Transfer in Zürich

The First Class shuttle drops me off in front of Terminal A. Immigration takes place as I enter the building. As Singapore is considered a safe origin airport, there is no need for me to go through security again to enter the Schengen area, and so I head straight to the First Class lounge. The receptionist tells me that the onward flight to Amsterdam will be boarding from a contact stand on the A pier at 07h00, for a departure at 07h20.

SWISS First Class Lounge

The First Class lounge is a lot busier this morning that it was three weeks ago when we left. Having said that, it’s still far from crowded. I just have enough time for the waitress to bring me a still water and a coffee, and then it’s already time to leave again.

Boarding

Terminal A is a complete jungle this morning. There are people queuing to board their flights everywhere, making it difficult to get through.

Boarding takes for ever, mainly because the Swissport staff at the gate aren’t doing their job properly. Apparently, the flight is full, so a lot of the carry ons are going to have to go into the hold. So the cabin crew are busy labelling all the excess hand luggage so it will arrive on the belt safely later on in Amsterdam – even though it’s not the cabin crew’s job.

I’m seated on 1F, the bulkhead. The only problem is that the overhead bins are already full, mainly with the six pieces of luggage of the two members of Alcoholics Anonymous sitting on 1A and 1B. It appears they were upgraded and decided to keep some of the luggage of their son up front too. So eventually, I have no other choice but to place my backpack under my seat, much to the chagrin of the old lady sitting behind me, who complains loudly of being deprived by me of her precious leg room. Someone, anyone, please help me! I think I’m having a culture shock. Just coming off a lovely flight in SWISS First Class, I’m not ready to have to deal with all this.

The Cabin & Seat

The cabin seems awfully cramped and tight. Perhaps it’s because there are only two rows of Business Class. Or perhaps it’s because I spent the last twelve hours in the spacious cabin of the mighy B 777.

The Crew & Service

The crew on this flight are all rather young. Up front with the maître de is a young woman who seems rather inexperienced and frankly, quite lost. Clearly, she’s new, but I’m not sure if that alone explains why the maître de has to instruct her on everything she needs to do. As usual, the service starts with the crew handing out packaged towels and still water.

The Meal – Breakfast

The flight time is 75 minutes. The service is a bit strange. First, the newbie passes through the cabin looking somewhat forlorn and taking orders for drinks, which she brings out just a short while later. 1A and 1B ask for Champagne (of course). I know, I know, I’m being judgmental again…

It would have been nice to have the coffee served with the meal, but the trays don’t start coming out for another twenty minutes, forty minutes after take-off, or two more glasses of Champagne each for 1A and 1B. But never mind.

The meal consists of a plate of salmon with blinis and crème fraîche. There’s also a bircher müsli on the plate, which is rather sweet. The crew also pass through the cabin with warm bread rolls and croissants.

I have a small roll with the Swiss cross on it, which is known in Switzerland as an Erscht Auguscht Wegge and is usually sold in shops around the first of August, Switzerland’s national day. Butter and jam are offered with the bread and the crew makes a second pass through the cabin with the breadbasket.

At the end of the meal, instead of the usual chocolates, the crew hand out little chocolate balls with Swiss cross wrappers.

Arrival in Amsterdam

We land in Amsterdam on time on runway 18R and make a short taxi to our stand on the B concourse. Amsterdam is even busier and more crowded than Zürich. There are people everywhere. I arrive at the luggage belt for my flight. And then I wait another forty minutes before the first bags coming off the flight start arriving.

Conclusion

Wow, talk about a culture shock. Having just flown in from Singapore to Zurich in SWISS First Class, the contrast with the airline’s short-haul Business Class offering could hardly have been greater. The advantage of First Class is really, I think, that it allows you to avoid having to deal with all of humanity and the other passengers on the plane – by creating a kind of comfort bubble around you. It’s like being wrapped in cotton. And that SWISS manages to dovery well with its First Class product.

P. S.

In case you were wondering what I was doing in Amsterdam, the answer is simply that I thought I’d go to De Hague and visit the Mauritshuis. In case you’ve never heard of the Mauritshuis, it’s a museum located right next to the Dutch government buildings that houses a large collection of paintings, including Vermeer’s famous Girl with the Pearl Earring.