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3.23 

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SwissAir Reviews

Really Really good
May 27, 2017 08:32 PM3981 Views (via Android App)

There are no words for this airlies to compare with other airlines beacuse this is best you find out in mumbai right now with everything best what else do you want when you are traveling long journey where you feel bored sleepy in other long destination flights but here you thats your second home with all stuffs in it best crew thats it


Londonderry United Kingdom
Business class - very good
Nov 03, 2013 01:19 AM7744 Views

Zurich-Bangkok and return, on Airbus with the new Swiss Business Class lie-flat seats. Good check-in, helpful cabin staff, seat comfortable and easily adjusted including to lie-flat position: you can change hardness/softness and there's a back massage option. Only drawback - seat a bit narrow. I had no problems, in fact I slept better than on some other airlines' business class eats, lying on my side and stretched out(I'm over 6 ft) but someone a bit broader who sleeps on their back might not be so happy.


I'd have no problems flying Swiss Business Class again.


Boston United States of America
Below Average airline
Nov 09, 2009 10:46 PM13876 Views

My fiancee just flew from JFK - Zurich - Delhi and had a really bad experience. The flight to Zurich was in a smaller airplane and her seat was offset with respect to the one in front so watching the LCD or eating your food was tricky.


Although we had clearly requested a Hindu Vegetarian meal (at booking time) she was given a western vegan meal. From Zurich to India, she tried requesting a Veg meal. She got it but a few minutes later an air hostess comes by and took the meal back.


The same air hostess later spilled a drink on her. We have had much much better experiences with Air India. The tickets were the same price, we just felt it would be better to avoid Air India, but I guess the maharaja is not all that bad.Unless its cheap avoid Swiss Air.


YOUR RATING ON

SwissAir
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Memorable first flight experience
Feb 16, 2009 09:30 AM12919 Views

I flew Business from Delhi to Zurich in 2008, and it was a great experience for me (well, I didn't like the swiss wine, but oh well I don't like alcohol anyways). Food choices were great.


They actually ask you what you want on a written form. The seat equipment was a bit complicated, so many buttons, but I didn't need TV anyways. Flight attendants were sweet and nice. It was a very comfortable flight!! Swiss International rocks.


And did I mention, the check-in counter attendants are the greatest! Everything fast and quick!! Moreover, their customer service is responsive too! It was certainly the best flight experience, especially since that was my very first flight. Their second flight, operated by United from Zurich to DC is not as comfortable as the first one, but that's because it's operated by United. I mean it was ok, but the seating was a bit tight in United. I'd definitely recommend Swiss International or alike -- Lufthansa!


Sandweiler Luxembourg
LUX - TLV- BKK AND BACK
Jan 01, 2009 09:01 PM12880 Views

Swiss Air have greatly improved. I now regularly fly Swiss Air and I am very happy with the service. I am a frequent flyer, and a few times I received a complimentary upgrade at the gate. They have many 4 engine planes on short haul, which is great. On the ZRH_TLV route, they use a modern A330 with a proper business class and sleeper seats.


The main lounge in Zurich is very nice indeed. Good selection of drinks and a nice seating area.


But, they do close check in before the flight leaves, and this can be a problem, if you arrive before the flight has left, but after check in has closed.


copenhagen Denmark
Rude+inconsistent phone information (copenhagen)
Jul 07, 2008 08:50 PM10289 Views

(While trying to book paris-athens and athens-copenhagen on Swiss that transits in Zurich)


It has proven impossible trying to get an answer out of Swiss-Air regarding zurich transit visa requirements while travelling between Schengen countries. A friend wanted to book on SwissAir but had a chinese passport with a single entry to schengen countries. She was concerned because she had been denied boarding before with Swiss on similar but not identical cicumstances.


Calling the Swiss HQ office in Switzerland resulted in a "sure, no problem, you don't need a transit visa". When pressed, she said we should call the relevant airport office to be sure. Calling Paris resulted in a "yes you need a transit visa". When pressed, the attendant admitted she didn't know for sure and her manager was away so she couldn't confirm. But she took a phone number, and said they would call back - that hasn't happened yet.


The next day, tried calling copenhagen office. That was just a bad mistake. "How should I know ? Call the embassy". But "shouldn't the airline know since it's carrying passengers through Zurich" resulted in a flat "No, I don't know".


Is it just me expecting too much ? My friend and I just wanted to know if the airline would deny boarding before booking. Well, the result is of course not booking on Swiss. Who wants a ruined holiday ?


Absolute No No
Jan 20, 2008 10:10 PM10208 Views

I was at the check-in queue early and was in line towards a desk with electronic label "Economy class". When I reach the desk, they declared that it was a business class desk and after waiting in queue for 20mins, I had to go to another mile long queue. Even when I pointed out that the desk indicates that its Economy class, and that's the reasons for me being in the queue, they even refuse to talk to me. One could sense an arrogance of newly acquired power...


On board, even with an infact (6 months old) the air hostess do not bother to pay one bit extra attention to your needs. They forget to get things you ask for (or rather ignore the request), do not bring the pre-ordered baby food. A big contrast, our own domestic flights were amazingly friendly. The air hostess even offered to take care of the baby while we had our food ! The best the Swiss Air had to say was, "You can ask your neighbor to take care of your infant"!


Extremely disappointing!


Lowell United States
SWISS is Better than Air India and Air France!!
Sep 26, 2006 08:14 PM12584 Views

I flew SWISS on Chicago-Zurich-Bombay route in December 2005. The flight took off late by 1 hour, mainly due to congestion at Chicago's O Hare Airport.


I flew economy in the Airbus A 330 which was a nice n clean aircraft. Interior was a nice combination of white and red. The seates were bit wider than the economy class in Air India's Jumbo Jet 747 as well as Air France's Airbuses. Enough for a person with 5"4 height and an average built body. The in flight entertainment system was good and they had hindi songs as well as hindi movies running so killing the time was bit easier.


I got different indian food (vegetarian) on 3 out of my 4 flights and the food was tasty. I cant help but remember AIir France who gave me same indian food on all of my 4 flights. The flight crew on board as well as at airports was friendly and co-operative. Zurich airport is a very good airport to pass some time. (unlike Air France's Charles D Goul airport of Paris which is one of the pathetic ones in case you need to spend more than 3 hours there!!)


SWISS gives you warm colone towels just before they start decending to land. Those towels make you feel just like you had a warm shower. You feel all fresh n ready for the next round of flight ( in case you are connecting to somewhere else!!)


Personally I have flew Air India and Air France. I will say that SWISS is much better than those two airlines. From what I have heard, SWISS is considered as one of the best airlines among the Indians living abroad.


Hope you find this review useful for your decision making.


Ketul


Erlangen Germany
Swiss Nuremberg Mumbai
Jul 08, 2006 05:51 PM10633 Views

I recently had the misfortune of travelling Swiss from Nuremberg to Mumbai and back in the business class.The check in at Nuremberg was Okay . The veg grub on board was awful. The in flight staff on board were super friendly to their own kind and very "distanted" towards the Indians. Maybe some day they will realise that it is not the 20 Swiss that make their flights to India profitable but the 200 Indians. The ground staff in Mumbai allowed the Swiss passengers to carry 3 (yes 3) pieces of hand luggage but refused me to carry 2 ........and I thought I was flying business class!!!


The lounge in Zurich is loud and staff don't even look at you when addressing you. The lounge in Mumbai is shared by other airlines and just as crowded.


I did write to them about my experience to their cutomer service but they haven't bothered to aknowledge teven the receipt of my comments.


I'll think 10 times before booking Swiss again. By the way, how often has Swiss filed bankruptcy before being take over by the Germans?


Clifton United States of America
SwissAir.. no class about it
Oct 31, 2005 04:32 PM12593 Views

In Plain terms, if u plan to fly Swiss… No Class about it.


I have travelled in almost every Airline carriers in India and few across the globe, but my recent flight from Mumbai to Zurich and Zurich to Amsterdam failed to create an Impression.. what one says.. Swiss Experience…


Apart from the Swiss chocos served during the flight.. I found the flight just about average. The flight left from Mumbai on Schedule 1.15 Am in the morning. The take off was smooth. The average age of flight attendants on board was about 35-40 which was another pooh pooh for a young Indian like me. Well they were sort of friendly and smiling but failed to impress. The space inside the Economy Cabin is maaaaaaan … so less , you barely feel that u r sitting Inside a Boeing. The sitting arrangements are 2-4-2 type. I was sitting in one edge of the 4 seater and next to me was a young Swiss blonde.. well that was the only good thing which happened during the flight. The flight entertainment system is just average with a few English, Hindi songs, A couple of Dos based games and a few movie flicks… I believe our very own Kingfisher has a better flight entertainment system. I just heard a few songs and watched my Favourite pastime.. CNN and went for a long nap. The leg space is barely enough and a tall traveller will surely find it pissing. Well as the night came over us heavily, I found the swiss blonde sleeping on my arms, almost senseless. I thought of awaking her, but finally stopped… hey lets make this a Swiss experience ..hehe


To add a few more points, the food is just average with some good croissants, sandwiches and cokes… the booze on board was just average I thought so thought of not getting drunk ….


I saw the Business class on Board and somehow didn’t got the class feel there too….


When I decided to go abroad for an assignment in Netherlands, I was given a chance of three flights..




  1. Bangalore-Mumbai-Zurich(Swiss)-Amsterdam .. which I took(Only coz Zurich was involved)




  2. Bangalore- Chennai-Frankfurt(Germany)-Amsterdam.. thru Lufthansa Airline… I wish I could have boarded that.. alas




  3. Bangalore- Mumbai-Vienna(Austria)-Amsterdam- thru Austrian airlines…






Well I am still regretting my choice of Swiss…


To add to this, dear MS readers, avoid Swiss… its just average… and ya if you get a chance do fly Lufthansa … its real class…..


Adieu..


I would appreciate ur comments on this… and your experiences of Swiss if any…


Extremely bad service
Aug 06, 2005 10:17 PM9905 Views

These guys overbooked the flight from Zurich to Mumbai on 21-Jul 05 and started offering business class seats for the next day.That was just the start of our wonderful holiday to India.The flight was late by 1 hour,and horribly full,we had no leg space and was damn cramped.We had requested Asian Veg meal while booking but the flight attendant told us they had only one meal left ,that too at 13:30 PM.We were two passengers with confirmed meal preference of Asian Veg,one of us being a ulcer patient.The same case happened to others in the flight.We were given spaghetti at 14:30 hrs.....


The headphones were bad,only one ear was working,balance does not work......spoilt my hearing and had to stop listening to music.....repeated complaints to the flight staff did not help.I need ear plugs during take off and landing...flight staff refused the same......I will not recommend Swiss Air to any body and I will not travel again by Swiss Air....


Two in one review:Airbus A330+Swiss Airlines
May 04, 2005 02:35 PM15945 Views

SWISS AIR


MS ke Dost log !!


I am directly boarding and flying for my review...


Recently, I traveled to Stuttgart Germany with Swiss Air. The flight was from Mumbai-Zurich-Stuttgart... I have mentioned travel up to Zurich only as I traveled to Stuttgart with some Small Airbus plane. So read on and let me know your comments and ratings pleaseeee.


This is Airlines review as well as Review of Airbus A330 combined. I hope you will enjoy the ‘COMBO’ this time.


This is not of typical reviews of Electronic gadgets or cars which I have written previously. I started from Microwave oven, Purifiers, Fast food, Cars and now trying to graduate myself. 


So a direct take off this time for review of Swiss Airlines and A-330 Airbus.


I always dreamt of a travel where very beautiful lady will be your companion through out your journey but guys hardluck,this has never happened.I am not lucky to become Air khan of ‘Dil hai ki Manata nahi’ in this journey also.Instead a very big guy probably executive of some Mobile company was besides me. .




  1. I boarded on plane with all necessary formalities and voila..A beautiful AIRHOSHTESSHH of Swiss air will welcome you.




  2. AIRBUS A-330 Specifications : (Taken from AIRBUS site!!)




  3. Number of seats: 245




  4. Average speed km/h: 870




  5. Max altitude feet: 41,000




  6. Max. Take-off weight kg: 230,000




  7. Max. Range km: 10,500




  8. Length m: 58.37




  9. Wingspan m: 60.3




  10. Engines: Pratt & Whit ney




  11. The AIRBUS A-330Swiss air offers A330 on services to and from Central Africa, the Eastern seaboard of North America, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.




  12. Seating :Pretty good seats and pleasant atmosphere in plane makes you fresh when you enter the plane. A basic but comfortable lie-flat seat in business class. These are slightly narrower than most business class offerings. No drop down armrests in sleep mode which keeps this narrow-feel environment going, tiny footrest insufficient for you to brace yourself whilst lying down, and cushioning can be a bit hard for some. This seat is nearly flat, but unfortunately tilts at an uncomfortable angle, so should not be classed as a lie-flat bed. Business class on this route is costly and greater comfort would be appreciated.




  13. Economy leg room is above average, so will be reasonably comfortable for most people. Larger people will, as always with economy seating, have some problems.




  14. Take off was smooth. Mumbai was looking beautiful with its Arial view. It was beginning of fairly large journey and was thinking of only ’Mera Bharat Mahan’.When will I be able to see my beautiful country again??I will miss my Pavbhaji,Chicken Chettinad and Vada pav.Those who have gone thru’ my earlier revus will know the importance of this sentence 




  15. I was already home sick because I would be missing my 'GHAR KA KHANA' but surprisingly you get Indian food in Long journey Swiss air flight. That is good sign and indicates how the globalization has made our world smaller. I got Mysore dosa and Upma!! It was a good surprise!




  16. There was a vegetarian option of saffron noodles with grilled courgettes and aubergines. Cheese sticks were offered with crusty rolls and dessert consisted of a grape tartlet with whipped cream. Tea/Coffee was served separately with delicious chocolate cigars. Swissair plans to upgrade its meal service in business class.




  17. Free food and drink is served on all long haul flights. The quality of long haul Business/Economy food is generally considered good. Book in advance if you have specific dietary requirements. Note this carrier does not serve free food on flights within Europe - Instead, passengers will be able to purchase sandwiches (for example, a croissant, coffee and juice costs around 10-12 Swiss Francs).




  18. Swissair's service, however, is pretty much faultless. Service levels are usually above average. In flight staff is fairly well-motivated.




  19. The usual newspapers are complementary on early morning and evening flights. Announcements are in German, French and English.




  20. In flight EntertainmentSwiss air has included Offering of personal movie LCD screens in every seat .You have 15 movie channel entertainment thru' and you can get Cartoons, Hindi Cinema, Hindi Music, Games etc...Good time pass. I saw who Wants to be a Millionaire?, also apna Sallu khan movie, and played lot of games. You can also send short text message to any email, mobile phone or fax number but at an additional price. There is no in-flight entertainment on board shorter European flights, so probably best to bring a book or a companion.(who will not eat your head of course !)




  21. Reached Zurich after 8 hours approx and the schedule was really tight. Catching a connecting flight is easier due to excellent Tunnel rail and big Information screens on Zurich airport. I was impressed! That is how Swiss precision works!!!




  22. Swiss' base, Zurich, has a good number of shops and other facilities. Duty free facilities still exist for almost all departures. The lounge is organized in different sections - one for business class, one for Travel club members, plus a business lounge and a cinema cafe.




  23. The business class and Travel club lounges are adjacent and identical with great natural lighting on a sunny day (which is a rare event, alas), and a stand-up bar with drinks and snacks (nuts, crackers, pastries, biscuits etc.)




  24. The business lounge is quite Spartan and has eight desks, four of which with internet access, as well as fax, phones and copier.




  25. The cinema cafe boasts a very large screen and a variety of chairs and tables with drinks and snacks available from the adjacent bar corner.




  26. There are around 12 computer consoles with internet access in a stand-up area by the reception, as well as a couple of shower rooms, and a wireless internet access has been installed recently in the lounge.




  27. While I have no complaints with facilities (food could do better though), Swiss clearly underestimates the number of visitors to the lounge during peak hours, which means the lounge has the same noisy and crowded feeling you're likely to experience in the public area.






But, as I am used to all our Indian Rail Platforms and Public Transport facilities, I really did not feel much about it, I saw many people complaining about the same though. If you are a high class business user,then you may feel the heat,otherwise for a people like me can very well adjust the surroundings!


Overall,it was pleasant experience and I will give good ratings to Swiss air for enjoyable flight


• Flight on time? 10/10


• Customer service 10/10


• Comfort on flight 8/10


• Quality of food 8/10


• Value for money 10/10


• Overall rating 8/10


• Recommended Yes


Bangalore India
My experiences with Swissair
Mar 17, 2005 03:30 AM10280 Views

I used to live in Switzerland for a few years and have travelled on Swissair flights frequently. My experience with them is that they were a much better airline before they had financial trouble. The first time I travelled was in 1997 from Mumbai to Zurich. The flight was very pleasant, the airhostess helpful though a little standoffish (which is normal behaviour if you know Swiss-Germans) and Zurich airport was one of the cleanest airports I had been to.


However , recently, their quality of service has been going down. They messed up food preferences completely and when I complained to them about it, they said I would have to discuss it with my travel agent ! Finally, I ended up with some crusty bread and some butter and extra servings of dessert. This happened on a flight from Zurich to JFK and was a code share with American Airlines.


My last two trips with them in 2002 changed my opinion though about them. I was fortunate to get a free upgrade to Business class (they sometimes do it if you are a full fare paying customer and cattle class is bursting at its seams). Boy oh boy! Business class on Swiss is the best thing you can hope for. Short of the stewardess massaging me, she made sure I was very comfortable. The food was excellent, the seats spacious and the inflight entertainment, superb!


So, if you can afford it, upgrade to business class and travel in comfort. If not, AVOID the airlines completely.


St. Louis United States of America
Swissair is pretty good
Dec 07, 2004 03:44 AM9116 Views

My parents and I have flown Swissairwhen going to India back in 1999, and I have to say that the service is very decent and the airline itself ranks itself up to the high note.


This was a connection with Delta from Atlanta to Zurich, then from Zurich to Mumbai we flew Swissair. They have a nice staff and the stewardesses seem very friendly with smiles every now and then. I also like what they have to offer through duty free shopping.


Some of their items are at their best- the cologne, chocolate candies, Swiss watches, gifts, etc. They show good movies too. They're never late, just like British Airways and other European airlines. As I must say, Swissair is another airline, along with British Airways, that beats out Air India!


Planes are clean on the inside, and the seats meet my needs of comfort. So this is another airline, along with Delta and British Airways, that I recommend to people who are planning a trip to India any day now.


Milton Keynes United Kingdom
SWISS is cool
Nov 22, 2004 10:52 PM10235 Views

Hi, I recently travelled by SWISS International Airlines (the name is no longer SWISSAIR) from London to Mumbai and back. The experience was real good.


First, the prices. Being a self-financed trip, I was looking out for a combination of low fares coupled with less travelling time and min. stopovers/changes.


I got a good deal of 400 pounds from Expedia.co.uk. There was a changeover of flights @ Zurich with approx. 55 mins between the connecting flights. Seemed quite quick and economical. I did have some doubts, given the low fares. Searched on the web and the reviews were not that bad, but not gr88 either. They seemed to be quite strict on luggage rules though. Also, food portions were said to be small.


Anyways, I had no options but to keep my fingers crossed and hope for a good flight. There was a twist in the tale, when one day before my trip, I got injured in a sporting accident and had a swelling on my right ankle. As a result I couldn't walk. Imagine travelling London-Mumbai alone and not being able to walk. Thoughts abt cancelling the trip crossed my mind. Nevertheless, I went ahead and asked for wheelchair facility at Heathrow, Zurich and Mumbai. The SWISS representative assured me on the phone that all would be taken care of.


Come the trip day & I was a bit nervous, but the smiling SWISS staff at the check-in counter at Heathrow put all my fears to rest. They themselves asked, if wheelchair was needed and offered to provide me the same. I did not need it at Heathrow, since my condition was not that bad. About the luggage part, this one was quite interesting.


SWISS advertise that they allow 20 Kg check-in and 10 kg Hand-luggage. However, my check-in weighed 27.3 kgs, but they did not seem to have any problems with that. The hand-luggage weighed 12.5 kgs and I was made to remove 1.5 kgs from it. Not a big issue, though. Was relieved till now.


Step on to the flight and the atmosphere was warm. Liked the interiors. We had to wait for 1hr. on the Heathrow tarmac, since some passengers who had checked in had not yet boarded. But, the pilot ensured that we reached Zurich on time, thus assuring us of a smooth changeover. In Zurich, I was provided with a wheelchair (again without asking), and the changeover was very smooth. Once inside the Zurich-Mumbai flight, it seemed like a Indian carrier.


There were messages in Hindi on the screen. Indian Veg/Non-Veg food was also provided. Announcements were also made in Hindi, in addition to English/Swiss-German. Every seat had a personal TV screen with a variety of movies (one of which was Hindi)/documentaries. SWISS in-flight service was quick, efficient and with a touch of warmth.


On reaching Mumbai, again the courteous SWISS staff ensured that a wheelchair was ready for me. I was impressed to say the least. The same was the scene on my return to London.


Throughout my trip, I found SWISS to be an efficient, punctual and customer friendly airline.


It is highly recommended.


Cheers!!!


Sudhir


On the top again
Aug 16, 2003 04:36 PM10776 Views

Hi Guys, I flew Swiss recently, and the experience was in one word - wonderful. I have flown Swissair quite a number of times, before it had gone under, that is. I always had only pleasant memories. Back then, people who were regular with Swissair, would not even think of flying with another carrier. Well, it is Swiss International Airlines now, and they have some of the best and safest planes in the world, most of thier fleet is quite young, and their service is excellent, both on and off the ground.


I had to travel the Bombay-Zurich sector again recently. As it was the only direct flight to Zurich, and as I always had only good memories of Swissair, I decided to fly Swiss. It would be the first time I flew with the carrier. I got myself a ticket reserved in Economy class, but I was a little sceptical as I had heard stories from people who had traveled with Swissair as the airline was passing over troubled water. Anyway I got to the airport on time and passed through check in. I half expected some trouble there. But surprise, surprise, nothing happened. The staff on the ground were all smiles, and didnt cause any inconvenience to any passengers. All the pre flight formalities were a breeze, and we passed through smoothly, as passengers of bigger and more famous airlines were trying their best to come to terms with stony faced staff.


On the plane, the flight attendants were only too helpful. they helped everyone to find the seats, stow the luggage, and what not. A pre flight drink was served, and the plane a brand new Airbus A330-200, left exactly on time, at 0115 hours. The flight crew were all smiles always, and assisted all passengers in all needs, without the least frown on thier faces. Then again, its their duty to smile, but one feels lots better when people smile, even if the smile is just plastered.


The aisles were wide and the seats very very comfortable, with modern upholstery clean covers and plenty of leg room. The aircraft in itself was squeaky clean (Swiss standards), and the seats could be pushed way back, which was one main reason that I could spent the whole flight without feeling the least uncomfortable. Also, each person was provided with a pillow and a blanket. Each seat has its own personal entertainment system, with an LCD screen, (of course, this is now standard in most airllines) and a wide array of movies, a large collection of MP3 music, games, BBC online news, etc. Also, the current speed, altitude, outside temperature, local time, ETA, distance and time to destination, are constantly shown on the screen in 3 languages. The currrent course of flight is also shown on screen by a graphical map. All this in economy class!


Food was served soon after takeoff, and it was the only slight disappointment, if there was any. It was tasty enough, they had veg. and non-veg. choices, it was warm, but somehow lacked the old Swissair standards. I never liked plane food anyway. There also was a wide array of drinks.


Well, I watched a movie, and then dozed off, and woke up when the crew were announcing breakfast. I didnt feel the least drowsy, and the breakfast was better than expected. The toilets also were very clean and soon the landing was announced. We landed at Zurich-Kloten 15 minutes early. The flight was uneventful, save a little turbulence. The take-off and landing were smooth.


The crew saw us off the aircraft telling that they hoped we would fly Swiss again. I tell you guys, I will. As I left the aircraft, I felt a little sleepy, but refreshed. But u cant travel without getting tired. Anyway, it was a great experience, they didnt come upto the standards of the old Swissair, but I tell you, in customer friendliness and service, most of the airlines in the world would not even come close to Swiss. Given a choice, I, and most of others on that flight wouldnt select another airline.


another thing: this was my first review--more to come! cheers!


New York City USA
Nice to Geneva; Geneva to New York
May 24, 2003 12:08 AM9085 Views

I flew SwissAir for the first time after a trip to France. At first, I was very impressed with the service and hospitality of the staff. Both the pilots and the flight attendants greeted us with happy smiles and ''Bonjour'''s as we boarded the plane. The food wasn't 5-star, but was much better than anything I had ever received on flight. And the main meal was the only meal we were fed. Throughout the flight we were given several snacks and drinks, included Swiss chocolate and candy upon boarding. But when I arrived at baggage claim at JFK in New York, I was very irritated to find that they had lost a gorgeous Van Gogh print umbrella that I had bought in Arles. I was so upset that my 35 Euro purchase wasn't anywhere to be found on the conveyor belt. To add to this frustration, the people at the SwissAir desk were anything but helpful. But they did however file my report. I've called the desk several times since, but still nothing has been found. Obviously my purchase has been stolen by an employee, because as we all know, umbrellas just don't get up and walk away by themselves.


Swissair- Best in the World
Jul 18, 2002 07:34 AM10562 Views

DISCLAIMER


A number of you have pointed out that Swissair has gone out of business, and that you had lousy experiences with the airline. I intended my review to be more of a eulogy for Swissair, an airline that I and numerous other travelers found to be one of the best in the world. (Both Conde Nast and the Zagat Survey have found Swissair to be one of the 5 best airlines in the world, a distinction that KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa have all failed to accomplish) What follows is my personal experience with the airline and I'm really sorry if your experience was not quite as good. One can only hope that Swiss Air Lines will maintain the same standard of quality that Swissair did.


I have flown quite a few airlines on the USA-India sector, and have found that none can even hold a candle to Swissair. Ground staff both in the US and in India are wonderful, and check-in was a breeze. Flight attendants are some of the best I have ever seen, and all the meals were good. All the seats in economy had personal TV's with numerous entertainment options. On my inbound journey, I had overnight layover before my New Delhi-Patna connection on Indian Airlines. Swissair not only handled all my luggage thru customs and all the way to Palam (Domestic) Airport, but also offered hotel accomodations at the Radisson, with breakfast and transportation to and from the hotel, all for no additional charge-now that's service. I dont see any point in flying with any other airline. It's quite unfortunate that they went out of business this year- but thats life.


New York United States
Good option if you are short of money
May 18, 2002 04:15 AM9224 Views

I have flown swiss airlines a couple of times between NY-Delhi and I will put it as an average carrier tending to be on the good side.


On the positive end I think their food was great specially the hindu food that I had specially ordered. They had a good film collection and a generally helpful staff and I didn't had to use the suing trick. Their flights were mostly on time even on the Indian leg of the journey.


On the negative end they had poorly maintained bathrooms and too less sitting and leg space, which really counts a lot on a 15 hour flight.


In the end I would suggest that if you are hard pressed for money and still want a decent flight go for swiss airlines.


Needs a New Management
Jul 11, 2001 01:01 PM12444 Views

To the SwissAir Customer Service Staff and my Fellow MouthShut.com members.


This is about my recent trip from Atlanta to Bombay via Zurich, Switzerland. I had taken Swiss Air out of Atlanta. Lets start with the SwissAir counter in Atlanta - It was a mess. The SwissAir staff struggled to smile. There were few people with over-weight luggage and they stood right there trying to move things from one bag to another while the staff watched them do it. The staff did not care to check on the people waiting in line. Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in USA. There is not much place to stand and if the line grows too big, with the help of the Indian crowd, it looks like a Fish Market. After waiting for an hour and half, my family (there were five of us) reached the counter with our bags. I checked in my first bag at which I was rudely asked `is it less than 70 pounds`, and I gave a polite reply.. that all of the bags were less than 65. This made that person really happy. All of sudden, he was all smiles!


I could understand the frustration. I guess us Indians should understand that 70 pounds is 70 pounds and not 71 or 72. Our boarding passes were then issued in the next two minutes and we were on our way to the gate.


Once we were at the gate, the boarding had already started. There was no order whatsoever to board (normally they board by seating assignments so that people do not have trouble seating and finding place to keep their bags). People, i.e. desis just rushed to the gate (maybe they thought the plane would leave without them). I do not blame them as SwissAir barely made any formal announcement for boarding by seat assignments. Anyways I somehow got in the line and found our seat. We did not have much trouble finding space for our carry-ons. Once on our seat, we got comfortable.


Our first round of refreshments came after a loooong time. They had a bottle of water for all their passengers in one of those seat pockets. One would prefer a chilled glass of water in this heat rather than a bottle of not warm but HOT water. I called the airhostess for a glass of water. I had to wave, dance and trip one of them to get their attention. Finally I was gifted with a cold glass of water in a vodka glass (those small ones?). Ahh how happy I was. I asked for a bottle of COLD water in frustration, which I received after 35 minutes. We had all ordered special Indian-Veg meals. While I was taking a nap on the extremely uncomfortable seats, I heard a loud noise of things falling on the ground. Well an airhostess had just dropped a cart loaded with food on the floor and on some of the passengers. It made me think that some of the passengers were going to go without food this afternoon and I smiled. The passengers did receive an apology, as their trousers now smelt like pasta. They did not receive any compensation whatsoever.


I wished she had spilled the food on me; I was just looking for an opportunity to spit my anger on one of those flight attendants. Everyone was being served food. We were served some non-veg meals and I alarmed her that we had requested special meals. I got a fierce reply 'Did you not see that we dropped a lot of food!’ That totally pissed me off. I replied, 'I feel sorry for you but that sure does not mean that I will go hungry for the next 5 hours and if I happened to fall sick in that time, boy you are calling for trouble at my next stop'. By this time she knew who she was dealing with. Ahh we were all served with some nice veggie meals. The person next to me even asked if he could get the same meal rather than the crap (toast and butter) that he was having for lunch. She also offered me some Vodka to take home with me which I declined. There was some in-flight entertainment that did not match my taste at all. They were screening 'Chocolat' and '101 Dalmations' none of which matched my taste. I had taken other airlines such as Air France and their in-flight entertainment gave me much more options than that of Swiss-Air's.


We then landed in Zurich after our 7 hour long flight. For a second, I could not believe that I had landed in an airport because that place, frankly, looked worse than a railway station/ subway. No signs o where to go, whatsoever. Barely any attendants to guide you. I got hold of one SwissAir rep. And asked her got the gate no. for my connecting flight to Bombay and she said that she would not know it and I would have to stand in a line at the information desk. Apparently that’s how things worked at the Zurich Airport – A person would not know his gate no. until the flight had landed. This was totally NUTS. There was no place to sit at all. People were sitting on the floor like they do on Indian Railway stations. After sitting for 3 hours on the Swiss Floor, I came to know the gate at which my flight was arriving. Once I got to the gate, the people had started boarding and there was no order in which one could board. No sign of queues, people just rushing to get in the airplane as if it would leave them.


Once in the flight, I got comfortable on my seat. This was one of the dirtiest and ill maintained flight I had ever traveled on. I sure did not expect this from a ‘SWISS MADE’ airplane. The seats were extremely uncomfortable, there were no personal entertainment systems or radios. I felt like I was in a third class train compartment. The crowd was also not the best. I came to know that this flight was also a partner flight for an Air India jet.


I thought that we paid extra dollars just to get the right crowd and the right hospitality. An Air-India ticket would cost me $1000 while that of SwissAir would cost me $1600. I paid those extra bucks for which was worse than that I would have received in AirIndia or Aeroflot. The attitude of the Airhostess changed as she was dealing with Indians.



Overall my flight was not what I expected from SwissAir. If they need to stay in the market, their staff would need training from Americans on how to SMILE and be POLITE. They need to learn how NOT to say NO to anything. They need to have better aircrafts in the Zurich to Bombay leg.


Only after these modifications, I would want to travel on SwissAir again.


I am going to Fax this review to SwissAir and would update MouthShut members when the customer service staff responds. In the meantime, please cross your fingers


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