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Travel Redemption
Swiss International Air Lines is a member of Star Alliance and Switzerland’s flagship airline, headquartered in Zurich. It has been rated as one of the world’s best airlines for many years. So for this return flight to the U.S., I specifically chose Swiss Air to give it a try. Here are the details for the second segment of the trip:
- Zurich–Chicago: 80,000 points from miles earned by flying United Airline plus opening the explorer card -part 2, operated by Swiss Air
- Flight number: LX8
- Aircraft: Air Bus 333/A330-300
- Distance: 7,138 kilometers
- Duration: 10 hours 5 minutes
Here’s the seat map. My seat was still 8A. This time it was a single seat by itself, so I had both the window and direct aisle access without having to climb over anyone. Very nice.
Zurich Airport Swiss Air Lounge
After landing in Zurich, we had to walk quite a long way before finally finding the Swiss Air lounge. The lounge was on the second floor. Since my friend and I were on a connecting itinerary, we didn’t need to worry about our checked luggage, so we skipped waiting for the elevator and just took the stairs up.
Right after coming out of the stairwell, the first thing we saw was the front desk. Since Zurich is Swiss Air’s base, the lounge was quite impressive. On the left was the Swiss Air lounge, accessible to business class, first class, and frequent flyers with Gold status or above; on the right was the dedicated Star Alliance lounge, which required Gold status or higher to enter. The photo below was taken after I had breakfast and a shower. When we first arrived, the lounge was basically empty, but that’s what happens when your flight gets in at dawn...
Everything went smoothly. After check-in, they gave me the wifi password, helped me reserve a shower, and told me there was one person ahead of me. Once everything was ready, they would notify me over the PA system. Then I turned left and headed inside. First there was a short hallway, with a world map on the wall in a very elegant gold tone.
Then came a big, open sofa seating area. I casually picked a window seat and basically claimed this whole section for myself, lollll.
To the left of the sofa area were all kinds of snacks, drinks, and coffee. Everything was self-serve.
Both sides of the lounge were lined with glass, so it was easy to watch planes taking off and landing. I heard that on a clear day you can even see the Alps in the distance, but unfortunately it was foggy that day...
Farther inside the lounge area was the real “rest area,” with chairs you could fully recline in.
Past the “rest area,” there was a sliding door, and inside was a restroom...
It was very clean inside, and each sink had Swiss Air’s own hand soap and lotion. But since it was a restroom, I didn’t take any photos...
Behind the sofa area was a work area. Each little cubicle had a chair and a desk, and two of them even had computers. I tried them, though, and the internet speed was just so-so... fine for light entertainment.
After wandering around a bit, I went to have breakfast. Since it was still early and the hot food station staff had just started work, I first grabbed some ham, turkey, and a few other things to hold me over.
Here’s the full breakfast spread. I’d heard Swiss cheese is a specialty, so even though I’m not a cheese person, I bravely took a slice from the huge selection. Still not a fan.... But the prosciutto was absolutely delicious. Clearly I’m still a meat eater at heart.
After breakfast, I heard an announcement that my shower was ready. I just went to the front desk to get the shower room key, and that was it. The shower rooms were directly across from the front desk near the entrance.
I was assigned the room on the front left side. I could see a staff member coming out after cleaning up the shower room that the previous guest had left messy. When the staff member saw that I was holding a change of clothes and the key, they politely gestured me toward the shower room.
The clock inside the shower room was Omega.
Below the clock were power outlets and tissues.
The bath towel and hand towel had already been thoughtfully placed on the sink counter from the start.
After the shower, I felt refreshed. I returned the key at the front desk and went back to relax in the lounge. On my way back, I happened to see that the hot food station chef had everything ready and told me I could order, so I also got an omelet.
Since I was bored, I stepped out of the lounge and took a look at the open corridor outside.
View from outside the lounge, with plenty of parked aircraft in sight.
After spending some time in the lounge, we started getting ready to head to check-in.
In Transit
Check-in
On the way from the lounge to check-in, there was a small checkpoint specifically for passengers traveling to the U.S. You only needed to show a valid ID, and I didn’t see any signs of them giving people a hard time.
Just like on the previous segment, aside from me and my friend, there wasn’t a single other Asian face in sight.
Cabin and Seat
Boarding went very smoothly. Business class on this flight was less than half full, and passengers seated in paired seats were invited to move to the empty solo seats. Too bad we didn’t run into that situation on our first flight.
The aircraft was fairly old, and you could tell just by looking at the screen—it was about half the size of the one on the first segment, though the resolution was still pretty decent.
There was plenty of legroom, and with that, the rest didn’t matter much.
Food and Drinks
Before long, the flight attendant brought over champagne.
The menu came with the champagne as well.
Pre-meal drinks: apple juice and mixed nuts.
Final Thoughts
Although the aircraft on this segment was a bit dated, the fully flat bed, solo seat, and friendly service from the flight attendants made it a solid experience overall.
That said, after this entire trip, I needed a full two days of rest after getting back home before I recovered. It was definitely exhausting...