm, though it didn't help me sleep.

An hour or so out of ZRH, we are given a blueberry muffin as a snack. It tastes very American, like biting a chunk of pure sugar with some flour and blueberries in between. Delicious.

Soon after, we get some special holiday edition SWISS chocolates, which taste the exact same as all the others.

Not long after, we start the descent and break through the clouds into Swiss land. The hills look pretty cute with some snow sprinkled over them. The pilots perform a great landing on runway 28.

Despite the delay at JFK, it is only 2 minutes after the scheduled arrival time when we touch down. We taxi towards the satellite terminal where I take the shuttle train to the main terminal to catch my connection. The large amount of glass panes and the overall more modern facilities make this airport a way better experience than JFK T1; natural light and less claustrophobic spaces really do wonders. Transfers at ZRH are also very efficient, with the aforementioned shuttle train and not too big terminals.