Luckily, though, thanks to my Amex Platinum, I do have a Priority Pass membership, which I used to access the nearby Horizon lounge. I flew Swiss recently and also found the boarding process to be chaotic, however if the gate has the electronic, self scan option then scanning your boarding pass allows you to pass, without needing to queue for the annoying document checks. Swiss A330 Business-Class Cabin. endobj We've booked 1.7 million of rooms to date. Airbus A330-300 can also be used as a cargo aircraft. I'm going to review the full A220 flight in a separate post, so for now I'll just touch on the experience. The aircraft were given a new lease on life in 2020. 14 Airbus A330-300s, seating 236 people each Five Airbus A340-300s, seating 223 people each 12 Boeing 777-300ERs, seating 340 people each Lufthansa Group has ordered some A350-900s and 787-9s and some of those should go to SWISS, but we don't know how many The 777 is currently SWISS' flagship aircraft What American Express bonuses are you still eligible for? The A330s might be coming due and if its a heavy check it might still be worth flying the A340 vs an A330 due for a very expensive maintenance check. Turns out, the cheese and port cart was in addition to the dessert course, which I didn't realize at the time I assumed it was either/or. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Write review Page 1 2 3. Now, pax demand close to zero, but cargo is doing well on these very long routes, so the A340 is the best fit. I went for water off the bat and also asked for a soda, which was no problem. The layout is similar but there are a number of improvements, including far larger IFE screens. Any updated news on the refurbishment schedule? Swiss International Air Lines has been working away at its fleet refurbishment - with five Airbus A340-300 frames having been completed. To be fair, SWISS does warn you about this when you select them . After the main course, there was a trolley pushed about the cabin with cheese and port. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. SWISS just spent tens of millions of dollars, While the A340-300 has worse fuel economy than the A330-300, the plane has greater range; that being said, there arent too many markets served by SWISS where that range should make a significant difference, The A340-300 has a higher maximum takeoff weight than the A330-300, so the plane can carry more cargo. From 2023, the Lufthansa A350s will also get a new First Class product. At least you know when your time is up. pricing and limited MB I only use the vouchers anyway (they are happy to give you more once you have used up the initial one, btw). Which Way is Luxury Hotel Pricing Going in 2023? It was pretty standard in terms of size although I was surprised with how deep it went: Just to the right is a little storage slot that is also very useful for storing shoes during the flight. The new flight will bring service on the Zurich-Washington, D.C. route to 14 weekly frequencies provided by SWISS and its joint-venture . Its worth noting that, if you get a SWISS A340, you will get a newly refurbished cabin. Having lived in different countries and with a previous career in financial services, he is an Avios, Oneworld Alliance and general aviation travel expert. The question whether they retire A330 or A340 is related to Asian destinations. Seat Maps; Airlines; Cheap Flights; Comparison Charts . For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has newly equipped the cabins of its five Airbus A340 aircraft with the First, Business and Economy Class seats already featured on its Boeing 777s, together with a new inflight entertainment system that includes internet connectivity. N>K\G.ps%=.mQD%VCWJ0X%cCc^rj&5::Vgm Here are my thoughts on SWISS' economy class product based on this flight. Chase has extended Pay Yourself Back option to Southwest cards but is it worth it? I actually hope they keep the A340s, much more comfy business class than the more open configuration on their A330-300s. Please email hello [at] headforpoints.com and we will add you manually. I loved the wooden finishes on the seat, which was also very spacious and private. Additionally fuel is really cheap right now. )(V"L'hm&6x_WN_^mnf 9Mc=q^bI"9NKF&'&uS6hkLf}:+)brm3OCUF ^225X/2Jq"Zdn9P5%9nIO8SBLf0*$2.H'{ja'RO')U GS]&sL/4t/U`VLe^iuld)"47QrQf72dR5+e1Y;RFC\|:85Nx$A.&- Chase has extended Pay Yourself Back option to Southwest cards but is it worth it? Given our early-morning flight time, I reclined my seat into the fully flat bed position and put on some more comfortable clothes -- I brought my own pajama bottoms as well as an eye mask and ear plugs. Could SWISS really be considering keeping these older A340s and retiring some A330s instead, or is the airline just being intentionally vague for now? The best seats by far are the throne seats. <> Some of the west coast and Asian routes may not be able to serviced by A330 and the 77W have way too much capacity for these thinner routes. Swiss Airbus A330 Seat Maps. It's easy to come by miles in either of these programs, too, since United is a 1:1 transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Aeroplan is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards. The A340s have been recently refurbished. Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. (they are happy to give you more once you have used up the initial one, btw). The 330s will also need a refresh soonits not cheap to refresh a cabin. Voting Is Now Open for the 2021 FlyerTalk Awards! All of Swiss' Airbus A340-300 aircraft have gotten some new life. Our large helicopter section. . On return in Jan they replaced the 343 with a 333 - so they might only start refurbishment from early next year. Welcome! These are the even numbered A seats, so 4A, 6A, 8A and so forth. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Anyway, take or leave my advice, but I just wanted to put it out ther. What do you think is there any chance SWISS retires A330s rather than A340s? Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. Props and jets from the good old days, Flight Decks Anything is better than BA first to South Africa . Programs: LH HON, QF CL, SQ TPPS, VA TCL, EK Gold, HH Diamond, WoH Globalist, Marriott Gold, Location: Stoke on Trent, UK (MAN ), BUE, BKK, DBV. After dinner it was time for bed and the cabin lights were dimmed. SWISS International Air Lines vous remercie de votre comprhension. We pushed back on time at 11:40am and were airborne 20 minutes later. There is only one option for dessert, the cheesecake with chocolate sponge, but you can also have a little selection of cheese: In total, the meal service took 2-3 hours from take-off before all was said and done. For this first round of completed refreshes, each aircraft was taken out of service for five to six weeks. I probably would have halved the portion, though, and added a more straightforward carb dish, like regular old mashed potatoes. I think Swiss should have set up some sort of arrangement with a Priority Pass lounge, or it could have offered more than a food voucher for its long-haul business-class passengers. Our privacy policy is here. Every type from fighters to helicopters from air forces around the globe, Classic Airliners no word regarding the expected date for the return of the first A340 after refurbishment? Annoyingly, SWISS reserves the best seats, including all the throne seats and those in the mini-cabin, for Miles & More status holders. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Cabin and Seat" tpg-rating="22" tpg-rating-max="25" width="20.5" bed="79" lavs="2" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. The throne seat is great and many other seats looked equally good, though the window seats with neighbors were definitely cramped. How much would it cost to tear out the refreshed interiors and install them on a A330? 4K, 5K, 6K etc. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. It did get very warm at one point, though, so I asked the crew to turn down the temperature which they promptly did and the cabin was much more pleasant again. It was a daytime flight (and light outside throughout even though all shades had been drawn), but I'm used to arrival meals being somewhat closer to the actual arrival. As expected, the aircraft and seats have a very modern feel and though the seats look very slim, they were comfortable enough for such a short flight. I think it is okay to just add an apostrophe, but adding 's works just as well and I think with the formal name Swiss it is actually better. The A330-300 reflects Swiss' newest First, Business and Economy Class products. Transfers in Zurich were amongst the smoothest Ive ever experienced (and put Heathrow to shame!). Is IHG One Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme? G'DAY OWFsquad and welcome to my 13th flight in 2020! Just order more things from the Bistro menu?! Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, LOT and Other Partners | Miles & More, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, https://www.swiss.com/corporate/en/m-20161007.html, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28525359-post588.html. Id be curious to see the maintenance records. The retired aircraft will most likely be A340s - akin to the LH retirements. 2 0 obj SWISS Business Class A330 Geneva to JFK Jeb Brooks 532K subscribers Subscribe 207K views 9 months ago Watch this video to see the entire SWISS experience onboard their Airbus A330 in. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Since they are keeping A340s anyway, a big chunk of the economics of scale for selling A340s is gone anyway. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. SWISS has announced plans to reduce its fleet (as well as the fleet of its regional partner Helvetic Airways) by roughly 15% compared to its 2019 fleet size. Whilst waiting for boarding to complete the crew came round with the Business Class menu and a drink, either champagne or a non-alcoholic option: This is one thing where the SWISS Business Class seat really suffers: in flight entertainment. So far so good but how does the SWISS Business Class experience compare? %PDF-1.5 Swiss will be more "focused" and "more digital"? As of 2022, the company has 14 A330-300 aircraft in its fleet. By David Flynn, October 14 2021 Share this article: Swiss is set to rid its fleet of the Airbus A340, with the big four-engined jet facing a use-by date of 2024 or 2025 at the latest. This A330-300 is used on long-haul routes and Swiss is one of the only airlines in the world to offer a First Class product on long-haul flights. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You can see one on the far right here: Second best if you are a solo traveller are the single seats on the right hand side of the aircraft, ie. The A330s are in storage right now. Click for details. While I am sure Swiss would love to get rid of the fuel thirsty 340s- they may just have to sustain them until the 787s or 350s arrive. In the end the A340 has space for one extra pallet and a lot of additional MTOW. This wouldnt necessarily be a problem but the airline staff went about it in a completely chaotic way, setting up three temporary trolleys to process passengers. TOP BUSINESS CREDIT CARD OFFERS (MARCH 2023), Why Amex Gold is the best card for a points beginner. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. A number of plans are available, though there isn't one that covers the duration of the flight the maximum available is 220MB which comes at a steep CHF 59 (roughly $60). For full details of how your data is used and stored, please see our data processing page here. This guy is full of more BS than Calgary following the stampede. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. The A330 forms the backbone of the SWISS long haul fleet with fourteen aircraft. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. SWISS International Air Lines thanks you for your understanding. Sorry - just a stylistic point ( the content is really good as always). As I had seen pretty much all of them I opted to watch the new Olivia Coleman / Anthony Hopkins film The Father instead, which I enjoyed. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. Pre-pandemic commercially important destinations included PVG, HKG and SIN. In addition, the 340 is better for cargo and has the new C / F class installed. Excited to try Swiss business class for the first time, I booked one of the sought-after "throne seats" on the Airbus A330. Despite recent complications, the aircraft have been finished on time. While most airlines have retired the A340, SWISS seems quite committed to the aircraft, having just spent so much money refreshing the planes. The plane in question is a 20-year-old Airbus A330-300 with the registration number C-GFUR. Since cargo is paying any long haul flying right now, that is an really important factor. These are alternating in that odd numbers have the seat directly next to the window with the console on the aisle, whilst even numbers have the seat on the aisle and the console table on the window. Currently, the A330s have 28 and A350s 21 Premium Economy seats. the refurbishment of its aging A340-300 fleet. The contents were the same but it felt much nicer, and the tin is very useful to have. This cookie is associated with Akamai. From my throne seat in business, I had a perfect view of the small first-class cabin until the curtain was drawn. Overall, both the food, presentation and general service was of good quality and nicely done. Swiss to retire all Airbus A340s in 2024-2025 The big four-engine jets are on the way out, and will be replaced by either the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787. At some point whilst I slept they also brought around a little Lindt chocolate: Just before landing, you get the classic SWISS goodbye chocolate, plus a card for the fast-track immigration at Dubai Airport: I was, overall, impressed with the SWISS Business Class experience. What is the best Virgin Atlantic credit card? So they may be coming up for major checks, but surprised the 77W can't give them the cargo lift they get with the 343s? And, of course, the lines were quite long. With OS now starting to fiddle around with Premium Economy soon (see. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. This lounge was basic but had all I needed. The menu, food and presentation was also very good. After a quick visit to the Lufthansa business-class lounge, it was time to board the A220. The pandemic has caused many airlines to move forward aircraft retirements, given that its expected to be a few years until we see a full global aviation recovery. 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