Same seating as in the A330, and a new IFE. Welcome! I mean are they 100% identical. Where did the aircraft come from? It is the third part of our review series looking at the SWISS Business Class experience. Swiss A330s feature first, business and economy class cabins. These have consoles on both sides, affording better privacy and more storage. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). a refreshed A340 . By logging into your account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and the use of cookies as described therein. And all for a little stamp on by boarding pass that, as far as I can tell, is only for SWISS use and not for the UAE authorities. endobj
The forward business cabin has only two rows in it, so my seat, 4A, felt especially private. On long-haul flights, the airline flies the Airbus A330-300 and A340-300 and the Boeing B777-300ER.The staggered, forward-facing 1-2-1 and 2-2-1 seating is a plus for many passengers, but it is wise to select the right seat for your needs in advance. The airline's A330s have an average age of just over 15 years. Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. Booked mid Dec on LX to JNB in F and it looks to me that it's still the unrefurbished A340-300. Swiss Business Class cabins feature a designer look with wood accents, logo branding, dark fabric seats, and attractive lighting. During the ongoing airport refurbishment, it seems that most long-haul flights depart from these types of gates. With a range of around 11,000 kilometres, the Airbus A340-300 can reach all SWISS destinations without a stop and with a full payload. Swiss will be more "focused" and "more digital"? The aircraft were given a new lease on life in 2020. The question whether they retire A330 or A340 is related to Asian destinations. You can see our review of the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 here and our review of the SWISS Senator Lounge at Zurich Terminal E here. The Wi-Fi itself was adequate for my usage, though the limit meant I was cautious in terms of what I was using it for, and it ran out before the flight ended. The bus was completely packed, though, so it didn't feel like a premium experience. Write review Page 1 2 3. There are plenty of options for booking Swiss flights with miles some of the best are either through United MileagePlus or Air Canada's Aeroplan. The oldest 330s are from 2009. The airline recently completed a cabin refurbishment program on all five of its A340s which includes a new entertainment system and internet access. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Service" tpg-rating="24" tpg-rating-max="25" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="No" turndown-service="No" /]. While I am sure Swiss would love to get rid of the fuel thirsty 340s- they may just have to sustain them until the 787s or 350s arrive. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Link SWISS Airbus A330 300. I like airlines which have flexible table sizing as it means you dont need to have a massive table out just for a small drink or similar. Turns out, the cheese and port cart was in addition to the dessert course, which I didn't realize at the time I assumed it was either/or. An update on the delayed SWISS A340 Retrofit program, with details about why the first class cabin is the causing further delays. In the end the A340 has space for one extra pallet and a lot of additional MTOW. Business Class features a staggered lie flat seat. On another we had seats in the minicabin but the moving parts were dysfunctional so had to move elsewhere in cabin. Related reading: Review: Swiss (A340) first class from San Francisco to Zurich. Click for details. Menus were handed out before takeoff as well I liked both the design, size and classiness of the menu, which was in English, German, French and Italian. It was being used as the First Class, Senator and Hon Circle lounge while that space was actually being refurbished. Hopefully by then they'll be in better financial shape, too. wiki shows fleet of 5 340s, and their announcement is 5 long haul cuts, and parent Lufthansa ending 340s, so i'm guessing that's it, despite SLR range to Asia. Before we took off, there was a choice of Champagne, orange juice or water. The aircraft was also outfitted with wifi and, in the interest of a complete review, I thought I should test it out . Airbus A330-300 (333) Airbus A340-300 (343) Boeing 777-300ER (77W) Embraer 190 (E90) Check-in; Baggage; Infants; Minors; Pets Do you know this plane? Since I'd eaten already in the Lufthansa lounge, I chose a lighter meal of muesli and tea, which was nicely presented on real china. Havent flown Swiss since moving to OneWorld when BMI succumbed but we used to love flying with them. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Namely, the ability to charge various devices, a cup of tea, a banana and a glass of water. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Traveling for spring break? Alternatively, you could earn enough miles in one signup for a one-way business-class ticket if you signed up for a card like The Platinum Card from American Express, which is currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 points (5,000 more than what's required to book with Aeroplan)s after spending $5,000 within the first three months. If they invested in new interiors for the A340s it likely means they also did the heavy and expensive maintenance checks. The A330 doesnt make it with full payload and the 77W is way too big for pax demand. SWISS is planning on shrinking its fleet by 15 aircraft, which represents about 15% of its fleet. The toilet between the front- and back-business-class sections on the left hand side was very spacious (it's the wheelchair-accessible one) and had some premium amenities including cute tubes of face cream. Airliners.net is the leading community for discovering and sharing high-quality aviation photography. The A330s are in storage right now. Connections: USB A Seat Pitch: 99 centimeters. our review of the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 here, our review of the SWISS Senator Lounge at Zurich Terminal E here, Over 500m worth of e-vouchers still unused (IAG). Additionally fuel is really cheap right now. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. I did notice, though, that a few of the other passengers were struggling with their bags while climbing the steep steps. This cookie is associated with Akamai. Next to the 777, the A340 has proven to be a workhorse during the crisis. They have a much bigger cargo capacity. Does anyone has any update on progress of A340 refurbishment? TOP HOTEL BONUS POINTS OFFERS (MARCH 2023), How to get free hotel elite status from UK credit cards, Get exclusive benefits on luxury hotel bookings via HfP. Tail and Winglet closeups with beautiful airline logos. B I really couldn't fault them for anything. Let us improve how you travel. The cheesecake was very nice, and I enjoyed it with a green tea. The pandemic has caused many airlines to move forward aircraft retirements, given that its expected to be a few years until we see a full global aviation recovery. Currently, the A330s have 28 and A350s 21 Premium Economy seats. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Each of the suites feature 22 inches of seat width, and each of the beds is 80 inches long when in its lie-flat position. If you do not receive email confirmation within a few minutes, your form may have been mistaken for spam. Every type from fighters to helicopters from air forces around the globe, Classic Airliners 4K, 5K, 6K etc. I think for business class Swiss beats Lufthansa on ground and in the air, for first class Lufthansa is much better on the ground and possibly in the air. There were also red socks at each seat. On 29th January, I flew Lufthansa from Barcelona to Frankfurt. David's radar is spot on. This guy is full of more BS than Calgary following the stampede. We paid a total of 60,000 miles, and taxes and fees came to a total of $292, which we put on the Platinum Card in order to earn 5x points on the purchase in this case a total of 1,460 points, worth about $28 according to TPG's current valuations. The crew were very professional throughout the entire flight in a way that some US carriers' crew aren't. I think Swiss should have set up some sort of arrangement with a Priority Pass lounge, or it could have offered more than a food voucher for its long-haul business-class passengers. The transformation planned will be conducted over the next three years through our reach strategic programme, with which we aim to realign our company to the changed market situation and achieve sustainable cost savings of some CHF 500 million.. Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, LOT and Other Partners | Miles & More, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, https://www.swiss.com/corporate/en/m-20161007.html, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28525359-post588.html. What nonsense! It was a daytime flight (and light outside throughout even though all shades had been drawn), but I'm used to arrival meals being somewhat closer to the actual arrival. Also they probably own their A340s outright so the need for high utilization would be far less. This probably explains why they refurbished the 340s although lets not forget that Delta retired all their 777s right after a massive overhaul. This lounge was basic but had all I needed. This was a soft pouch with a mesh on one side, so partially see-through: It contained a pair of red socks, ear plugs, eye mask, tooth brush and toothpaste: I wasnt hugely impressed by the amenity kit the bag itself felt more like a school pencil case than a Business Class product. Not very Swiss at all! Assigns your browser to a session on the server. Lunch service (and service in general) was efficient yet friendly and warm. She also said that both Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines have more crew on their aircraft than Swiss, an interesting tidbit given that Swiss is a part of the wider Lufthansa Group. Newer cabins on older aircraft: Swiss completes A340 refurbishment program, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Last but not least the resale value proposition is a lot better for the A330 compared to the ultra cheap A340-300s. These are the even numbered A seats, so 4A, 6A, 8A and so forth. Having lived in different countries and with a previous career in financial services, he is an Avios, Oneworld Alliance and general aviation travel expert. I reserved seat 11K for myself but at check-in seat 9K had come up. Beautiful shots taken while the sun is below the horizon, Accidents Since my journey began in London, the ground experience mainly covers the connection in Geneva (GVA). Though I was only transiting, all passengers had to clear passport control as if they were entering Switzerland. Woman single-handedly takes on BA and wins, EasyJet pilot does 360-degree turn so passengers can see the Northern Lights, Swiss to switch to Beijing Daxing in March, Swiss to expand airtrain services in 2020, Swiss to launch Lugano-Zurich rail service, Swiss to add Osaka and Washington DC routes, To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below, So, all five aircraft in the fleet are now, equipped with a brand new cabin and infli. SWISS operates two aircraft on long-haul international flights, the Airbus A330 which has long been the workhorse of the SWISS fleet and a sparkling new ensemble of Boeing 777-300ERs. ?3). All of Swiss' long-haul aircraft, including these refurbished A340 aircraft, feature Wi-Fi connectivity. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The A340 is already almost 18 years old, older than the A330, but it as better range versus payload. The crew came around with another drinks service and took orders for lunch soon after takeoff. I did just that when I flew from London to New York via Geneva on Swiss Air Lines. WTF is this businessspeak supposed to mean? Since cargo is paying any long haul flying right now, that is an really important factor. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. So far so good but how does the SWISS Business Class experience compare? Find the right card for you. Hi Ben, minor correction: Helvetic is not a subsidiary of Swiss. Any updated news on the refurbishment schedule? Again, a full bar was on offer. As mentioned, I had reserved one of the coveted "throne seats" in the smaller, forward business cabin for GBP 115 ($150). I felt that my experience on Swiss was solid, and at times impressive. Traveler photos (1) . Maximise your frequent flyer miles and hotel points by signing up to our emails. Standard seats can be reserved free of charge, and the throne seats on the left side (being in every other row) can be reserved for the same fee that I paid. Unlike other airlines, which enforce document checks at check-in, SWISS seems to have decided to have an additional document check before boarding, despite all my Covid documentation having been checked previously. Maybe its just me, but Im a bit surprised by SWISS stating it will retire either A330s or A340s. Props and jets from the good old days, Flight Decks 6]Ds0SDO#LO.Mi/ (iq#/UI_Ow)SL8uRV)260x/R/wz8*#i}Ewdd@zce]]%':nJN$ :UC%oQ>. Overall, both the food, presentation and general service was of good quality and nicely done. Whilst it worked fine, it isnt exactly cheap and with 220MB being the upper limit you wont get much use out of it. The airline, a member of the Lufthansa Group, operated the planes between 2002 and 2011. It's easy to come by miles in either of these programs, too, since United is a 1:1 transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Aeroplan is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. . 1 0 obj
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