I’m on my way from Larnaca back to London. I was booked on the direct service to Gatwick. But then British Airways cancelled the flight and rebooked me onto the flight to Heathrow that arrives back in London quite late. I have no idea why the original flight was cancelled. In any case, the proposed alternative was no convenient, so that eventually I was rebooked again, and I’m now routing LCA WK ZRH 2L LGW. That should bring me into Gatwick around the same time as the original flight I should have been on with British Airways.

Getting to the Airport

Nicosia is roughly 45 kilometres away from Larnaca Airport. Depending on the time of day and traffic situation, it takes between 45 and 50 minutes to reach the airport from the Nicosia Hilton where I’m staying.

Check-In

The Edelweiss counters have moved to the other side of the terminal since my last visit. There are three queues for Business, Premium, and Economy Class. The gentleman at check-in tags my suitcase all the way through to Gatwick, issues my boarding passes and gives me a QR code for fast track immigration and security.

But of course that doesn’t work, so the lady at the fast track gate tells me I’ll need to go back to check-in to get another QR code. I tell her that’s absolutely ridiculous and so not worth it. I’ll use the regular queue just like everybody else. But thanks for nothing anyway.

The Skala Lounge Larnaca Airport

Most carriers in Larnaca use the Skala contractor lounge. Only Aegean has its own lounge. I’m wondering if I would have access to that one too with my Senator status, given that Edelweiss is not a member of the Star Alliance. It makes no difference, I won’t be here long. The lounge is much quieter this time than it was during my last visit. I’m also happy to report that they’ve dealt with the iffy smell there used to be in the lounge.

As far as I’m concerned, the lounge’s best feature is the outside terrace. Admittedly, you can’t really see much when you’re seated. Especially on a day like today, with fog rolling in off the sea and very low visibility.

Boarding

At 12h08 the inbound from Zürich touches down and gradually emerges from the fog as it nears the terminal. I slowly make my way to gate 25, from where the flight will depart. At 12h30 boarding starts following the tried and tested procedure of yelling something indecipherable instead of using the microphone. It’s a mess and I decide to hold back with joining the queue until the initial crush is over.

The Cabin & Seat

I’m seated on 1A. Leg space is okay, but not overly generous, I’d say. The seat has an adjustable headrest, but as far as I can tell there are no electricity plugs at the seat.

Already at my seat when I step aboard are the menu, a packaged towel, a pillow, and a bottle of Elmer still water from a source near Elm in Canton Glarus.

The Crew & Service

The crew are friendly and cheerful, which is quite normal on Edelweiss. The maître de is German and his stress patterns when he speaks both German and English take a bit of getting used to. He’s a lovely guy and very service oriented. But when he opens his mouth, he sounds like he’s barking marching orders, even though he’s only asking if you’d like some ice and lemon.

What strikes me whenever I travel with Edelweiss is their insistence on speaking Swiss German as a default. I guess it makes sense, in theory, if you’re trying to position yourself as Switzerland’s premium leisure carrier. But it completely ignores that, in practice, at least on this flight, there are quite a few non-Swiss passengers.

Boarding eventually finishes. The paperwork is quickly completed, and then we slowly make our way to the holding point for the active runway. We’re departing in a westerly direction today. As we go, we pass right in front of the Cypriot Joint Search and Rescue Centre, which I’ll be visiting in the summer. Our flight time to Zürich is three hours and forty minutes.

Once we’re airborne, we immediately hit an extended area of moderate to heavy turbulence. It takes us about thirty minutes to fly through that before the lunch service can begin.

The Meal – Lunch

Orders for the main course are taken as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off. There is a choice of two dishes, of which one is vegetarian. I decide to go with the veal, though, for the simple reason that I’m a total sucker for spätzli.

Ahead of the meal, the crew pass through the cabin with the drinks trolley. I have a glass of sparkling water, which is served with a small ramekin of puff pastry flûtes.

The meal arrives on a small tray. It contains a small salad, a jar of balsamic dressing, the hot meal, and dessert. With that, the crew serve thick slices of a warm, rustic loaf of bread with butter. The main course is a good choice. The sauce is thick and creamy and the spätzli have a subtle hint of nutmeg in them. It’s a nice dish. The dessert is a chocolate flan with cream.

The sheer amount of food you get on Edelweiss on a flight of under four hours is quite impressive. Once the meal service is done, the crew pass through the cabin with a box of chocolate pralines. A short while later, they pass through with a snack basket, and then a short while after that they pass through the cabin again with Biberli.

Arrival in Zürich

Our route takes us up the Balkans along the Adriatic coast, and then into Austria and then Switzerland. The Alps are looking quite stunning in all their white glory. However, as we approach Zürich, the weather deteriorates and the crew inform us it’s zero degrees and snowing lightly. No information is provided for passengers with connecting flights.

We land on runway 14 and make a short taxi over to the E pier. Unfortunately, it looks as though my flight to London Gatwick will be leaving from the D pier, which means I’ll have to take the shuttle. Hopefully, it won’t be so crowded today, as I only have forty minutes to make the connection.

Conclusion

This was a nice flight with Edelweiss. The crew were friendly and the service was attentive. They work hard. Throughout the flight I never saw the crew resting or having a break. They’re permanently in the cabin tending to passengers and keeping busy. The only thing, really, is that they don’t provide any information at all to connecting passengers.