72 hours of travelling from London to Seoul in absolute comfort (LX F and OZ C)

[Singapore_Air]

An excellent read so far. The SWISS F ground experience is really very good and I await your thoughts about the journey inflight !

[Nick C]

Once again, another enjoyable TR!

[9V-SIA]

Very nice TR as usual.
Detailed, and backed up by great pics/video.

Thanks for the memories!
I once took Dan Air ( remember them? ) because I wanted to fly BAe 146.
Cute plane!

[GramercyPark]

Personally, I can't see anything "offending" about that D&G/Italian swimmer poster. Anything at all. Period.

[phaleesy]

Personally, I can't see anything "offending" about that D&G/Italian swimmer poster. Anything at all. Period.

I think you have misunderstood StarGold's comment.

He thought the poster was 'offending' because he was envious of the fit and streamlined male models. Serves him right for chomping away in the lounges and through his flights. Two mains, no less!

[hsf]

He thought the poster was 'offending' because he was envious of the fit and streamlined male models. Serves him right for chomping away in the lounges and through his flights. Two mains, no less!

Sounds about right!

Thanks for the report.

[stargold]

An excellent read so far. The SWISS F ground experience is really very good and I await your thoughts about the journey inflight !

Thank you As you'll see, the flight left me extremely impressed...

Once again, another enjoyable TR!

It's not finished yet!

Very nice TR as usual.
Detailed, and backed up by great pics/video.

Thanks for the memories!
I once took Dan Air ( remember them? ) because I wanted to fly BAe 146.
Cute plane!

Yeah, the 146s really are cute, aren't they? Thanks for your kind comments and hope you enjoy the remaining two instalments of the TR.

Personally, I can't see anything "offending" about that D&G/Italian swimmer poster. Anything at all. Period.

See below.

I think you have misunderstood StarGold's comment.

He thought the poster was 'offending' because he was envious of the fit and streamlined male models. Serves him right for chomping away in the lounges and through his flights. Two mains, no less!

Guilty as charged!

Sounds about right!

Thanks for the report.

Not you as well!

Glad you're enjoying it, and hope you enjoy the next bits!

[stargold]

Flight 3: LX40 ZRH-LAX 23JUL (Th), A340-300, Seat 2A
STD: 1310 (45min late) STA: 1640 (On Time)


What is the opposite of oversleeping?

As I mentioned before, I am really paranoid about oversleeping and missing flights/trains/buses/etc. Earlier on, I briefly touched on the Eurostar incident - well, to elaborate a little further, it involved shooting out of bed in indescribable horror at 8am as the Eurostar train was pulling into Gare du Nord. The one that I was supposed to have boarded in London. To meet my parents in Paris. Who were horrified and appalled that I could be so irresponsible. The relationship with my stepfather has never been the same ever since...

So you can probably get a glimpse as to why I am so scared of oversleeping. Friends that know me well think it's a miracle I actually managed to turned up to all the morning exams, given my track record for the morning lectures. But this morning, the problem was not oversleeping (for a change!). I intended to wake up at around 8am, but it was only 6:30am when I groggily opened my eyes with a feeling of not having slept properly. It could have been the alcohol last night - there was certainly no shortage of it either in the FCL or at the hotel bar. It could have been the anxiety of having to wake up on time (despite having plenty of time to sleep, since it was a 13:10 departure), especially after hearing the tale of Mr. Oversleep who was now 800 euros worse off after buying a new ticket. Either way, I was up early and I decided to make an earlier start to the day.

The room at Movenpick Hotel Zurich-Regensdorf was certainly nice enough, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of an uncomfortable bed or room that I woke up early. Considering the price I paid (especially after the Expedia Refer-a-friend promo voucher), the room was actually quite impressive. A few photos:









It's not just the FRA FCT that have the rubber duckies!


Few things make me happier than a really, really powerful shower, and I was very happy this morning. After the refreshing shower, I got dressed, gathered my belongings and went downstairs to check out. There was a bus departing at 7am which I narrowly managed to get on - although I had no particular reason to rush to the airport, I didn't really want to hang around in the hotel lobby waiting for the next bus. The bus weaved through the relatively sparse early morning traffic and we arrived at the Zurich Airport arrivals hall at 7:15.

Following the same path as yesterday, I found my way up to the Swiss FCL uneventfully. After checking my boarding pass, the receptionist wanted to confirm timings for my limo to the E-gates where my flight to LAX will depart from. Since boarding was listed to commence at 12:30, I was offered a choice between 12:10 and 12:20 and I took the 12:20 slot. I had previously read that the limo to E-gates were Mercedes vans - the Merc S-class sedan or Porsche Cayenne was apparently reserved for rides to the apron positions rather than the E-gates. I would have loved an S-class but - well - you need to leave some things for the next time, don't you?

As I hadn't yet eaten, the first priority was eating some breakfast. Unfortunately, only the Pre-flight Dining after 20:00 is freshly cooked to order in the kitchen, but the buffet selection was not bad - it included the usual hot breakfast items as well as cold cuts, fruits, cereals and pastries. I assembled my plate of hot breakfast and went to sit down in the dining area where I ate leisurely while watching the tarmac action outside the window.



My breakfast plate


Now that breakfast was taken care of, I fired up my laptop to use the internet for a while. I appreciated the free WLAN access, but couldn't understand the point of having the silly log-in cards that make you get up and go to the reception every 30 minutes. They should have just kept the WLAN open and saved everyone the trouble... Well, perhaps I should just be grateful that it's free of charge at all - unlike the Lufthansa lounges!

Perhaps due to not sleeping too well, I developed a bit of a headache at around 9am and quite possibly a hint of fever as well. This was really not good news - the last thing anyone needs when flying these days is cold-like symptoms. Any sign of feeling unwell when entering certain countries, and you'll be locked up in quarantine while being pumped full of medicine for weeks! Clearly, that would be ruinous to my short-ish 18 days planned in Korea. I therefore felt it would be best to abandon my original plans of going into Zurich to have a look around the city and the lake, and instead ask for a day room to get some more rest. Like the shower rooms, you need to ask at reception to get access so I asked one of the lovely ladies at the front. She opened one of the two day rooms for me and asked whether I would like to be woken up, and I said 11:00.

Inside the day room, it was furnished in muted colours and had its own shower suite. There was a proper bed with full-sized pillows and duvet so it would have been possible to sleep quite well on a long layover if needs be. Together with the desk where you could do some work if you wanted, it was a nice little space that can be used as your own little "layover room".



Bed and desk



Same type of shower as the shower suites, with the same Bvlgari amenities



Basin, etc. Functional and relaxing to look at.


After tossing and turning for a while, I fell asleep and woke up just a few minutes before the receptionist came to the door to knock, right on the dot at 11:00am as I requested. After freshening up, I went back outside to the main seating area and found the lounge definitely busier due to a number of flights departing all around the same time - most of the USA flights and the NRT/PVG flights all depart in the early afternoon.

[stargold]

Having run out of things to do in the FCL, I left the lounge to go and browse around in the main terminal. Walking around, I really liked the design and feel of the terminal - there was plenty of light thanks to the full-height glass walls, the public areas were spacious and generously proportioned, and everything was very clean and well maintained. I'll let a few photos try to convey what I mean.














I dropped by the Swiss Senator lounge to take a quick look around and take some photos. It was certainly a very nice lounge with a classy modern European interior in the same vein as the FCL - comfortable and functional with simple lines. And you really can't go wrong with self-service Movenpick Ice Cream! There was also a particularly cute display of aircraft models arranged to simulate a take-off. I want one in my room!



Entrance to both Senator and Business lounges



Entrance to the Senator section, with the newspapers



Seating area on ground floor



Seating area on the first floor



Work area on the first floor



Another view of the first floor seating area



Self-serve Movenpick ice cream



I love this display of model aircraft... Nice and imaginative!

[stargold]

Soon after I returned to the FCL at midday, it was time for my 12:20 limo to the E-gates for boarding. Escorted by a member of ground staff, three other passengers and I took the lift down to the basement level, where there was a very compact arrangement of x-ray machine, metal detector and a passport control desk. The way it was arranged in such a small scale really made it feel like a private jet terminal, and the small group of us were processed quickly.

The four of us, all headed to LAX, got on the Mercedes van which was reasonably spacious inside with nice and comfortable leather seats. A female ground agent took the driver's seat and drove the van through the maze of behind-the-scenes terminal floor, into an underground tunnel and back outside, then parked next to an entrance into the E-gates. (No jokes about female drivers please - she didn't get lost or dent the van while parking!) Once inside, she escorted us to another private security check - I later found out that the secondary screening is unique to USA-bound departures. Since it was another deserted lane, the four of us went through very quickly and went up to the departures floor. The whole experience from the FCL to the E-gates was very smooth and stress-free (bearing in mind the inevitable double security check).




No use enviously staring at the S-class and Cayenne limos - next time!



The Merc van that would take us to E-gates



Parked at the E-gates entrance



One of the many Swiss A340s that were leaving around the same time


It was 12:40 by the time I arrived on the departures floor, and boarding should have already started by this point. However, due to an unexplained delay the boarding time had been pushed back to 1:30pm - this was a whole hour later than the original boarding time. It annoyed me somewhat that the receptionist at the FCL had not checked whether there are any delays in boarding before sending the passengers to the E-gates. It's really not a difficult thing to do!



Boarding delayed until 13:30...


Well, nevermind, I thought - I would just find the Bellevue lounge situated in the E-gates and relax there until boarding eventually commences. So off I went, looking for the terminal layout map first and taking the lift to the top floor where the lounge was apparently situated. Arrive at top floor, and there's nothing at all resembling a lounge - just empty spaces and walls.

"What's going on? The lounge map definitely shows a lounge on the top floor, and I'm on the top floor!" I was very confused. Then, while I was still scratching my head in the empty spaces of the top floor, one of my fellow van passengers steps off the lift, obviously also looking for the lounge. After coming back down to the gate floor together and re-examining the terminal map, the problem became clear. They had divided the E-gates into two distinct and segregated sections, one of which handled all (and only) the USA departures, and the other handling all the non-USA departures. The Bellevue lounge was in the non-USA section. So we were in the "wrong bit".

40 minutes to go until boarding still, and we find that this "wrong bit" of the E-gates is also a complete ghost-town as far as passenger amenities are concerned. Not only was there no lounges, as I already found out, but there were only one or two rather sorry looking duty free shops - certainly not capable of holding anyone's attention for much more than about five minutes. At least there was a cafe which has some seats. I didn't particularly need to drink anything, but my fellow van passenger was having a coffee and kindly offered to buy me a drink so I opted for a bottle of sparkling water.

After sitting down at one of the tables, we chatted for a bit, then at 13:10 they called the boarding 20 minutes earlier than they planned. There was a passport check where you had to get a stamp on your boarding pass before proceeding to the gate, and I walked through the jetbridge to approach the doors of the Swiss A340 for - what was anticipated to be - a wonderful flight.



The registration of today's aircraft: HB-JMM



A343 engines, sometimes affectionately known as the "hairdryers"



Entrance to the aircraft

[stargold]

Understated, Refined, Personal - the Swiss First experience

The "old" Swiss First Class product dates back to the Swissair days, launched soon after a number of other airlines' new First Class products. In 1996, BA launched the iconic FIRST seat that was truly groundbreaking in the new levels of privacy and personal space as well as turning into a fully flat bed. In 1998, Singapore Airlines launched their Burr wood and Connolly leather-clad SkySuites on their 747-400 that I love so much. And in October 1999, Swissair unveiled their new Eames Lounge Chair-inspired First Class seat designed by Tilla Theus promising more space per seat than ever before, a huge table where two people could dine comfortably, and a 2 metre-long bed at the touch of a button when it was time to rest.

Here is a magazine article at the time of the launch, describing the new product.

Just as I was fascinated by the Singapore Airlines' new SkySuite at the time, the impressive new Swissair product really left an impression in my mind while I was still at school. It was another airline added to the "must fly in F" list in my young mind, and as I was shown to my seat 2A after being warmly greeted by the Maitre de Cabine at the door, I mentally ticked the box. It felt very similar to when I stepped into the SkySuite for the first time last year - a feeling of satisfying a long-held desire. The slight frustration in the run-up to boarding had long been forgotten by this point, replaced by a sense of keen anticipation for what Swiss had to offer.

I sat down and looked around the cabin. Consisting of 2 rows of 4 seats each, the cabin felt comfortable and cosy, but with enough space between each seat to avoid feeling crowded. The dark wood that used to cover the "shell" part in the original seat design was replaced by a much lighter shade of beige/brown, giving a brighter atmosphere in the cabin. Looking around my own seat, I found the IFE remote and the seat controls immediately to the left, followed by the IFE screen and table stowage space further front. There was the magazine rack on the side containing the usual assortment of in-flight magazines as well as a Bally amenity kit in a black pouch and a pair of black Swiss slippers. In the front, there was the famous ottoman where a guest could sit to dine or work with you, with space to store your shoes inside. Very good so far.

The female FA (I unfortunately forgot to note the name) came round to offer me a choice of pre-departure drink - I made a start on the Champagne. Initial impressions of the female FA was excellent - she seemed to be genuinely warm and personable and, from the graceful way she interacted with the passengers, it was apparent that she was also highly experienced. Soon after I received the wonderful tasting glass of Pommery Cuveé Louise, I realised that First Class was completely full today. Considering that we are supposed to be in a severe economic downturn, it was an impressive showing indeed. There was an older woman sitting in 1A, already changed into her van Laack-made Swiss First pyjamas, but all the other passengers were male. I noticed that none of other passengers that I shared the Mercedes van with were seated in F - I looked back and saw all three sitting in row 3, which meant they must be HON members who fly 600,000 miles every two years. As much as I love flying, that's... too much! (600k miles equates to roughly 30x longhaul r/t in C or 20x in F, every two years)



Glass of the Cuveé Louise



View of the front



The credenza in front of row 1



View of the four row 1 seats



Four windows just for me - always an exciting prospect



The view of seat 2D (while the seat was briefly empty)



Seat controls and the IFE controller


I overheard a conversation over in the other aisle when the male FA recognised the passenger in seat 1F - from a flight two years ago. Not just that, but the male FA even remembered where Mr 1F sat two years ago! See, you don't have to fly Singapore Airlines to receive this sort of recognition that SQ is so well known for.

Despite boarding finishing by around 13:30, we waited for quite a while longer at the gate before eventually pushed back at 13:55 and took off at 14:05. The take-off video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBLp5fPXOl8

The A340-300 is quite well known for its long take-off roll and a slow rate of climb, and today it took a whole minute for our fully laden aircraft to gain enough speed to leave the ground. After a long and rather turbulent climb, the seatbelt sign was eventually turned off at 14:30, at which point I reclined my seat and put my feet up on the ottoman. It was my first time on a seat with an ottoman rather than the usual combined legrest/footrest, and I think I prefer the ottoman for the familiar feeling of putting your feet up at home. Naturally, there was absolutely no chance of your feet touching anywhere near the seat in front.



Making myself at home


Getting quite hungry by this point and anticipating the highly regarded Swiss First dining experience, I opened the flap that contained the table. It wasn't until I started pulling out the table that I fully appreciated just how enormous it was - not just big, but also very thick, and very sturdy. A delicate female passenger would likely need to summon an FA to assist; it was by far the biggest I have ever seen on any airline and it took considerably more effort to pull out than others. Once unfolded, the table was quite an impressive sight and clearly big enough to handle a face-to-face meal with ample space to spare. I would estimate that the width was perhaps 20% wider, and the depth at least 50% deeper than most other airlines. If the size of the table was proportional to how seriously Swiss take their catering, I was clearly going to enjoy my upcoming meal!

The female FA (who would be responsible for serving the passengers while the male FA worked in the kitchen in a reversal of usual roles ) came round with an equally huge table cloth that was more than sufficient to cover the enormous table. By the time you put the full-sized table cloth on the table, it really set the tone for the meal by making the table feel not too dissimilar to a nice restaurant on terra firma. And I know that one normally can't get very excited about something as dull as a napkin, but the small red Swiss label on the napkin really made it look nice and refreshing.



Napkin with the red label

[stargold]

The very charming FA soon arrived with the plate of amuse bouche, which consisted of three small items that all tasted excellent. As she cleared away the empty plate, she asked what I would like to drink with my first course and I asked to try the Swiss white wine, Initio 2008. According to the menu, it was a blend of 70% Riesling, 20% Pinot Noir and 10% Rauschling. Swiss wine is not something that is commonly encountered in the UK so I thought it would be interesting to try. She also asked whether I would prefer still or sparkling water, and I opted for sparkling water which was San Pelligrino.

Unfortunately, when the wine arrived it was not really to my taste at all - quite an unusual and interesting taste, but not for me. I asked to switch back to the Cuveé Louise when she next came round and, once the flute arrived, I was glad to be back on more familiar grounds (and a great tasting one, too!). Meanwhile, we were flying over France and I was greeted with the dazzling sun, dark blue skies and a nice bed of clouds when I looked outside the window. And to make you really look forward to the meal, the comforting smell of the bread in the oven was filling the whole cabin.



Amuse Bouche



The very impressive table with the Swiss white and water



The first of many photos of the view outside



Back on the champagne, and the menu


The menu for this flight was extensive and - with the exception of the Thai green curry - it was nice to see a coherent collection of dishes rather than the mix-mash of food from all over the world that you sometimes end up seeing on SQ for example. Here is the menu for the flight:


LUNCH
SWITZERLAND - NORTH AMERICA

GOURMET MENU
*Created by our featured chef Dani Jann-Annen, Landgasthof Adler, Ried-Muotathal
+Designed by Hiltl, Zurich's vegetarian restaurant since 1898

First Courses
*Selection of appetisers:
Pike-perch terrine
Scallops on polenta with an olive and plum tapenade
Mosaic of beef and garden vegetables
Lovage and cream cheese crepe roulade
-
Loch fyne smoked salmon fillet
-
* Tomato consomme with Alpine cheese grissini and basil ice cream

Salad
Selection from the salad trolley

Main Courses
* Fillet of beef with summer morel ragout, linguine pasta with red chilli julienne, baby carrot and green asparagus
-
Thai green curry with basmati rice
-
+ Saffron pasta in a herb and mascarpone cream sauce with green asparagus and tomatoes
-
Special of the day (Pan-Fried John Dory)
-
Choice of vegetables

Cheese
Selection of Swiss artisan cheese

Dessert
*Chriesibragel - warm cherry compote with elderflower ice cream
-
*Muota Valley fresh cream cake with kirsch schnapps
-
Sprungli chocolates and pralines
Espresso and a selection of coffees and teas

SUPPLEMENTARY CHOICES
Selection of soups, seasonal salads, Swiss cheese and fresh fruits

ARRIVAL SERVICE

Selection of sandwiches
-
Schwyz Alpine cheese, potato and nutmeg quiche
-
Lamb medallions with rosemary jus and Summer vegetable risotto
-
Selection of sweet delights

Wine List

Champagne
- Pommery Cuvee Louise (1998)

White Wine
- Initio (2008)
- Chablis AOC 1er Cru Vaillons (2006)
- Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Terrasen (2007)

Red Wine
- Konvent (2007)
- Chateau Bahans Haut-Brion (2004)
- CVNE Rioja Imperial Reserva (2001)

Dessert Wine
- Chateau Raymond Lafon (1998)

Port
- Porto Calem 20 years old


The FA came round with the trolley containing various items for my table setting, including my own personal bread basket which was a nice touch. The napkin containing the cutlery was wrapped in a red ribbon - they really seemed to like their red-on-white, and I can't blame them. By the time all the cutlery were laid out, it was quite a comprehensive and impressive array of items. I started on the bread which was still warm and tasted great.



Trolley with table setting items



The doilly - old fashioned, but somehow made sense in this elaborate table setting



We were flying near London at this point



The table fully laid out - quite impressive, isn't it?


Soon, the FA came round with the trolley of appetisers. The description on the menu all sounded appetising, so it was not a difficult choice when she asked whether I would like just a few items or all of them. The smoked salmon used to be Balik salmon until quite recently when it was "downgraded" to Loch Fyne, but being a big, big fan of salmon in any form or guise (I'm quite convinced I could well have been a grizzly bear in Alaska in my previous life, waiting for the jumping salmon on the river...) I was not going to start complaining.



Trolley now with the selection of appetisers



The most exciting sight I've seen all day

[stargold]

The first item I tried was the pike-perch terrine, which had a thoroughly enjoyable clean, subtle flavour. The scallop on polenta was also very good, although the olive and plum tapenade was perhaps too strongly flavoured for the delicate flavours of the scallops. Then I tried the cream cheese crepe roulade which was wonderfully creamy as it should be - very nice indeed. Meanwhile, the Loch Fyne salmon was also great - the chunky thick-sliced pieces had a great texture and a nice flavour. I could happily have finished all the salmon in the photo of the trolley above, but there were many more courses coming so I contented myself without any seconds. The mosaic of beef was interesting, but I preferred the other items more.



Plate of the appetisers - one of each!


After the empty plate was cleared away, the FA brought out the salad trolley containing a large bowl with mixed leaves, several small bowls each with different toppings and two different dressings (A choice of French dressing or olive oil/balsamic). I asked for some croutons, pine nuts and bacon bits on top, with the French dressing. Needless to say, it tasted great - although I suspect the combination of croutons, pine nuts, bacon bits and the French dressing stripped any pretense of healthy eating. Maybe that's why it tasted so good?



The not-so-healthy salad


The next course brought by the FA was the tomato consommé with the grissini and basil ice cream. While the tomato consommé was not bad by any means, it was the only item in the whole meal service that was not quite to my taste. I generally prefer smooth tasting soups and this consommé tasted rather too sharp. Other people all seemed to enjoy theirs so it would appear that it was just me.

On the other hand, the basil ice cream was spectacular - I had not tried it before, but if I see it available anywhere in the future I will definitely go for it. Not the most immediately obvious combination of flavours, but it just worked. When the FA came back to collect the empty plate and asked whether I enjoyed it, I told her how much I loved the basil ice cream - and I barely missed a beat when she offered a second bowl, which was then brought with a bright smile.



Tomato consommé and the amazing basil ice cream


She also asked for my preference for the main course. In order to avoid the post-meal "pregnant with twins" feeling that seems to happen to me often often when flying F, I decided to resist the temptation to ask for two main courses. I settled on the Special of the Day after being told that it pan-fried John Dory; I was tempted by the fillet of beef, but decided that the fish would feel lighter in the stomach afterwards.

Soon, the plate of John Dory appeared in front of me, simply presented but looking stunningly delicious. The vegetable accompaniments were buttered spinach, baton carrots and cabbage, while a side dish of mashed potato was also provided separately.

It was with the John Dory that Swiss F catering really established itself in my mind as the joint best (with NH) amongst the various airlines I have tried in F. Compared even to SQ, there was a clearly noticeable uplift in the quality of each course, as well as the aforementioned coherence in the overall meal concept. On both NH and LX, the two airlines have a western menu unswayed by any international influence (except for one Thai green curry on today's menu) which means that when you start with the amuse bouche and finish with the coffee and pralines, all the different courses in between actually make sense together rather than being a "food court-esque" mixture of the world cuisine.

Back to the plate in front of me, then - the John Dory was very fresh, still moist and perfectly cooked. The vegetables were all flavoursome and also well cooked. The mash potato was also very good, although by this point I was starting to feel a little full so I had to slow down and leave room for dessert.



Thoroughly enjoyable John Dory


I might have hinted that I was beginning to feel full, but with two more courses to go I dutifully soldiered on. The cheese cart was brought once the plates from the previous course was cleared away. The tray of cheese was presented really well, and you could tell the FA which ones you wanted and how much of each. Personally, I only like cheese that are relatively mild (and definitely nothing with even a hint of blue) so I asked for three of the five types listed on the menu. The following were available:

- Muota Valley Alpine Cheese - Oskar Pfyl
- Goats' Cheese - Oskal Pfyl
- Steinberger Mutschli
- Reblochon
- Emmental

Not being a huge expert on cheese, I couldn't really comment much on the finer differences in taste and so on. However, I rather enjoyed them all, especially good together with the dried fruit and nuts.



Cheese


Next up was the final course in this epic culinary journey at 39,000ft. A glass of Sauternes seemed to be a nice way to finish the meal on an indulgent note so I took up the smiling FA's suggestion of doing so - she returned with a generous glass of the sweet wine that had an enticing, almost golden shade of yellow. I had chosen the cream cake with kirsch for dessert, which was delicately flavoured and went very well together with the accompanying fruit and strawberry coulis. I suppose it could have done with tasting slightly stronger overall, but it's entirely possible (and even likely) that feeling distinctly full by that point diminished the perceived taste of the cake.



Cake and Sauternes. And I didn't think of the gym even once...


There were now no more courses left, and neither did I have the space for any. While still nursing the Sauternes that I was thoroughly enjoying sipping slowly, the FA (I was convinced by this point that she was trying to fatten me up like a turkey for Christmas, but in the nicest possible way) brought a box of the Sprüngli pralines for me to choose from. I picked up just one piece which I kept behind for the coffee.



Table now cleared and still enjoying the Sauternes


The ever-charming FA came round to ask whether I enjoyed the meal (reply: "It was amazing!") and whether I wanted a coffee. I knew that there was a Nespresso machine onboard so, feeling reasonably sure of a good cup of coffee, I asked for a cafe au lait to mark the end of this breathtaking 2hr (!!) meal (and hopefully counter the inevitable post-prandial tiredness as well). I guess there was also the not-yet-devoured praline as well.

Coffee came, accompanied by wafts of great aroma. Now, airline coffee is often a mediocre exercise at best, with a disappointing taste and barely packing a half-hearted punch. But not today. It was thick, creamy, and had a most wonderfully intense taste that woke me up from the haze of post-lunch fullness even though all the window shades had been lowered by now, the lights were mostly dimmed, and many of the fellow passengers were sleeping. An unexpected pleasure for sure.



Not your usual airline coffee!



I would be doing the same, if it wasn't for the coffee


Since it is a daytime flight, I wondered beforehand whether the window shades will be kept up or down during the flight - after all, one should stay awake for a reasonable period in order to be tired enough to sleep upon reaching LA. However, after that meal, it was fast becoming merely an academic discussion as my eyelids began to droop despite the supply of caffeine earlier. After managing to stay awake for a further hour while watching "He's Just Not That Into You" (a rather enjoyable light film), I drifted off...

[stargold]

It was some three hours later that I slowly began to rouse out of my sleep, realising that I just reclined the seat all the way to bed position and fell asleep without first asking for my seat to be turned down for bed - or indeed, even managing to get the duvet out. It must be said, the LX F seat was supremely comfortable in the bed position, with a nice flat surface for sleeping that doesn't suffer from too many bumps or dips. With the extra top layer of "mattress" and the fluffy duvet they provide, it would have been quite easy to get an excellent night's sleep on a night flight. Anyway, having slept without a duvet or blanket I was feeling understandably quite chilly once I was fully awake; alas, no need to worry as there was always the wonderful coffee to warm me up. I ventured into the galley and asked for coffee, and the still-cheery female FA replied - "Same as last time, Mr stargold?"



The neighbour's seat in bed configuration


Walking back to the seat with my mug of Nespresso cafe au lait in hand, I realised everyone else was still fast asleep, including a certain Mr 2F who was supplying an extra layer of soundtrack to the flight by way of quite a loud snoring. Although it's quite amusing to watch, I don't tend to criticise the snoring too much as I'm never quite sure whether I do the same in public. I wouldn't want to be hypocritical now, would I? In any case, my Shure earphones drown out just about all the noise when I put some music on, so I did just that and got round to sorting out some papers that I needed to organise.

About half an hour later, I went back into the galley where I found the Maitre de Cabine not appearing to be too busy. I mentioned to her just how much I had been impressed by the catering so far, and she was interested to hear my thoughts and comparisons with other airlines. She agreed that Swiss do take their F catering very seriously and seemed very pleased that I enjoyed the lunch. I got chatting to her more and I must say, the impression she gave of her vast flying experience and expertise is really quite rare, especially these days when flight attendants leave the airline earlier and earlier.

She joined Swissair more than 30 years ago and saw the transformation of air travel from the days of being the privilege of a select few, to what it has become now - more accessible and affordable than ever. We talked about how different things were when she first joined, how much more glamorous air travel used to be for both the passengers and the crew. She recounted tales of flying with passengers who dressed up for the occasion, flying to far-flung destinations with exotic stops on the way, with plenty of long layovers at top hotels thrown in. Yes, the good old days - when I wasn't even born yet!

I asked whether she doesn't ever get tired of flying or dealing with her share of tiresome people onboard, but - perhaps unsurprisingly - she was very proud of her job, interested in the varied interactions with everyone she encounters, and genuinely glad to be still flying to provide a good travel experience to the passengers. Certainly, she was not one of the fresh faced new recruits you see around - I was quite sure she was in her fifties. But somehow, her age and the very kind, knowing expression made perfect sense for the position of Maitre de Cabine. Talking to her was like talking to a friendly neighbour whose wisdom and knowledge can be so comforting - you knew that not many things surprised her anymore, and nothing you say could shake her perfect composure.

I also found out some interesting facts about Swiss - for example, most other Maitre de Cabines are very similar to her with 20+ years of flying experience (and most of them probably as wonderful as the MdC today), but Swiss has recently started promoting much younger flight attendants to Maitre de Cabine positions for shorthaul flights which would explain the much younger MdC I saw on the MXP-ZRH flight. She also told me about the different ways which crew are being made to work harder, by having less and less crew per flight and shorter and shorter layovers - all part of the current challenges of the aviation industry which affects everyone concerned, it seems.

After the very nice chat, during which I also got one more cup of coffee from the female FA who was close by and joined in the conversation occasionally, I returned to my seat once more and listened to some music while relaxing. After a while, I looked at my watch and saw that it was now 10pm Zurich time, or 1pm LAX time. 3 hours and 40 minutes left of this wonderful flight - I began to wish that the flight could go on longer. Maybe they could just keep going until they reach ICN? Always nice when the flight is so good that you don't want to get off - hopefully they have enough food remaining for another full meal!

When I walked into the galley, I found the First Officer chatting with the male FA. Those of you who have followed my previous trip reports will remember that I enjoy asking the FA to take pictures of the cockpit for me, since passengers can't visit the flight deck in-flight anymore. Sensing that it might be a good chance to get some nice shots, I gave my camera to the First Officer and asked him to take pictures of the inside; he happily agreed and disappeared behind the cockpit door with the camera.

Then, the male FA - with a rather mischievous look on his face - said: "You know what they're going to do in there now, don't you? They'll have to wake up the pilot, clear away all the booze, hide the Playboy magazine and pretend they're all good boys!" I replied, "Oh definitely. They'll also have to hide all the beautiful girls they sneaked into the cockpit and pretend that nothing happened. But where will they hide the girls?" It was utterly hilarious, and the fact that the male FA (correctly) guessed that I would share that sense of humour was great. We chatted and joked around for a while longer until the First Officer came back out, at which point me and the male FA shared a knowing smile but didn't mention anything to the FO who probably wouldn't understand unless we explained, which would kill the joke.

Anyway, here are the photos with nary a hint of sleeping pilots, bottles of liquor, Playboy magazines or beautiful girls:











At 2:20pm LAX time, it was time for the pre-arrival snack service. Firstly, a trolley with a selection of sandwiches and pastries was brought out, from which I chose a crab meat sandwich and an open-topped beef sandwich. Both were excellent as expected. Then I was asked for my choice of the "main dish" between a cheese and potato quiche or lamb medallions - I opted for the lamb medallions which was served with a small risotto.

When you see the photo, you might be wondering "gosh, tiny portions!" - I must confess to eating half of one piece before realising that I forgot to take a photo, so you'll have to take that into account. I don't think anyone was particularly hungry anyway (I certainly wasn't!) so they did well by giving out small portions. The lamb was cooked a little more than I would have liked, but the flavour was certainly spot on, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the perfect texture of the risotto as well as the good taste.

To finish off, the cart was once again rolled out with a selection of different sweets and pastries - I can't remember the full selection, but I chose a chocolate and cream tart and a strawberry tart. Needless to say, it would have been surprising if they didn't taste good - but no surprises here. They really do know their food!



Not many hours left to go...



The two sandwiches, crab meat and beef



Lamb medallions with half of one piece missing...!



The sweets - fantastic

[stargold]

It was 3pm by the time all the meal services were finished and the tables cleared again. We were due to land at LAX at 4:40pm, which was on time despite departing an hour late - it's a shame because otherwise we could have arrived much earlier, giving me more time in my short stay at LAX. There was some time to go before landing so I spent most of that time looking outside the window and just contemplating how the flight went.



A very peaceful photo of the window



A view of the seat from the ottoman



Interesting clouds


When I chose to fly LX F, I expected to have an excellent flight - but I never expected to have a flight that left me this impressed. Certainly I had my share of SQ and NH F segments which were fantastic and beyond reproach. You would have to work very hard to pick any faults with either airline - you only have to read my two previous trip reports to know how much I loved those flights. But the things that impressed me about LX F was very different from what impressed me about SQ or NH F.

Firstly, there's nothing really "sexy" about LX F - there is no Dom Perignon, no Krug, no caviar, no fancy new seats with huge dimensions to boast about, and of course even the female FA's uniform is very standard, unlike the SQ Kebayas that leave very little to the imagination. To some people, this lack of flashiness could be a reason for not being impressed with the overall product - SQ clearly wins on the quantifiable aspects of the flight such as the price of champagne or the number of inches of the seat dimensions.

I have no doubt that if they wanted, LX too could bring in the Dom, Krug and caviar at any point - all you need is more money, after all. But that's not what they were aiming for. LX's real strength lies in the way they achieve such high quality in all aspects of the product without the need to boast about it. It's almost as though LX considers it vulgar to obsess about such things as how expensive the champagne is, or whether the seat is the biggest one flying. Yet everything they do simply oozes quality in a classy and understated manner.

Take the catering, for example. Alongside the recent NH F flight out of Tokyo, the quality of catering on this flight was by far the best I have experienced on any flight. The menu "made sense" from start to finish, and it was apparent that a lot of thought has clearly gone into planning the menu. The ingredients and the presentation style was simple, but the quality of each dish was good enough to completely satisfy without the need for headline items such as caviar or foie gras. Down to earth but very high quality - I feel that this is what LX aimed for, and that is what they achieved.

Moving onto the service. Even with their slight differences in personality and attributes, the encounters I had with each of the three flight attendants serving First Class left me very impressed with their refinement, their warmth and their personableness. They clearly loved their job, they were proud to be providing Swiss hospitality, and most of all I was having fun flying with them - I felt that I was speaking to real people, not training manuals.

The female FA was elegant and graceful to the point that she reminded me of what I imagine Swiss finishing schools to be like. The male FA was cheerful, ready to joke with me and treated me like a good friend more than someone he is serving. The Maitre de Cabine had a world of experience behind her, and when you were chatting and asked her about her job, she was genuinely interested in telling you her story. Three different people, three different styles. But never a doubt that a strong sense of Swiss hospitality was at each of their cores.

All three people made you feel as though you were their guest, and that they were doing their best to make you feel comfortable and at home. They weren't there to make you believe that you are the king of the world - no, it wouldn't be their style. But just like when you go to stay at a good friend's house, they were there to serve you a good meal, provide interesting and charming company, and make sure you get a good night's sleep. Things they did came from their heart, rather than a sense of obligation. It felt natural. It felt effortless.

Back to the flight... Landing preparations began at 4:00pm and amongst the usual routine of returning the seat to the upright position, storing the baggage and fastening the seatbelt, both the female FA and the Maitre de Cabine came round to say a warm thank you for flying with them today. And when they said "We hope you fly with us again soon", I really did hope I would fly with Swiss again in the near future.



Getting nearer to LAX. What airport is it at the bottom?



Very close now...



Seemed to be a more interesting mountains/hills scenery outside the right hand side..


Landing video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPo3troA4Lk

We landed at 4:40pm and it was a very long taxi to the gate, sitting still for a long time half-way because a Korean Air 744 was late in leaving the gate we needed to dock at. We eventually pulled into our gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at 5:20pm and I bid farewell to the wonderful crew who gave me such a good first Swiss First experience.

Once off the aircraft, it was a very, very long walk to the immigration control. Then I was subjected to the full assortment of fun and games that is known as immigrations and customs at TBIT. But the less said on the subject the better - it would only detract from the overall report anyway. Let's just say that it was not until 18:40 that I found myself waiting for the hotel shuttle bus on the arrivals level, meaning it took a full 1h 20m to get from the aircraft door to outside the terminal. As a comparison, had I arrived into Singapore Changi, I would have been surprised if it took much more than 30 minutes from gate to the arrivals hall.



The KE 744 that was blocking our way



Ground agent waiting for our delayed flight



Finally, waiting for the shuttle bus to the airport Sheraton


At the end of it all, I suppose Swiss First Class is a bit like a Swiss banker. They don't promise you the world. They don't make bold claims. They hate fleeting trends and fads. Instead, they are reliable, friendly and dependable, quietly delivering exactly what you want, day in and day out. When you need to get somewhere, and you need an airline that you can absolutely depend on to provide a solid product that you can walk away quietly impressed with (yet again), you should give Swiss a call.

Next: The flight back to Seoul on an Asiana 744