Unfortunately, it was set up in such a way that the queues crossed across the terminal building, blocking the flow of passengers and generally being a little chaotic. 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. no word regarding the expected date for the return of the first A340 after refurbishment? Despite recent complications, the aircraft have been finished on time. What do you think is there any chance SWISS retires A330s rather than A340s? Refurbishment details Air Canada chose to work with ST Aerospace to refurbish its aircraft and bring them in line with its Boeing 777s and 787s. It was my first time flying Swiss and I . Special features The aircraft were given a new lease on life in 2020. The airline, a member of the Lufthansa Group, operated the planes between 2002 and 2011. Review: EgyptAir Lounge Cairo Airport (CAI), Another Year On The Executive Platinum Hamster Wheel. There were also red socks at each seat. The A330s are in storage right now. So which long haul routes will be disappearing?? 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. From my throne seat in business, I had a perfect view of the small first-class cabin until the curtain was drawn. Next to the 777, the A340 has proven to be a workhorse during the crisis. It is used to analyse traffic to determine if it is automated traffic generated by bots or a human user. Now, pax demand close to zero, but cargo is doing well on these very long routes, so the A340 is the best fit. So far I have been fairly impressed with SWISS. The boarding experience was, to put it frankly, a little chaotic. Overall, both the food, presentation and general service was of good quality and nicely done. At the gate itself, there was another boarding pass and security check with the usual "what's the reason for your trip" line of questioning. Despite that the crew were phenomenal, with great, friendly service and good food options too. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. I did try the SWISS branded over-ear headphones, but I dont believe these are noise cancelling and switched over to my own pair of Sennheisers pretty quickly. 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. On another we had seats in the minicabin but the moving parts were dysfunctional so had to move elsewhere in cabin. I liked the potato and leek puree despite its looks. Views from inside the cockpit, Aircraft Cabins Airport overviews from the air or ground, Tails and Winglets Transfers in Zurich were amongst the smoothest Ive ever experienced (and put Heathrow to shame!). 2014-09-13: 3.5 of 5. Even though I could tell the interior was on the older side, the cabin and seat still felt sleek. If you book through United, you'll spend 70,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight plus minimal taxes and fees for a flight between the US and Europe, while if you go the Aeroplan route, you can expect to pay 55,000 miles, but you'll have to shell out more in cash (usually between $250 and $300) for a similar flight. The hard product is admittedly tired on the A330s the seats are showing their age and the IFE screens are tiny. One of the issues are the crew rest containers - or rather the lack thereof on the A330 SWISS have had to block all first class seats on some A330 flights to Asia in order to accomodate the crew. 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. Ihr Browser verhlt sich ungewhnlich und hnelt somit einem Bot. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Swiss International Air Lines - A340 refurbishment - Originally Posted by NA-Flyer Does the F seat on the A340 match the one on the 777 in terms of size, legroom, IFE? Swiss Airbus A340-300 - Image, Economy Class and Beyond. Booked mid Dec on LX to JNB in F and it looks to me that it's still the unrefurbished A340-300. 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. Last but not least the resale value proposition is a lot better for the A330 compared to the ultra cheap A340-300s. When I passed through the airport, Swiss' business-class lounge was closed for refurbishment kind of. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Orders seemed to be taken in order of elite status as the crew were moving all around the cabin to take orders rather than moving down the rows. Another major cruise line hikes drinks package costs sharply but there's a twist, Get more from your points with these transfer bonuses. Each seat has an adjustable reading light and a USB charging port as well as an international AC power port. Swiss International Airlines, better known simply as SWISS, once had a fleet of 15 Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Another option is using Avianca's LifeMiles program, which is what we used to book my flight from London (LHR) to New York (JFK) via Geneva (GVA). 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. 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. Voting Is Now Open for the 2021 FlyerTalk Awards! [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Food and Beverage" tpg-rating="22" tpg-rating-max="25" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" meals="2" dine-on-demand="No" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. The A340 will also be deployed on Swisss new Zurich-Osaka (Japan) route, on which service will commence on March 1. There is actually one more factor; Edelweiss. The terminal building is very Swiss pristine, clean and nice and airy. The new flight will bring service on the Zurich-Washington, D.C. route to 14 weekly frequencies provided by SWISS and its joint-venture . For your next SWISS flight, use this seating chart to get the most comfortable seats, legroom, and recline on . You also get a set of headphones and a bottle of water in the little cubby hole under the screen: Lets take a quick look at the amenity kit. cons="Lackluster ground experience and outrageously expensive Wi-Fi." Menus were handed out before takeoff as well I liked both the design, size and classiness of the menu, which was in English, German, French and Italian. Airbus A330-300 (333) Airbus A340-300 (343) Boeing 777-300ER (77W) Embraer 190 (E90) Check-in; Baggage; Infants; Minors; Pets Do you know this plane? It means that we are committed to creating added value for our customers, employees and investors and to meeting our responsibilities toward the environment and society. Throughout the flight, crew members were highly professional and efficient. After coming off from my last flight, I had just five hours or so until my next flight, which would take me from Montreal to Zurich. The new flight will bring service on the Zurich-Washington, D.C. route to 14 weekly frequencies provided by SWISS and its joint-venture partner United Airlines. As of 2022, the company has 14 A330-300 aircraft in its fleet. Les causes du problme peuvent tre les suivantes : Un module dextension de navigateur install bloque JavaScript, vous utilisez une connexion VPN ou un logiciel Internet de confidentialit qui sont souvent la cible des botnets, ou la latence de votre rseau pour accder notre site Internet est anormalement leve. The aircraft is roomy. 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. Wir entschuldigen den Unterbruch. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. Swiss International Air Lines has been working away at its fleet refurbishment - with five Airbus A340-300 frames having been completed. Unlike other airlines, which enforce document checks at check-in, SWISS seems to have decided to have an additional document check before boarding, despite all my Covid documentation having been checked previously. You can unsubscribe at any point by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. Whilst the food in the lounges has not been the greatest, I liked the style and brightness of the Zurich lounge in particular. With the completion of our Airbus A340 cabin refurbishment program, we are further underlining our quality commitment, and now offer all our customers the same premium air travel experience, including inflight internet connectivity on all our long-haul flights, said SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour. They'll email us from point to point? As part of the refurbishment, each of the first-class suites also features a 32-inch inflight entertainment screen. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. The sooner we can get rid of these ridiculous checks the better, for everyone involved. The range of the 333 is limited and it also has no crew rest, unlike the 340, which means F class has to be blocked for resting purposes on some routes. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Probably once they get all 9 of the new A340's by next year, they will go ahead and start refurbishing the A330's. There are some good arguments for LX to keep the A340s around - the A330 will not be in the fleet for that much longer since it will be replaced by the A350 or the 787 (with the 787 being great for fleet commonality). Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points. SIA to acquire 25 per cent stake in Air India. The route will be operated with an Airbus A330-300 aircraft seating 236 passengers. 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. The A330 has 8F/45C/183Y, the A340 'only' 8/47/164, so they will most certainly try to get in 10-19 extra Y seats. but let this be a lesson dont ever pick row 9. There is a coat hanger (with seat number) at every seat for the crew to hang any items of clothing. Corporate responsibility, that is to say sustainable and responsible entrepreneurial practice, is an integral part of our corporate strategy. Veuillez nous excuser pour cette interruption momentane. Beside getting a chance to fly long-haul in Swiss business class for the first time, this itinerary contained another treat a flight on board Swiss' new Airbus A220 aircraft from LHR to GVA. The bus was completely packed, though, so it didn't feel like a premium experience. There is actually one more factor; Edelweiss. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Ground Experience" tpg-rating="4" tpg-rating-max="10" tail="HB-JHJ" age="8" departure="12" departure-2="12" duration="8" duration-2="44" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. 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. ?3). As David mentioned, fuel is cheap right now and the A340 is more flexible due to some factors. SWISS operates its Airbus A340s on services between Zurich and Boston, Johannesburg and Shanghai. Find the right card for you. . The Wi-Fi itself was adequate for my usage, though the limit meant I was cautious in terms of what I was using it for, and it ran out before the flight ended. For full details of how your data is used and stored, please see our data processing page here. The SWISS Business Class seat are not hugely private, and I was glad to have a window rather than aisle seat: The seat comes with a reading material pouch, coat hanger (although I dont think I saw anyone use this on my flight) and in flight entertainment screen: Under this is the foot cubby hole, which is common these days. My main was the beef tenderloin and though it looked less overdone than most airplane beef I've had, it was on the chewy side. Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. Behind this is a very small Business Class cabin made up of just two rows, followed by a larger Business Class cabin made up of eight rows. SWISS is planning on shrinking its fleet by 15 aircraft, which represents about 15% of its fleet. Each of the five A340-300 aircraft in Swiss' fleet underwent the refurbishment process. 70,000 bonus points taken away due to refund, get back? In terms of content the variety wasnt bad, particularly given the dearth of cinema releases in the past year. Pictures of great freighter aircraft, Government Aircraft 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. Airbus A330-300 aircraft seating 236 passengers. Traveler photos (1) . FYI, SWISS has stated that no destinations are being but, rather frequencies will be adjusted. Got any questions? While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. 3 0 obj At least you know when your time is up. Does anyone has any update on progress of A340 refurbishment? While we sat in the larger secondary business section on our first flight, we happily nabbed seats 4D and 4G in the A330's mini-cabin on this flight. The plane in question is a 20-year-old Airbus A330-300 with the registration number C-GFUR. The planes have brand new first, business and economy class seats which now match the airline's Boeing 777s. Each of the IFE screens at the seats measures 11 inches. These have consoles on both sides, affording better privacy and more storage. Swiss A330 Business-Class Cabin. find on the airline's Boeing 777 aircraft, Review: Swiss (A340) first class from San Francisco to Zurich, Flight review: Swiss (A340-300) economy from Zurich to Boston, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources. As an AvGeek, I was pretty much as excited for the short intra-Europe flight (it would be my first on an A220) as I was for the almost-nine-hour transatlantic flight. Since they are keeping A340s anyway, a big chunk of the economics of scale for selling A340s is gone anyway. Swiss has finally finished upgrading its Airbus A340s. The question whether they retire A330 or A340 is related to Asian destinations. Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, LOT and Other Partners | Miles & More, FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides. SWISS will further strengthen its commitment to North America by offering new, daily service to Washington, D.C. from Zurich beginning March 29, 2020. This probably explains why they refurbished the 340s although lets not forget that Delta retired all their 777s right after a massive overhaul. The headline options include a beef burger, soups, salad, rosti and sandwiches as well as a range of sweet and salty snacks. We paid a total of 60,000 miles, and taxes and fees came to a total of $292, which we put on the Platinum Card in order to earn 5x points on the purchase in this case a total of 1,460 points, worth about $28 according to TPG's current valuations. Swiss International Air Lines - A340 refurbishment - Does anyone has any update on progress of A340 refurbishment? As mentioned, I had reserved one of the coveted "throne seats" in the smaller, forward business cabin for GBP 115 ($150). The menu, food and presentation was also very good. In first class, passengers can expect eight suites, which are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. SWISS has a reputation for its meal service and I was excited to try it. These are the even numbered A seats, so 4A, 6A, 8A and so forth. Could SWISS really be considering keeping these older A340s and retiring some A330s instead, or is the airline just being intentionally vague for now? But it will also be more focused, more digital, more efficient and more sustainable. Which new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard is best? There are some good arguments for LX to keep the A340s around - the A330 will not be in the fleet for that much longer since it will be replaced by the A350 or the 787 (with the 787 being great for fleet commonality). Find the right card for you. Standard seats can be reserved free of charge, and the throne seats on the left side (being in every other row) can be reserved for the same fee that I paid. the refurbishment of its aging A340-300 fleet. The Lufthansa Group is a global aviation group with a total of more than 300 subsidiaries and equity investments. Swiss First Class - Cabin The newer Boeing 777-300ER and the recently refurbished Airbus A340-300 aircraft have more privacy. The business-class lounge at Geneva has since re-opened, which will surely be a massive improvement compared to what I experienced. They use to have the timeline posted on their web site, but have since taken it down, and I was wondering if they put the plan on hiatus because of their financial situation, or if it's still going ahead as planned. 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