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| A340 - Business Class |
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Extraordinary
December - 2011 |
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5
Stars & 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Service & Comfort' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| Celebrating the holidays in Europe and especially
Germany, second in line claiming to have ‘invented’ the Christmas
tree after Lithuania, was a special treat and I was on my merry way to do just
that. Unfortunately my driver and I had been stuck in the infamous New York
City evening traffic and arrived too late at JFK’s terminal 7 to
experience Swiss International’s business class lounge. Check-in was most
pleasant and quick with barely any waiting time and my Rimowa suitcases were
checked-in with priority. I was graciously welcomed onboard and the flight
attendants quickly offered to take my long winter coat and stow it properly.
Swiss International Business Class has special knobs with wooden hangers for
jackets at every seat. |
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| SWISS -
Swiss Business Class - Layout |
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| Already during the welcome drink (a glass of champagne
or fresh orange juice) I realized that I, as a single person placed at the
window of a two-seat row, would not only have little privacy but would
unfortunately also have to step over, or wake the person next to me up, to use
the facilities. So if you are travelling alone, please make sure to book one of
the seats that doesn't have a second seat next to it or consider booking Swiss
International’s new Business Intercontinental angled seating configuration
of 1-2-1 / 2-2-1, which offers better access to your own seat and allows easier
access to the aisle and restroom. |
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| I was hungry since I
had missed dinner in the business lounge, but choose a lighter version
‘quick meal’ without the main course, since it was very late. The
food was fresh and nicely presented on a starched, white tablecloth and
graciously served. Witnessing my neighbor dining a full five-course gourmet
dinner, paired with some really nice wines, made me wish I would have done the
same, especially since I didn’t get much sleep anyway. Swiss
International’s on-board cuisine is excellent, as I will have experienced
on my return flight! |
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| Swiss
- Business Class - HeadPhones |
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| My accommodations for the night were decent; I was
able to recline my seat easily to a full flat bed. But the air pillow system
really didn’t make much of a difference and the massage function was not
recognizable probably due to the fact that this was an older plane that clearly
had a few hundred thousand miles on its wings. Swiss International offers
nicely sized slip covered pillows but unfortunately their blankets do not even
come close to the feel of a comforter. Swiss International’s amenity kits
are always different or were in transition, as on this flight they were fun
little metal boxes that included most of the essentials, like socks, a sleeping
mask, earplugs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, but no description of the
‘ingredients’ on the toothpaste, saying only ‘Made in
China’. |
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| SWISS -
Swiss Business Class - Sleep |
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| The personal care products and lotion in the lavatory
were from ‘Valmont of Switzerland’ and especially the little tubes of
cellular restoring nourishing cream were excellent. Valmont Laboratories, with
HQ on Lake Geneva, are advertising the use of glacial spring water in their
products. Other in-flight amenities like a shaving kit, comb, mouthwash, etc
are available upon request. Swiss International’s in-flight entertainment
system was easy to understand and came with sterilized headphones that
delivered crisp, clean sound. I did not try plug in my laptop on any of my four
Swiss flights, but witnessed that it worked well for others. |
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| Swiss
- Lounge |
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We approached Zurich
airport, which with the surrounding mountains, was bedecked with a blanket of
snow. Here, with a three-hour layover I was finally able to experience the
Swiss Business Lounge for breakfast and check my emails. Please make sure to
check out the second lounge level upstairs as well where the actual breakfast
buffet is located. Since the Zurich Business Class desk personal were pretty
occupied, they forgot to tell me all about it. So unfortunately I had indulge
downstairs on a croissant and some of Swiss’s luscious chocolates over a
fine cup of strong coffee. |
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| Later on the return to New York, we had booked a room
for the night before our departure at an airport hotel at Düsseldorf
International, which appeared to be the nearest to our departure hall. Our
accommodations at the relatively new Maritim Hotel Düsseldorf (opened
December 2007) were excellent. I especially liked the organic green breakfast
tea. The Maritim Hotel is said to be the largest conference hotel in North
Rhine Westphalia and the hotel was indeed directly connected to the terminal
through a walking bridge. |
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| After a most pleasant check-in at Swiss’s
business counter I was pointed into the direction of the business class lounge
at Düsseldorf International, only to find it closed for the holidays. I
found a breakfast lounge, which was accommodating frequent travelers of
Lufthansa foremost, as well as others. The choice of magazines and the coffee
were good and breakfast decent, but no Internet access. It was a quick flight
from Düsseldorf to Zurich; a light breakfast was served with gracious
smiles along with the always-appreciated treat of delicious Swiss
chocolates. |
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| At Zurich Airport the
business class lounge was closed as well (for the holidays?) and we were
relieved when we finally found a lounge with Internet access that seemed to be
a busy ‘frequent flyer catch all’ kind of lounge. Finally we boarded
our Swiss A340 airplane and since my return trip to the States was during the
day I was looking forward to my “Taste of Switzerland". |
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| Ingrid Lemme - Swiss - Business Class |
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| Swiss Air’s ‘Dining Above the Clouds’
experience was exquisite, the service excellent and the tablecloth and napkins
white, starched and expertly ironed. "Swiss - Taste of Switzerland" was
implemented in ‘02 and features the cuisine of some of the top Swiss’
chefs in first and business. The Seasonal Salad (greens) with Balsamic
Vinaigrette came as fresh as it gets, crisp and tasty as if it was somehow just
picked at the farm. For my main course I chose the Herb Crusted Halibut with
Lobster Sauce, Savoy Cabbage and Baby Carrots, a deliciously ocean fresh white
fish delicately ladled with chunks of tender lobster pieces. |
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| Swiss
- Business Class - Cuisine |
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The flight attendant
kindly recommended a Charles Steiner Chasselas to go with the fish
entrée and with its crisp unencumbered feel, gentle fruitiness and an
occasional effervescent pearl, it would have paired nicely, but I chose to have
hot tea instead. All the courses were served on white elegant china, with
stainless steel flatware. A nice selection of aromatic cheeses, including a
small Camembert, followed. I decided to skip the dessert but could not resist
on the Swiss Chocolates and a cup of coffee, which made my "Swiss - Taste of
Switzerland" complete. |
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by Ingrid Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2012 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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