Category: A 220-300

Swiss International Air Lines, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Zürich to Budapest

Introduction

I’m on my way to Budapest to attend a language testing conference. The evening before my flight I try to check in on the SWISS app, but for some reason it’s not working. After several failed attempts I go to the Lufthansa app and try there, and this time it works. But I can’t download the boarding pass from the link I received by SMS. The next morning I try again on both the SWISS and Lufthansa apps, but no. Not working. I guess it makes no difference, seeing as I’ll be checking in a suitcase and will need to pass by a counter anyway. But you do wonder.

Check-in

Zürich airport is surprisingly busy when I get there at 10h45. In check-in 3 SWISS has installed self-service baggage drop counters, which seem to be rather popular, judging by the length of the queue. Business Class passengers have their own dedicated lane, which leads to two womanned counters for checking in the old-fashioned way.

From check-in I head straight to security, figuring there’s likely to be a queue there too. Which there is. However, it moves quickly and the wait there is really no more than about seven minutes in the priority lane.

The lounge

The lounge looks quiet enough from the outside, so I decide to give it a try. Uhm, yeah. No. Inside, the place is crawling with disgruntled looking business men and women. All of them look as though they’d much rather be somewhere else. And given the size of the queue for the buffet, I can’t really blame them! Where are all these people going?

So I make a u turn and exit the lounge from where I came in. But I’m still hungry. I check out the café at the beginning of the A pier, but they’re actually asking CHF7.80 for a rather small salami sandwich with some wilted looking lettuce and a few slices of salami. I refuse to pay that kind of money for a simple bloody salami sandwich. So I guess I’m doomed. My faith rests now in the hands of SWISS. My only hope now is that they won’t serve up one of their odd concotions, or that the crew won’t have mistakenly already served all the Business Class meals, as was the case on my last flight from Brussels back to Zürich.

Boarding

My aircraft arrived from Palma de Mallorca and is running just a few minutes late. Instead of at 11h55, boarding will now begin at 12h05. Seeing as I’m seated up front, I might as well wait for everybody else to board first. So I head for the window to admire the elegant Airbus A 220-300 that will be carrying me to Budapest this afternoon. It really is such a nice aircraft!

The cabin

Originally I’m on 3A. However, once boarding is completed, the twin seats on rows 1 and 2 are still empty, so I move forward to 2A so the guy on 2D can take my seat to be closer to his wife and kid on 4B and 4A. There are six rows of Business Class, and with me there are eleven passengers in the Business Class cabin. Which is a lot more than I had expected.

Row 2 on the A 220 is excellent. The seat pitch is very good and because you have the seat next to you empty, you needn’t worry about finding a place to store your bag if the overhead bins are full.

We take off from runway 28. The SID takes us in a southwesterly direction, before bringing us back to fly parallel to the departing runway, heading in the opposite direction.

Our routing takes us past lake Constance and further in an easterly direction into Austria.

It’s a lovely day here in Switzerland. However, as we progress east the weather gradually deteriorates. By the time we land in Budapest it’s overcast and slightly fresher than Zürich.

The meal

The meal is surprisingly not bad. It consists of some Asian-style noodles with a sesame oil dressing, some veg and two slices of smoked tuna. It’s a very small dish, but then again the flight is only slightly over one hour.

With that there is a small plate with two pieces of cheese. I’d say a Camembert and an Appenzeller. But I’m not sure.

For dessert is something that I think should be Tiramisu, but is essentially small pieces of soggy cantucci on gelatine with coffee. Meh…

And to finish the meal: a coffee.

The crew

The crew on this flight are friendly. They’re also totally with the birds. When they start the service, they had the bread basked on the trolley, but obviously forget to ask passengers if they’d like a bread roll. The male flight attendant plonks down my tray and moves on. So I ask him, in English, if I could have a bread roll for the cheese. First, he replies: “Es Brötli?”. He then uses the tongs to grab a roll from the basket, and then promptly places it on my tray so that it immediately rolls off and lands on the floor before either one of us can catch it. So then he asks me if I’m okay with that, or if I’d like another one. It’s really on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I’m not in the habit of eating bread rolls that have been hand picked off the seedy carpets of commercial airliners. But I let it go and just ask for a new Brötli.

But I don’t know what it is with this guy and his “Brötli”. Because after my row he continues asking all the passengers “would you like es Brötli?”. I don’t know if he thinks he’s giving the service a bit of Swissness, because honestly, it’s just weird.

Oh yes, and in case you’re wondering, there is no SWISS chocolate at the end of the flight for the Business Class passengers. I don’t know if the crew just forget, or if Business Class passengers no longer get a chocolate because they were treated to coffee flavoured gelatine. Such a treat…!

Arrival

Despite our slightly delayed departure form Zürich, we still manage to land in Budapest on time. We come to a stop next to my friends in blue. Passengers disembark via an airbridge. However, at the other end of the airbridge we are directed to go downstairs to board a bus which then drives us to the arrivals hall. I have no idea what all that is about.

The luggage doesn’t take much time to arrive and then I’m already on my way to Budapest on the 100E bus.

Swiss International Air Lines, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Zürich to Prague

Introduction

Yesterday, on Sunday afternoon, I flew back from London Heathrow to Basel just as the chaos of another epic IT failure started to unfold in Heathrow. The upshot of that being that I had to spend three hours sitting in agony in BA’s painfully cramped Economy Class to make a journey that normally should only last a bit more than an hour. So as you may well imagine, I didn’t really fancy getting on a plane again on Monday. But this is for work, and I guess there are worse things to have to endure than SWISS’ Business Class.

Getting to the Airport

My flight is scheduled to depart at 17h35. I catch the 16h24 train from Winterthur, which arrives in Zürich Airport at 16h40. The airport is very quiet, which may have something to do with the fact that I think it’s the public school skiing holiday, when a lot of people head for the slopes with their families. All the better for me, because it means there are only very short queues for security.

Boarding

I haven’t really got that much time left before boarding begins, so I figure I might as well head to the gate directly. I take a few pictures of my aircraft on the way.

Boarding starts on time. And I’m pleased to say that they appear to have implemented some changes to the check-in system which trigger an alarm if passengers try to board before their boarding group is called. It makes the whole process a lot more efficient.

The cabin

There are four rows of Business Class on today’s flight, for a total of twelve seats. However, only six of the seats are occupied and the load in Economy Class doesn’t appear to be all that heavy either.

I rather like the cabin layout SWISS has on the A 220-300. It’s a very comfortable experience for the passenger. The only thing I don’t like is the colour scheme, which looks rather bland and drab.

Another thing I really like on the A 220, is the Business Class loo, which is very roomy and large enough for me to be able to stand up straight in front of the sink. Usually, on the A 320 the curvature of the hull makes it impossible to stand upright.

The crew

The crew in the cabin consists of three young females. The maître de is 26 years old. She was married to a guy from Antigua and she really just couldn’t imagine living in the US, which is why he moved to Switzerland after they got married. But that only lasted for two years, because you know, honestly, after two years she’d really just had enough and couldn’t stand being married anymore. Like. I can also tell you what she studied and then broke off, what she’s currently studying, what she wants to do in future, and where she gets her nails done.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s actually very good at her job. She’s just a little Miss Chatterbox and clearly unaware of the fact that yes, the A 220 really has got very quiet engines indeed.

The service on the ground is the usual packaged towel and still water.

We make our way to runway 28 for departure. The weather really is quite dreary here today…

The meal

Much to my surprise, there’s a full meal service, depsite the short flight time. There is no choice for the meal. But I like that every passenger is served individually from the galley.

The main course

The main course is roast beef (bleeach…!) with potato salad, pickled radishes and carrots.

The cheese

The meal is served with the usual small plate of Swiss cheese.

The crew pass through the cabin twice offering warm bread rolls.

Dessert

And for dessert there is a Läckerli cream thingy (you better google that one…). And as if I haven’t had enough sweetness for one day, I have a coffee to finish the meal, which is served with a little SWISS chocolate.

The roast beef is so not my thing. But the potato salad is quite okay and the dessert is just lovely.

Arrival

Before I manage to finish the coffee, we’ve already started our descent into Prague, where eventually we land on time. The one thing I never fully understood about Prague is that although the airport is quite large, it’s also usually fairly empty. At least when I visit. And today is no exception, there are only a few aircraft standing around.

Getting into town

Public transport to and from the airport is a bit tricky in Prague. There is a bus that will take you to the closest metro station. But there is no rail link from the airport to the city. The hotel has organised a car to pick me up though, which makes the journey into town in about twenty minutes.

Swiss International Air Lines, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Zürich to Oslo

It’s Tuesday morning and I’m on my way to Norway. The flight to Oslo isn’t leaving until 09:40. But I figure I might as well take my usual train from Basel to avoid the worst of the morning rush hour.

Getting to the Airport

I arrive at Zürich Airport at 07:20. They’re currently replacing the tracks in the station, so half the platform is closed off. It’s not so much of an issue, but it means that the platforms are quite crowded and it can take a while for the queue to move.

Either the morning rush for security is already over, or most companies have already spent their travel budget for this year because the airport is very quiet.

The SWISS Business Class Lounge

My first stop is the lounge. I’m starving! Luckily, the lounge isn’t too crowded either.

When it’s empty, you can actually appreciate the design of the SWISS Business lounge. I’m not so sure if the Swiss rustic look will age all that well, but for the time being it’s okay.

There is a small buffet with a rather limited choice of food. However, the centrepiece of the lounge is the open kitchen, where you can order hot dishes. So I help myself to some bread and cheese and order an omelette with chives and some beans to go with that.

I answer a few office e-mails and then decide I’d much rather be looking at the aircraft outside. So I leave the lounge around 08:30, with 50 minutes to go before boarding starts.

Boarding

My flight is departing from gate B41 on the mixed Schengen/non-Schengen pier.

The Cabin

There are six rows of Business Class for a total of 18 seats. However, there are only nine passengers seated up front this morning. I am on 3A, with the aisle seat next to me empty. Seat pitch on row 3 is good and very comfortable.

I really like the the A 220’s cabin, because it feels so spacious. Although I probably shouldn’t confess to that to my colleague Mr Bighead, who worked on the development of the CSeries.

As usual, the service starts with the distribution of still water and towels.

Departure is from runway 28, right behind an A340 which only just manages to get off the ground…

The Meal

Once the crew is released, the breakfast service begins. It consists of a tray with cheese, melon, parma ham and some disgusting liver parfait. Yuk!

With that, there is a selection of breads offered by the crew. Although Mr 3D manages to grab a total of five buns before the flight attendant can stop him. Some people…

And with that there is butter and apricot jam. There’s also a small jar of very sweet berry Müsli.

And to conclude there is a Swiss chocolate, which strangely vanished before I could take a photo…

As we head further north, the weather rapidly deteriorates. And much to my horror, when we break through the cloud on our descent, the ground below is covered in snow.

Arrival

Eventually we land after a flight time of two hours and twenty minutes. The runway and taxiways are covered with ice, but nobody seems phased by that.

Transfer in Oslo

Once we stop at the gate there is an ID check before we’re allowed into the terminal. But the check is painless enough. I now have 90 minutes to make my connection.

SWISS, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Luxembourg to Zürich

Getting to the Airport

It’s Friday evening and I’m finally on my way home. The flying Dutchman drops me off at Luxembourg airport on his way back to Holland. The journey from Kirchberg, where the offices are, to the airport is only about 15 minutes by car or by bus.

Check-in

The Star Alliance carriers operating out of Luxembourg check in on row 16 for Economy Class and row 17 for First and Business Class passengers.

The Lounge

The lounge in Luxembourg is quite nice, and has a nice selection of snacks and drinks. Especially their cakes are lovely! The views of the apron are pretty good. Throughout the terminal, wifi is available either through the airport’s network or through Eduroam.

I always feel slightly out of place in this lounge. Because while all the bankers are milling about in their sharp suits, I’m just lounging in my sneakers and jeans…

The inbound appear to have left Zürich with quite a delay, and is now not expected to land until 18:30, which is the boarding time for the return flight from Luxembourg to Zürich.

Boarding

Despite the arrival delay, boarding for my flight start with only a minor delay of about ten minutes. It’s a lovely late summer evening outside.

The Cabin

I’m seated on 3A. There are four rows of Business Class, for a total of twelve seats. Although only seven are occupied this evening.

I really like the cabin of the A220. It feels very spacious and airy. And the seat pitch up front is excellent.

I’m the last passenger to board. I take my seat and one of the flight attendants brings me a bottle of still water and a wet towel.

By the time we taxi out for departure, it’s 19h15. The flight time is 35 minutes, which means we’ll still be arriving on time.

The Crew

The crew on this flight really is excellent. The Business Class cabin is served by the purser, a friendly German young man with really excellent manners. He takes his time with every passenger and explains what’s in the three ramekins that are served on this flight.

The Meal

The first ramekin contains what is, apparently, Egyptian tartar. It’s vegetarian and I think it’s probably something similar to muhammara. It tastes similar too. Then there is a chicken curry. And the dessert is a mocca cream served on a bed of glazed mandarins.

Arrival

Meanwhile, the view outside with the setting sun is just so beautiful and very atmospheric. It’s quickly getting dark as we start our descent into Zürich.

Eventually we land just after eight in the evening, with just a few minutes delay. A big, orange full moon is slowly rising on the horizon and I’m just happy to be home again.

Conclusion

Sometimes things just line up. Even though it was only very short, I greatly enjoyed the flight this evening. The lovely weather, the quiet and spacious cabin, the tasty food and the brilliant service made for an utterly pleasant travel experience with SWISS.

My next trip to Luxembourg will be in October. In future I will probably be using the plane less and less on this route, now that the SNCF have introduced two daily TGV trains from Mulhouse to Luxembourg. The introduction of these two services mean that I can make the journey, door to door, in under four hours even with changing trains in Mulhouse.

SWISS, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Brussels to Zürich

Introduction

I have a colleague at work. For argument’s sake, let’s call him Mr. Bighead. In any case, Mr. Bighead worked on the development of the Bombardier CSeries. He recently gave me his candid, and of course totally unbiased opinion about my blog. According to which, I could be a bit more enthusiastic in my praise for the fabulous CSeries. I promised to make amends, especially seeing as the CSeries is indeed starting to grow on me. And so, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, let it be known that I, William, think the Bombardier CSeries aka the Airbus A 220 is a rather nice aircraft.

Getting to the Airport

The course at Eurocontrol ends just before 15h00. My flight back to Zürich is not until 18h50. But instead of hanging around the office, I figure I might as well go to the airport and find myself somewhere quiet to sit with a good book. I’m so looking forward to finally going home.

Eurocontrol in Brussels is pretty much out in the sticks. In fact, I think there are more wild bunnies per square metre than there are humans on the premises. But at least, being out in the boonies means you can avoid the notoriously horrific traffic around Brussels. The journey to the airport by taxi takes roughly 12 minutes and costs EUR18.

Check-in

SWISS checks in on rows 1 and 2, which is where the Brussels Airlines counters are located. Brussels Airlines does the check-in on behalf of its Star Alliance partner SWISS at Brussels airport. Rows 1 and 2 are in the best spot of the departures concourse, because they’re closest to the escalators as you come up from the car park and railway station. They’re also closest to the entrance to security.

The Brussels Airlines Business Lounge

The security checkpoint at Brussels airport is very well organised. There is a separate queue for Fast Track security and the whole process is efficient and quick. The security checkpoint is located halfway between the A (Schengen) and the B (non-Schengen) piers.

Brussels Airlines and the Star Alliance carriers use The Loft lounge, which is one floor up from the main airside area of the A pier, just opposite the escalators.

The lounge is nice and it’s been extended since the last time I was there. In fact, I think its size has been doubled. It’s spacious, clean and modern and offers a wide range of comfortable seating options, including some with excellent vistas of the apron. The food is also very good, with a variety of hot and cold dishes that change regularly throughout the day.

One of the things I don’t much like about most lounges though, is the people you find in them. Like the German business man who has two large beers in front of him and is busy on the phone telling the caller about exactly what he told them in the meeting – and everybody else in the lounge, whether they care to listen or not.

And the table manners – or lack thereof – of some of these people! At some point I become aware of these obscenely revolting slurping sounds from behind me. I turn to find Slurpy the Wonderboy sitting behind me in a suit and tie, who’s obviously attempting to inhale the chicken soup he found at the buffet. Luckily, my aircraft choses that exact moment to appear from behind the B pier. I think it’s time to leave.

Boarding

Boarding is from gate A45, which is close to the lounge. There is a separate call for Business Class passengers to board first and there is also a separate lane, so Business Class passengers can skip the queue. Seeing as I’m seated on 1A though, I take my time to board. No point in holding up the queue. Although in hindsight, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because the flight is not very full.

The Cabin

And… by the looks of it, the CS300 now has a cabin divider between the Business and Economy Class sections of the cabin. Or maybe it has always been there but I didn’t notice. I have no idea if only the -300 aircraft have these or if gradually the -100 will also be equipped with them. I shall have to ask one of my students who’s a flight attendant with SWISS.

The Crew

There are two young ladies working the forward cabin and both of them seem nice enough.

On the ground a packaged cold towel and a small bottle of still water are served. The flight time is announced at slightly less than fifty minutes.

The Meal

The Brussels service gets a meal served on a tray, unlike the Luxembourg flight, which is only slightly shorter but only gets a small snack. And despite the short flight time, the passengers are served individually instead of from a trolley.

On the tray there is the main event – a light meal – as well as a plate with two slices of cheese and a small glass jar with dessert. And what a thoroughly revolting meal it is. The main dish is allegedly beef tartar with egg and truffle oil, served with a small celery and pumpkin salad. I mean, what on earth were they thinking? I very much doubt that many people are all that fond of a combination of raw meat and raw egg. And by the looks of it, most of the six other passengers have touched the vile thing. Even the flight attendant comments on it.

And for dessert there is yet another gelatinous and very sweet looking blob of something with a soggy piece of cantuccio on it. Lööövely, as the tall, blond M. would say…

Arrival

I know I always say this, but it’s just always true. Zürich airport really is absolutely brilliant. Honestly! We touch down at 19h53. By 2013 I’ve collected my checked luggage, bought some cigarettes for the wiry R. at the duty free and taken a seat on the train to Zürich main station. And all that in twenty minutes!

Seven weeks, 23 flights and 60’000 kilometres later I’m finally home. I now have three whole days before I take my next trip. Woohoo!


SWISS, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Zürich to Luxembourg

Introduction

It’s Monday morning and I’m on my way back to the airport in Zürich. Today I’m travelling to Luxembourg again to give another course. With me is my boss, an aerodynamicist by trade, and he looks just a wee bit upset. You see, the reason we get on with each other is that we’re both fascinated – so as not to call it obsessed – with airplanes. So there’s always something to talk about. He’d been hoping for a chance to sample the A 220-300. But there’s been an aircraft change apparently…

Check-in

But first things first. I arrive at the airport at around 07h20. My first stop is the SWISS Business Class check-in counters to dump my suitcase. From there I head across to the other side of Check-in area 3 to the counters of the Swiss federal railways. I’m inquiring about purchasing a ticket from Luxembourg to Brussels, where I’ll be heading to later on this week for yet another course. Only, the very friendly lady at the counter informs me that she can only sell me a ticket from Luxembourg to the border and then another ticket from the border to Brussels. But the system won’t tell her what the border town is at which I’ll need to swap tickets. So no sale.

Allow me to rant: in Europe distances between the major cities are often not that great. As such, in some cases the train would be a viable alternative to the airplane. But if even buying a ticket is so complicated and cumbersome, it’s hardly surprising that trains have still not succeeded in competing against the airlines – even on short routes.

Airside

By the time I’m through security, it’s gone eight in the morning. My flight will start boarding in less than thirty minutes. So I get myself a cinnamon roll and a cappuccino from the Marché café at the beginning of the A concourse and then head for gate A 86, from where the flight to Luxembourg will be leaving and where I’ll be meeting my boss.

Meanwhile, outside it’s a dark and dreary morning with low visibility. And it’s started snowing as well. Which looks really pretty to be honest, but doesn’t bode well for an on time departure.

Boarding

Since I booked this trip, there have been three aircraft changes. Originally, the flight should have been operated by an Airbus A 220-300. Then it was changed to an Airbus A 220-100. Then when I checked in on the app on Sunday evening it had changed to an Airbus A 320 and then by the time boarding eventually started, it had reverted back to an Airbus A 220-300 – much to the delight of my boss. One of the things I’ve noticed about the morning Luxembourg flight is that it is quite prone to aircraft changes. I suspect the main reason being that the flight is so short that the schedule to Luxembourg is not really integrated into SWISS’ hub schedule but rather the flight times are dictated by the availability of an aircraft.

Boarding finishes at around 09h05. The doors close and the captain welcomes us aboard. He also informs us that due to the weather situation, we’re going to have to de-ice first and there’s a queue of at least ten minutes for de-icing. So we’re not scheduled to depart before 09h45, forty minutes behind schedule.

The Cabin

This time I’m sitting on 3A, the window seat on the row of two, which is perfect because it means I can store my luggage under the seat in front and have more than enough space to spread out. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how spacious and airy the cabin of the A 220 is, despite the fact that the aircraft isn’t all that big.

The Crew

The Swiss solution to any problem is chocolate. And so, no sooner has the captain announced our departure delay, the crew pass through the cabin offering those small bars of chocolate that are a cornerstone of the SWISS on board experience. And it really works. The chocolate won’t make the weather any better and it won’t reduce the delay either, but it releases endorphins in the brains so that at least you give a bit less of a rat’s bum about the delay because you’re busy happily clogging up your arteries with sumptuous goodness.

The Meal

The menu is still the same as it was three weeks ago, only this time I think they overdid it slightly with the smoked salmon in the brioche. The two ramekins are Bircher Müsli and a fruit salad. The coffee is still served in cardboard cups but is not so vile.

Arrival

Eventually we land in Luxembourg after a flight time of forty minutes, twenty minutes behind schedule. The weather here is slightly better, but also colder than in Zürich.

We collect our suitcase and then head upstairs to catch the bus line 16 to the office.

SWISS, Business Class – Airbus A 220-300: Zürich to Luxembourg

Introduction

It’s Monday morning. The holiday is over and I’m back to work. Today marks the first in a number of business trips that will see me travelling more or less nonstop until March. Still, never mind. If I close my eyes and listen carefully, I can still hear the waves breaking on Manly Beach…

Getting to the Airport

I take the 06h07 train from Basel, which is an ICE – my favourite. At Zürich main station I change to the 07h05, which ejects me at Zürich airport just fifteen minutes later.

Check-in

I’ve checked in using the SWISS app as usual. The boarding pass still won’t show up on my locked screen and I suspect that’s not about to change any time soon. The check-in area and security are surprisingly quiet. The flight to Luxembourg leaves at 09h05, so maybe I just managed to miss the morning rush.

The SWISS Business Class Lounge

I’m in dire need of a coffee, which is why I head straight for the SWISS lounge to re-caffeinate. I try using the e-gate to enter the lounge, but the display is showing an error message. So I approach the desk and explain my predicament to the lounge dragon. She smiles and explains in a mocking tone that it’s not working because everything at SWISS is of such superior quality… I get that she was probably going for some comic relief with her apology, but I still find it somewhat alienating that she would take the piss at the company she represents to do so.

Other than that, I don’t know what it is about this lounge, but for some reason I really don’t feel comfortable here. The place just feels a bit sterile. Other than that, there’s hardly any space left to sit, unless you feel like making a new acquaintance and sitting at a table with strangers.

So I quickly down my coffee and head for the gate, which at least has the much better views.

Boarding

Boarding starts with an initial call for the premium passengers to board through the manned exit on the left. Once that’s done, the remaining passengers are invited to board using one of the electronic gates.

The Cabin

I’d really like to know just how much time and money SWISS invests in all the aircraft changes it does. Since I booked this flight, the aircraft type operating the flight has changed at least five times, but it now looks as though an Airbus A 220-300 will be deployed.

The cabin is in pristine condition. The two benefits for the passenger when flying with the A 220 are the large windows on the one hand, and the fact that the seating configuration is 2 + 3.

I’m seated on 1A, a window seat. The aisle seat on 1C is kept empty in Business Class.

The Crew

I’m assuming there are three cabin crew on the flight today. The Business Class cabin is served by the maître de, a young man who is probably German, at least that’s my guess based on his accent. The crew seem friendly enough, although clearly the young man is probably more interested in flirting with one of the female flight attendants than in attending to the passengers.

When I arrive at my seat, a small bottle of still water as well as a pre-packed wet towel have already been placed at my seat.

We push back on time. The flight time to Luxembourg is announced as 45 minutes.

The Meal

The meal consists of the usual three items: a brioche with salmon, which is always good, a small ramekin of Bircher Müsli and another ramekin with fresh fruit.

I like the presentation of the meal, which is simple and yet elegant. The quality of the food is also good.

To drink I request a coffee, which is served in a cardboard cup and tastes just vile. The highlight of the meal, of course, is the small chocolate bar.

Arrival

By the time we reach Luxembourg, the weather has improved significantly. It’s a lovely day up here. We land at 09h55. One of the nice things about flying SWISS to Luxembourg is that SWISS always insists on having a contact stand, which mean you can avoid the tedious bus shuttle from the aircraft to the terminal building. Generally speaking, I don’t mind taking a bus, because at least that allows you to take photos of your aircraft as you disembark. But here in Luxembourg, they don’t actually have proper airport busses and instead use what appear to be decommissioned public transport busses, which are usually too small for all the passengers disembarking from a plane.

Once I’m landside again, I catch the bus 16 which takes me directly to my office in Kirchberg.