ANZEIGE
A few days ago, Swiss received its very first Boeing 777-300ER, the new flagship of the airline. They kept the plane to themselves for a few days to train crew and now, on 8 February, Swiss are sending the bird on its first commercial flight. Before flying it on the long-haul routes, the airline will use the plane for European flights in order to gain experience and to train crew further. Thus, the inaugural commercial flight will be an early Monday-morning from Zurich to Geneva.
Here's the route to be flown (thanks to the great circle mapper):
I travelled to Zurich airport the evening before and have checked into my 'second home' at the Radisson at ZRH airport. Thankfully, I received an upgrade into one of their business class rooms and am now enjoying the evening with a light dinner at their restaurant. Food was good (as usual) here at the hotel, service a bit confused and slow. But nothing that decreases the anticipation for tomorrow's inaugural flight. I've been on one of the very last flights of a DC-10, thanks to Biman Bangladesh, but being on the first flight of a bird is new for me as well.
The forum travel agent was offering package programs including the flight to Geneva and back. I wasn't sure and waited and - a couple of weeks before the flight - managed to snatch an economy ticket for some 70 Swiss Franks for the one-way in economy. Plus 25 Franks for the reserved window seat not a bad deal at all. The return flight (GVA-ZRH) on the same aircraft I managed to get for 130 Franks in Business Class; using a few tricks however, that was.
The day started early with a wake-up call at 5h15. I got ready, skipped breakfast and went directly to the terminal and through security. The Radisson is basically part of the airport building and thus, ways are short. I got through security without much of a wait and was airside just past 6 o’clock. A bit more than an hour until boarding time – that called for a visit to the new lounge.
The new lounges are located in the E dock where intercontinental flights usually depart and arrive. So that meant going through passport control (no questions asked) and taking the ‚Heidi Express’, an unmanned underground metro that connects the terminal buildings. Once at the E dock, I quickly found the new Senator lounge. Upon scanning my boarding pass, the receptionist mentioned that my flight was leaving from another terminal. I nodded and said that I just came over to take a look. I was the only guest in the lounge this early morning, and going there was undoubtedly the right decision. Light design, comfortable furniture, and outstanding catering facilities. Besides a Whisky Club (100 different Whiskys to try), they have a live cooking station. Next time, I must make sure to visit in the evening and try some of the beverages on offer......
About 30 minutes before the indicated boarding time, I took the ‚Heidi Express’ back to the main terminal concourse, went through passport control once again and found my way to the departure gate. There was already considerable activity going on. Besides the regular connecting passengers that arrived from Swiss’ longhaul connections this morning, a large group of aviation geeks were already waiting, taking pictures of the plane, and discussing all sorts of details. I tried taking a few pictures of the bird through the windows, found a place to sit and started typing these notes.
Boarding stared on time with the announcement made for Swiss’ inaugural 777 flight. When priority boarding was called (Business class, Hons, Senators, and Star Gold passengers), the queue was remarkable. I don’t think I have seen such a long priority boarding queue before.
Boarding took quite a while until everybody had found their seats. Swiss had blocked off the rear cabin of the plane. Business class as well as the front section of the economy cabin were almost booked to capacity. I found my seat 25A and was glad to have booked a window seat. The economy class has a 3 – 4 – 3 configuration. I was one of the few passengers to have an empty seat next to me, lucky me. The aircraft still had the ‘new’ smell to it. It was obvious that crew members were proud to be serving on this flight, as they were welcoming the passengers. As boarding was on-going, aviation geeks started to roam around the cabin, trying to take pictures of all sorts of features of the aircraft. I recognized some of them from previous aviation-related events and get-togethers.
Once boarding was completed, the captain gave an emotional welcome and announced all the cabin crew in the respective four Swiss national languages (each one was announced in the language of their home region). Although boarding was completed in time, there was a delay before we started to taxi. The captain attributed this to some paperwork that still needed to be done. Not even the always punctual Swiss manage to get their inaugural flight off the ground on time J
Economy seating is somewhat tight (well, what do you expect), but the new seat leaves surprisingly much space when reclined (also, when the seat in front is reclined).
We left Zurich with a delay of about 25 minutes. The flight itself was uneventful. A number of passengers were roaming around the cabin. Especially those that didn’t have window seats used the opportunity to get to the rear compartment and take some pictures in flight.
Arrival into Geneva then was almost on time. The fire brigade gave us a traditional welcome with a water fountain. Being parked on an apron position, we were bussed into the terminal – of course not without taking a picture of the new plane beforehand.
In Geneva, there was enough time to pass a short visit to the Lounge (no comparison to the new lounge in Zurich), before it was time to board again. Thankfully, I had got my hands on a business class ticket for the return, which was so much nicer. The new business class seat features a large TV screen and reclines into a full flat bed. What a nice comparison to be able to fly one leg in Economy and the other one in Business. Once in Zurich, I will have a connecting flight on my ticket (which helped me drop the price remarkably), which I will unfortunately miss. Rather, I will catch a train back home.
Here's the route to be flown (thanks to the great circle mapper):
I travelled to Zurich airport the evening before and have checked into my 'second home' at the Radisson at ZRH airport. Thankfully, I received an upgrade into one of their business class rooms and am now enjoying the evening with a light dinner at their restaurant. Food was good (as usual) here at the hotel, service a bit confused and slow. But nothing that decreases the anticipation for tomorrow's inaugural flight. I've been on one of the very last flights of a DC-10, thanks to Biman Bangladesh, but being on the first flight of a bird is new for me as well.
The forum travel agent was offering package programs including the flight to Geneva and back. I wasn't sure and waited and - a couple of weeks before the flight - managed to snatch an economy ticket for some 70 Swiss Franks for the one-way in economy. Plus 25 Franks for the reserved window seat not a bad deal at all. The return flight (GVA-ZRH) on the same aircraft I managed to get for 130 Franks in Business Class; using a few tricks however, that was.
The day started early with a wake-up call at 5h15. I got ready, skipped breakfast and went directly to the terminal and through security. The Radisson is basically part of the airport building and thus, ways are short. I got through security without much of a wait and was airside just past 6 o’clock. A bit more than an hour until boarding time – that called for a visit to the new lounge.
The new lounges are located in the E dock where intercontinental flights usually depart and arrive. So that meant going through passport control (no questions asked) and taking the ‚Heidi Express’, an unmanned underground metro that connects the terminal buildings. Once at the E dock, I quickly found the new Senator lounge. Upon scanning my boarding pass, the receptionist mentioned that my flight was leaving from another terminal. I nodded and said that I just came over to take a look. I was the only guest in the lounge this early morning, and going there was undoubtedly the right decision. Light design, comfortable furniture, and outstanding catering facilities. Besides a Whisky Club (100 different Whiskys to try), they have a live cooking station. Next time, I must make sure to visit in the evening and try some of the beverages on offer......
About 30 minutes before the indicated boarding time, I took the ‚Heidi Express’ back to the main terminal concourse, went through passport control once again and found my way to the departure gate. There was already considerable activity going on. Besides the regular connecting passengers that arrived from Swiss’ longhaul connections this morning, a large group of aviation geeks were already waiting, taking pictures of the plane, and discussing all sorts of details. I tried taking a few pictures of the bird through the windows, found a place to sit and started typing these notes.
Boarding stared on time with the announcement made for Swiss’ inaugural 777 flight. When priority boarding was called (Business class, Hons, Senators, and Star Gold passengers), the queue was remarkable. I don’t think I have seen such a long priority boarding queue before.
Boarding took quite a while until everybody had found their seats. Swiss had blocked off the rear cabin of the plane. Business class as well as the front section of the economy cabin were almost booked to capacity. I found my seat 25A and was glad to have booked a window seat. The economy class has a 3 – 4 – 3 configuration. I was one of the few passengers to have an empty seat next to me, lucky me. The aircraft still had the ‘new’ smell to it. It was obvious that crew members were proud to be serving on this flight, as they were welcoming the passengers. As boarding was on-going, aviation geeks started to roam around the cabin, trying to take pictures of all sorts of features of the aircraft. I recognized some of them from previous aviation-related events and get-togethers.
Once boarding was completed, the captain gave an emotional welcome and announced all the cabin crew in the respective four Swiss national languages (each one was announced in the language of their home region). Although boarding was completed in time, there was a delay before we started to taxi. The captain attributed this to some paperwork that still needed to be done. Not even the always punctual Swiss manage to get their inaugural flight off the ground on time J
Economy seating is somewhat tight (well, what do you expect), but the new seat leaves surprisingly much space when reclined (also, when the seat in front is reclined).
We left Zurich with a delay of about 25 minutes. The flight itself was uneventful. A number of passengers were roaming around the cabin. Especially those that didn’t have window seats used the opportunity to get to the rear compartment and take some pictures in flight.
Arrival into Geneva then was almost on time. The fire brigade gave us a traditional welcome with a water fountain. Being parked on an apron position, we were bussed into the terminal – of course not without taking a picture of the new plane beforehand.
In Geneva, there was enough time to pass a short visit to the Lounge (no comparison to the new lounge in Zurich), before it was time to board again. Thankfully, I had got my hands on a business class ticket for the return, which was so much nicer. The new business class seat features a large TV screen and reclines into a full flat bed. What a nice comparison to be able to fly one leg in Economy and the other one in Business. Once in Zurich, I will have a connecting flight on my ticket (which helped me drop the price remarkably), which I will unfortunately miss. Rather, I will catch a train back home.
