On a 2-sector journey from London to Vilnius via Zurich, I recently had the pleasure of experiencing Swiss A220 Business Class firsthand. From the moment I arrived at Zurich, I was greeted with an air of sophistication and comfort that set the tone for the flight to come. Join me as I review the experience at the airport, in my seat seat and the excellent food and beverage service.
Flight Details
Flight No: LX1340
From/To: Zurich (ZRH) to Vilnius (VNO)
Departure time: 10:05
Ticket Class: Business
Flight time: 1 hour 55 mins
Frequent Flyer Points: 1,300
Status Points: 1,300
Aircraft: HB-JCA
Aircraft type: Airbus A220
Number of classes: 2
Number of seats in flying class: 12
Seat: 2F
Position: right hand side of the aircraft, 2 rows from the front
In this review:
Airport Experience
Zurich Airport presents a pleasant experience for those spending a layover, with its connections clearly signposted throughout. During my visit, I found passport control to be remarkably quiet, adding to the ease of navigating the airport. The lounge was not hard to locate, which is impressive considering there are nine Swiss lounges at Zurich Airport alone; I chose the one located at the A gates.
Upon arrival, the reception area was peaceful, and the process of checking in and gaining admittance was swift. Inside, the lounge was quite busy, offering a diverse range of seating areas suited for dining, working, or simply relaxing, alongside a silent area designated for sleeping. The food options were ample, featuring both warm and cold buffet selections and an egg station with a chef ready to serve. For those who find themselves restless during longer waits, there were plenty of shops nearby.
Boarding & Welcome
The flight was departing from the B gates, which are a considerable walk from the lounge and the main terminal shopping area. As I descended a staircase to a crowd of waiting passengers, I realised the B gates likely denoted bus gates. Boarding groups 1 and 2 were being announced as I arrived at the gate. Indeed, a bus was reversing towards the door, and then I, along with the only other boarding group 1-2 passenger, was signalled to board. As you might expect, all the other passengers boarded the bus with us, and we proceeded to the aircraft together. Wishing to avoid the crush, I took my time alighting from the bus and was among the last to climb the staircase to the aircraft. This afforded me a bit more time to enjoy the view of the runway and the A220.
I was greeted at the aircraft door by a cheery crew member before sliding into my seat on row 2.
Seat
The seat was a standard, leather-upholstered economy seat with a doily on the headrest. Apart from appearing relatively new, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy, except for the fancy metal trim around the edge that also featured a coat hook. The middle seat between my neighbour and me was left unoccupied, as is typically the case on European business class products. The seat reclined slightly, but I’ve observed that very few people actually utilise this feature on short European flights, especially during meal service.
A small bottle of water and a hygienic wipe were conveniently placed on the middle seat. Rather than a single seat-back pocket, there were two smaller pockets, which I found handy for stowing my water bottle.
Bizarrely, this new aircraft did not have at-seat power. I’d be less confused to find this on Ryanair or Easyjet, but not Swiss.
There was ample overhead storage, although the bins weren’t as tall/deep as those on the A320 Neo, meaning items couldn’t be inserted on their side to save space. Despite the cabin being 80% full, there was still ample storage space available.
What is the best seat on Swiss A220 Business Class?
Because of the 2-3 configuration, all of the C seats on the left-hand side of the plane are left unoccupied. This means all A seats are on their own and have both window and aisle access. I’ll try to book one of these in future.
See the seating plan on SeatGuru.
Onboard Experience
Seating just 12 passengers, the cabin was separated from the larger economy cabin with the usual curtain. It felt spacious, and the climate was well-regulated throughout the flight. There was one forward washroom (the one at the front) which felt spacious as well. It was well-lit, clean, and not yet showing the signs of many visitors. Regular hand soap was provided, along with Swiss fragranced moisturiser and face mist.
Food & Drink
I found the cabin service onboard Swiss A220 Business Class to be very good. The drinks service was maintained throughout the flight, and my water was regularly topped up.
Lunch was served on a tray approximately 45 minutes into the flight. The warm dish consisted of sliced chicken in a white sauce, served with potato gratin and root vegetables. It was satisfactory, though not offering the best textures or flavours for a lunch.
The leaf salad was accompanied by sunflower seeds and balsamic/olive oil on the side.
For dessert, we were served a raspberry and vanilla torte on a soft biscuit base, resembling a cheesecake with a slight twist. It was notably sweet.
The selection of cheeses on the small cheese plate was particularly enjoyable. I regretted not ordering a small red wine to complement them!
Overall, this meal service offered a strong experience for a European business class product.
In-flight Entertainment
Unsurprisingly, there was no inflight entertainment on this Swiss A220 Business Class service. More surprising was the absence of Wi-Fi on a such a new aircraft. Together with the absence of power, I think this was a mistake.
BG1 Verdict
The A220 is a nice aircraft, albeit a bit noisier than the A320s. The omission of at-seat charging and WiFi seem a bizarre choice for a new aircraft. Charging, and even Wifi, are becoming the standard on short-haul routes. The cabin service was excellent – some of the best I’ve experienced in short-haul business class. Despite the shortcomings of the hard product, I think the lounge and onboard hospitality more than made up for it. After this Swiss A220 Business Class experience I’ll be booking another flight with Swiss soon.
BG1 Tip
If you’re a solo traveller, select seats 1A, 2A, 3A or 4A as you’ll have the entire row to yourself, having both a window and aisle access.
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