Category Archives: Swissair

Swissair Business Class (Airbus A321) DUB – ZRH

My Swissair Business Class flight from Dublin to Zürich was a breath of fresh air on my long journey to Europe.  It was my first time on Swissair and it left me with a very good impression of the airline.  Especially having come straight from a lounge-less layover and a long haul flight on a U.S. carrier, I was struck by the extremely friendly and professional service by the Swissair crew.  The food was a step above the business class fare from my previous flight on United, and the seat was comfortable and roomy.

A cup of good strong coffee and one of the famed Swissair chocolates.

This short flight from Dublin to Zürich was the second leg of my business class booking for my Euro2017 trip.  The booking also included the long haul flight from Chicago to Dublin in the new United Polaris class with a lie flat seat.  The whole thing cost me 57.5k United miles (most were transferred-in Chase Ultimate Rewards) and $8.10 in fees! To see more reviews and details on how I planned this trip, check out the main post containing links to related posts.




The seat

swissair business classJust like the British Airways flight Nicoleen and I took in 2015, my business class intra-Europe flight was in a medium range narrow-body Airbus jet.  And just like that British Airways flight, business class in Swiss Air leaves the middle seat in the 3-3 cabin configuration empty.  I was in seat A1 which meant I had to store my backpack in the overhead compartment during take-off and landing.

The seat itself was comfortable and I had virtually unlimited legroom due to the bulkhead row.  My neighbor in 1C had the same idea as me and we shared the middle seat’s tray table for extra shelf space.  Technically you’re not supposed to store carry-ons on the floor in a bulkhead row.  I set my backpack in the seat next to me for most of the flight and no one bothered me about it.

The meal

With only a 1 hour 30 minute flight time, I wasn’t sure if I would get a meal.  I should have taken a cue from my previous intra-Europe business class experience and expected that Swissair would do anything to give me something to write home about.  That meant a full lunch, followed by coffee and the famous Swissair chocolates.

swissair business class lunch meal

For lunch the options were chicken or pasta.  I ignored my own advice and ordered the chicken.  It was swimming in some sort of peach demi-glace and served with peach slices, pea pods, and what I can only describe as a semi-puffed potato cylinder.  The attendant salad featured high quality slices of roast beef, baby corn segments, and a tiny potato salad.  Like most things Swiss, the potato cubes seemed as though they were hand-cut to exact specifications.

swissair business class lunch saladThe bread, cheeses, and dessert were equally wonderful!

General impressions of Swissair

From the crew’s service and appearance, the captain’s announcements, and the food, to the gate employees and the airline’s website, Swissair screams one thing: professionalism.  I found an excerpt from the in-flight magazine that pretty much sums up what kind of operation Swiss International Airlines runs:

Those are some demanding requirements!

Those are some demanding requirements!

Of course one shouldn’t judge an airline as a whole based on just one flight.  And I’m sure the fact that I was in business class on a new and quiet Airbus A321-200 biased my opinion.  I happened to turn around and witness a few crew interactions with passengers in economy class and they seemed to receive the same level of service I did.




The only disappointing part of my whole Swissair experience was that the fabled Arrivals Lounge at ZRH was already closed up for the day when I landed at 3:00 PM.

I can’t help but to compare this flight once again to my only other business class, intra-Europe flight on a European airline.  Overall it was a welcome and unexpected treat at the tail end of my flight itinerary.

My almost-awesome picture of the Swiss army knife landscaping on the approach to Zürich. Swiss Air business class DUB-ZRH.

My *almost* awesome picture of the Swiss army knife landscaping on the approach to Zürich. Swissair business class DUB-ZRH.

This post is part of a series reviewing my [virtually] free trip to Europe.  For a full list of the posts in this series, and for an overview of the trip, check out the index page.