Review of SWISS flight Zurich → Luxembourg in Business

getting to the airport

I take the train from Zürich HB at 07h03. I manage to squeeze in just before the doors close. The journey to the airport takes about ten minutes, which brings me in at around 07h15. From the platform I head two floors up, only to find that where there previously used to be a passage to Terminal A, there is now a big closed door. Instead, passengers are required to take another set of escalators one more floor up, cross the bridge and then access Terminal A from Terminal B.

Check-in

SWISS checks in at Terminal A. That is, it used to be Terminal A back in my days, but is now referred to as Check-in 1. Here too, there is construction going on, so only half of the check-in hall is currently available and Economy, Business and First are now on the same row.

airside

I pass through security to enter the airside area. Although check-in looked rather quiet, the airside area is rather busy. Tragically, the weather outside looks utterly dreary.

My first stop is the Turkish show polisher. I figure it's time I give my comfy boots some TLC. The guy is really friendly. He speaks an odd mix of German with some English thrown in for good measure. And he's incredibly talented. By the time he's done with my boots, they look as good as new. I think CHF12.- is quite decent for the service.

I mean, get a load of that shine!!

SWISS star gold senator lounge

With that out of the way, I head one floor up to the Senator lounge, which is also a lot busier than it was on my last visit. I set up camp in my usual spot and get myself a croissant and an omelette for a late breakfast. I like the design of the SWISS lounges. They capture Switzerland in a good way, using a lot of wood and dark brown leather. The lounge is more comfortable than it is luxurious. And that's fine with me.

Boarding

At 08h30 I leave the lounge and make my way to the A concourse, from where the flight will start boarding in 20 minutes.

Although the A concourse is set for demolishion and reconstruction, they appear to be making the effort to embelish the passenger experience by replacing some of the old seating areas with new loungers.

I reach the gate at 08h40, 30 minutes prior to departure. Much to my surprise, the  flight is already in the final stages of boarding.

The cabin

I rather like the cabin of the A 220s. The seats are configured in a 2 + 3 layout, with the middle seat on the row of three, or the adjcent seat on the row of two kept empty in Business Class. There are five rows of Business Class, for a total of 15 passengers. There are nine passengers in the Business Class cabin this morning. Originally I'm seated in 2A.

However, the guy right behind me has got a bad cold and cough. Let's call him the snot monster. So when boarding finishes and row four is still empty, I decide to relocate to 4F.

Service & Crew

The maître de is a gentleman my age with a decidely French accent. He's friendly and professional. With him in the Business Class cabin is a young lady. She still seems a bit unsure, so I'm guessing she must be new. She definitely makes up for it with her friendly manner. Once boarding is completed, the crew serve the usual packaged towels and a bottle of still water.

We push back on time and taxi to the active runway. The weather is still horrible today.

The snack - Breakfast

With a flight time of only 45 minutes, the crew is swift to start its service. The snack consists of a croissant, served with butter and jam and a bircher müsli. To drink I have another bottle of still water.

Shortly after, another flight attendant passes through cabin offering Swiss chocolates. And shortly after that, we're already descending into Luxembourg.

Arrival in Luxembourg

The weather in Luxembourg is certainly better than what I left behind in Zürich. Coming in right behind is a Boeing B 747-8 of Cargolux.

SWISS consistently uses an airbridge in Luxembourg. Within 15 minutes of landing, I'm already sitting in a bus landside, waiting to be taken to the city centre.