Here’s my recent experience on SWISS First Class from Zurich to Singapore. I was excited to try SWISS service on their 777-300ER and compare it to Lufthansa’s First, which I’ve flown a few times in the past.

Route	ZRH-SIN
Flight	LX176
Cabin	First Class
Equipment	Boeing 777-300ER
Aircraft	HB-JNB
Flight Time	13h 35m

How I Booked This Flight

This flight was part of a round-trip ticket from Copenhagen to Singapore, booked as a code-share flight through Lufthansa. The total cost for the First class round-trip was around $3500, which is an absolute steal. Initially, we had booked Singapore Airlines for both directions; however, in the end, we could change our flights to SWISS First on the outbound and Singapore Airlines on the return.

Check-In

As we started our flight in Copenhagen and had a layover in Zürich, we weren’t able to experience the First Class check-in. However, as we entered the lounge, it seemed that the check-in area would lead you directly to the lounge, similar to the Lufthansa First Class terminal, although the lounge is, of course, a part of the main terminal.

Lounge

The lounge is covered in a separate review of its own (SWISS First Lounges in Zurich).

Boarding

The boarding process was nothing out of the ordinary, a big difference from Lufthansa’s First Class terminal, which offers a private car to the plane at just the right time, ensuring you never have to wait at the gate. Naturally, First Class passengers are boarded first, but if you arrive at the gate before boarding starts, you will need to wait with everyone else, and if you arrive after general boarding has started, you might be stuck at the back of the queue.

Cabin

The cabin has an incredibly beautiful and understated design. Multiple panels feature wood details, the lighting is soft and warm, and the seats are a beautiful shade of navy blue. The cabin is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, with single seats on the windows and double seats in the middle. The middle seats have a divider that can be raised as well in case you’re traveling alone and have a stranger next to you (or if you’re tired of your travel companion).

The lighting was a very nice touch, especially with plenty of smaller soft lights throughout the cabin. The walls also have an extra layer of padding, making the cabin very quiet and contributing to the overall feeling of luxury.

One surprising thing was how clean and new everything felt. In spite of the plane being 9 years old, there were almost no signs of wear on the cabin. I’m not sure if it had been refitted or if the people flying with SWISS are generally more careful with the cabin than Lufthansa, which often has a lot of wear on their planes.

Seat

The seat features a small wardrobe on the aisle side which, when combined with the divider, makes the seat an almost fully enclosed mini-suite.

The seat, of course, folds down into a fully flat bed, which the crew will make up with a mattress pad, duvet, and pillow. The bed is incredibly comfortable and I had no trouble getting a good night’s sleep.

Additionally the seat features an ottoman opposite to the passenger which can double as a chair if you want to have dinner with a travel companion facing you.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit is a small leather bag, large enough to work as an iPad case but a bit too small for a 14” MacBook Pro, a great way to provide a useful item that passengers will actually use. The kit itself contained the usual items such as cremes, lip balm, etc. However, for larger items such as socks and eye masks, the crew provided a tray from which you could pick which items you wanted. A great way to reduce waste. The socks provided were also of very high quality, primarily made of cotton and not the plastic material often used, so they will definitely be used again!

IFE & WiFi

The IFE features a large high-resolution screen with a good selection of movies, TV shows, and music. The screen is controlled by a remote which is stored in the armrest as well as through touch, however considering how far away the screen is you’ll probably prefer the remote.

Dinner

Since our flight departed in the evening the first meal served was dinner. Just as expected from a First Class flight the food selection was excellent, offering a selection of four main courses and no less than six different starters. The one small drawback though is that there is no caviar service, a bit of a unique thing in first class. That being said everything served was excellent!

I opted for salmon sashimi instead of caviar, followed by a selection of Swiss meat specialties and sliced veal Zürich style. The main course is not a very photogenic dish, but trust me when I say it was delicious.

Breakfast

Before landing, breakfast was served, again with a good selection of items typical to a European breakfast, including yogurt with muesli and a selection of bread. I, however, instead opted to use the “dine on demand” service that comes with First Class and had my dessert from the dinner menu, which I had skipped before sleeping. First, a selection of Swiss cheese was followed by an orange and vanilla soufflé with plum compote. Both were absolutely delicious!

Conclusion

SWISS First is an excellent product in the air, offering a really great hardware product with a beautiful cabin and comfortable seat. The service is of course also top notch while being very friendly and personal without overdoing it, a great balance which feels very Swiss. The food and drink offering is great with every meal being delicious and an extensive wine list which even included a dessert wine.

That being said, the experience on the ground is not up to the same standard as Lufthansa, which is the closest competitor. While it’s by no means a bad experience, in fact it’s quite good, it’s simply not up to the level of crazy luxury that a separate terminal and private car to the plane offers.

Book SWISS with Points and Miles

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• Singapore Airlines Suites (A380-800)
• SWISS First Lounges in Zurich
• Lufthansa First Class