Not writing frequently any more - work demands curtail my time!
Not writing frequently any more - work demands curtail my time!
Member since:26.07.2000
Reviews:574
Members who trust:274
This weekend I went on four Swissair flights, (Vienna-Zurich-Lisbon and back) having chosen to fly with them because they were part of the Star Alliance, whose Frequent Flyer card I have and also because they offered the cheapest price for getting to Lisbon.
The flight from Vienna to Zurich lasts one hour, during which time we were served with a very light meal – Swiss Breakfast (smoked cheese roll, fruit salad and a chocolate bar with coffee and tea) as well as drinks. For the connecting flight (two and a half hours), the meal was a fairly bland Schnitzel, a pastry, more coffee and more chocolate. Coming back the menu was chicken in white sauce and a salad resepectively.
It did surprise me that, unlike nearly every other airline, Swissair still served dishes that contained nuts without any warning, being very fond of serving praline chocolate bars, however they did assure me that if you ask for a nut free meal, you will duly receive one. The cabin crew were pleasant and polite, speaking as a rule English, French and German and obviously between Zurich and Lisbon there were also Portuguese speaking cabin staff.
The safety announcement was entertaining to watch, if only because of the computer animation, and all announcements are given out in English, French and German and the local language if not one of these. There are overhead screens, which display up-to-date flight information about connecting flights, as well as tracking your progress, altitude, external temperature, distance to destination. They also show cartoons, adverts, and a demo from the Swiss Ski Demo Team.
The seat pitch was standard, although I was lucky to get seats by the emergency exit, which of course meant I could really stretch out. The seats were comfortable enough, and in leatherette. The in-flight magazine was a good read, which a lot of well-written articles. The duty-free guide was also very comprehensive. They are also about the only airline that I know of who supply complimentary cologne and camomile lotion.
On a more general level, Swissair generally fly out of Zurich with assorted feeder shuttle services to Zurich. I have had no problems checking luggage in all the way through to my final destination, and neither have friends on longer haul flights. Some people have complained that the staff have an attitude problem, although I personally did not find this to be the case.
There are part of the Star Alliance/Qualiflyer Group with Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, TAP (Portugal), American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Sabena and LOT of Poland, so there are a large number of airlines whose frequent flyer points can also be used with Swissair. In fact there is even talk now of Sabena being taken over by Swissair, as it is currently in financial trouble.
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down the drain went Sabena and Swissair itself needed a lot of Swiss money donated due to mismanagement to keep at least partly in the air, it seems as if small Crossair is becoming mother now
Saltire 13.04.2001 13:06
thanks for this one, Mike. I'm about to book a flight to Barcelona and noticed that the Swiss Air prices were very similar to that of Sabena (who I wouldn't trust as far as I could carry a camel). I also noticed that the Swiss Air Glasgow-Barcelona is via Brussels.... does this mean that Swiss Air have some kind of arrangement with Sabena? Any info appreciated. Cheers, G.
Michael-S 19.02.2001 14:49
You've mixed up the Frequent Flyer programmes: Swissair is part of the Qualiflyer Group, but Star Alliance (Lufthansa, Austrian, etc.) are part of the Miles & More frequent flyer programme. Austrian have changed form Qualiflyer to Miles & More / Star alliance about one year ago. Take care, Michael.
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