This is part one of a two-part report of my trip from Singapore to Europe and back. The following report includes a review of the Swiss A340 economy class as well as the Swiss A220 product. Also included are the check-in process in Singapore, and Immigration in Zurich.
Part 1: Singapore – Zurich (LX177)
Part 1: Zurich – Nice (LX568)
Part 2: Munich – Frankfurt
Part 2: Frankfurt – Singapore
Check-in at Singapore
Check-in in Singapore was uneventful much like before the pandemic with a few exceptions. I checked-in at the Lufthansa counter – Swiss and Lufthansa are partners with the Lufthansa group owning a majority stake in Swiss, thus the same check-in counter is used for both Swiss and Lufthansa flights.
Prior to departure, a proof of vaccination, and entry documents such as a completed and submitted online pre arrival card must be furnished to the check-in staff prior to collection of your tickets. Apart from that, it was business as usual, I received both boarding passes for my flight to Zurich and onwards to Nice
Boarding
The flight load was not high, and boarding was very prompt, I was seated on seat 23A, the bulkhead in economy class, the seat was spacious and as expected of bulkhead row seats, had a generous amount of legroom. The economy class on Swiss is arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, cutting the middle seat on the sides.
The amenities on the aircraft were on the disappointing front, they included a pillow, blanket (individually packed), plastic earphones for the in-flight entertainment system (individually packed), and a pack of sanitary alcohol wipes. The features on the seat were equally scares, there was a lack of charging points, nary a single USB charger that is attached to the inflight entertainment system.
Although there is a mask mandate on all Swiss flights, they were not readily available, Swiss did not furnish any spares on board for passengers, if a mask broke or if a passenger boards the plane without a mask, they would be left mask-less for the entirety of the flight.
Seeing how it has been two years since the start of COVID-19, it would have been nice to see that Swiss would have prepared extra amenities to match their rules and to ensure that they are Pandemic Proof.
In Flight Entertainment and Wi-Fi System
The shows available on the inflight entertainment system was not to my liking, mostly consisting of old Hollywood films from the 60s and some other films. Although, Swiss does have a very comprehensive flight progress tracker that would cover about 2-3 hours of entertainment for aviation enthusiasts.
On the flipside, the Airbus A340 product on Swiss is equipped with Wi-Fi, however, it was out of order for the flight.
Meal Service
Meal Service 1
The first meal service started shortly after take-off, passengers in Economy were given the choice of the Gnocchi or Chicken and Rice, I picked the Gnocchi.
The Gnocchi was a decent 7/10, the meal was also served with a cup of yoghurt, a load of bread and a fruit cup. Sidenote, It is nice to see that some airlines such as Swiss are still sticking to using metal utensils while most airlines are turning away to plastic and wooden alternatives.
Following meal service, the crew went around and handed each passenger a bottle of water for the flight and then the lights were dimmed for the night.
Meal Service 2
The second meal service commenced 3 hours before arrival, there passengers were treated to scrambled eggs, a sausage and mixed vegetables, accompanied by a salad consisting of salmon and cucumber, a bread roll and a serving of apple crumble.
Prior to landing, the cabin crew walked around the cabin handing the ever-famous Swiss branded chocolates to all the passengers, signifying the end of the flight
Arrival At Zurich
Arrival at Zurich was rather straight forward, connecting passengers to the Schengen region were directed to the Immigration counters in the main terminal, customs clearance was fast and straightforward, just remember to present your vaccination documents on hand for verification.
Boarding
On the next leg of the flight, I flew on Swiss LX568 to Nice onboard their A220 product.
Configuration of the aircraft is a 2-3 seating with two seats on the port side and three on the starboard side per row.
The passenger load on this aircraft was the opposite of Singapore to Zurich leg, the aircraft was filled to the brim with passenger on this leg. However, there was barely any noticeable difference to the amount of space to each passenger when compared to the Singapore to Zurich leg, the seat was spacious and there was ample room for all my electronics and devices.
Once the aircraft reached cruising altitude, the cabin crew went around with drinks, note that there are no meal services in Economy on inter-European routes, any meals would have to be paid for.
Shortly after drinks service, the crew went around handing the ever-famous Swiss branded chocolates again and then the aircraft started her decent to Nice
Disembarkation was rather quick at Nice and because I entered the Schengen region in Switzerland, there was no need to go through immigration again.
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