The Last Aeroplan Hurrah: Swiss First Class Lounge Zurich, Swiss First Class Zurich to Bangkok

An escort in Bangkok, hmmm...

Excellent trip report, and I really enjoyed all of the food photography. Seems like you are using some different techniques and it is yielding interesting results. Again, excellent trip report!

As always a very pleasant read !

I do find the crew a bit careless when you fly on awards. My wife felt that too.

It has to be removed from the PIL.

After 4 flights with them last month I'll try to take another carrier with my wife.

take care.

Do you live close to MCO ?

If so I may fly there in august. If we can meet up...

cheers

@ TheBeerHunter -- The only one I had while there!

@ stef -- Thanks!

@ Thomas -- To the best of my knowledge neither Lufthansa or Swiss list fare class/ticket type on the manifest, so that should be a non-issue. Also, they were treating everyone the same way as far as I could tell. I love about an hour from Orlando, so if you're down here let me know.

I love rabbit! Too bad it's not your thing, but I agree that burger looked awful. Should have just eaten the foie gras by itself 😉

Cool, didn't know about the escort service in BKK either.

Was the 'matron' flight attendant rude to all F passengers? Once, on a LH flight, I had the feeling that the flight attendant behaved differently to me - a passenger in the mid-twenties flying on an award ticket - compared to other passengers; perhaps she was thinking "why is this young guy sitting in First Class" and then found out that he's not paying a crazy amount but having an award ticket, ergo deserving/receiving a 'different treatment' (i.e. no smile, cold attitude etc.). What do you think?

@ Jake -- She seemed to treat everyone equally. For what it's worth, the Lufthansa manifest does NOT show whether you're on an award ticket or not, so if you feel you were treated differently it wasn't because you were on an award ticket.

Many find that Lufthansa flight attendants treat Germans better than others. I can't say I've noticed that, though I am German and speak German.

Oops, just saw that you addressed my question in post nr. 4 (when I loaded the website, the post still wasn't there). Sorry!

What I do in such a case: ask for a little chat with the Purser after about two hours into the flight (to give time to the flight attendants to "warm up"). Never fails to work!

Seem that our posts crossed again 🙂 Well, if it doesn't say it in the manifest, then maybe they saw O class on the boarding pass (which I handed in together with my coat) and figured that I'm on an award ticket. Interestingly, at Lufthansa it doesn't say F on the BP like at Swiss but instead it shows O class when flying on an award ticket. I always behaved nicely, said 'thank you' and showed a smile...so I don't have any explanations why they would treat me or anyone differently..

@ aengel -- I don't know, it's just not something I'd be comfortable doing. At the end of the day said flight attendant has access to my food and drinks, so I'd rather complain after the fact...

@ Jake -- It's funny you mention this. On one hand Lufthansa is one of the few airlines that prominently displays the fare class on the boarding pass. On the other hand, I find they're the airline that discriminates the least against award passengers. I'd be absolutely shocked if more than 1% of Lufthansa flight attendants knew what "O" class is. The funny thing is that when I'm traveling on an award ticket with Lufthansa I'm almost always asked whether I want to add a frequent flyer number so that I can earn miles. So even the check-in agents don't know, and they're the ones that are supposed to...

Hey Ben, last time I flew this route with my wife (July of 2011), I was actually escorted to the plane (with S-class ride) through side door of the boarding bridge. We were the last passengers to leave the F lounge (there were at least a dozen of folks on the transfer list, but the lounge attendant asked us to wait until everyone else got their rides).

Nice to re-live the memory of this wonderful LX F experience through your report.

Seems your friend made out better on the flight. He received better service and his meal choices were excellent. He is very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable travel companion.

Its a shame to hear that about the Swiss First Class Lounge in Zurich, my wife and I were there in February and had the best omelette, I think we've ever had.. Great taste, great plating, and good service.

Excellent reports. I discovered your blog recently, and I have to say I'm hooked (and of course jealous).

You said: "The Swiss First Class Lounge in Zurich definitely ranked among my top five lounges in the world"..... so what are your top five lounges?

@ Trevor -- The funny thing is I've passed through there a dozen times before in the morning, though don't think I've ever thought of having a meal there. I had heard good things about their supper service, so was convinced to try it. Next time it sounds like I should have breakfast there instead.

@ DJ -- Welcome and thanks for reading! Hmm, my top five? That's a toughie. I'd say the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich, and Thai First Class Lounge Bangkok are my top three for sure.

I'd say the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow (despite only being a business class lounge) is the next on my list, and then either the Qatar Airways first class lounge in Doha or Etihad Airways first class lounge in Abu Dhabi. So I'd say the Swiss first class lounge is probably my sixth favorite at this point.

I’d rather complain after the fact…

So did you in fact complain after the fact?

Not being given your entry card and premium lane card, even on request, is not just poor service, it's virtually an insult. This FA should not be able to get away with that.

I've had this same experience on AA FC, some times the FAs are wonderful, sometimes they seem to think they are doing you a favor even speaking to you. In the past, I've just thought: it's a union thing, nothing to be done about it.

Now I'm getting fed up with it. I'd like to see all of the travel blogs focus on how to effectively complain when we get this sort of dis-service. And encourage us all to do so. There is no way for corporate to know this is going on unless we complain, when we have cause to do so.

By the way, an Award ticket is NOT FREE. The airline sells those miles to the cc companies, shopping malls, etc. And builds the free trips into their business plan for miles earned by revenue travel. An award ticket is not free, it is earned. And when earned by an elite member, thru revenue flights, that should bring more respect, not less.....

Do you ever complain about poor service? If this happened to me, I would complain all the time, especially something like this when riding in F. =)

@ Robert Hanson -- I didn't. Perhaps I should complain directly, though at the same time I'm thinking maybe she had a (really) bad day. Who knows. I did speak to some of the flight attendants in business class, and they commented how they really didn't really like said flight attendant because she was rude.

@ oneeyejack -- Ask my haters. They say I complain too much, so... 😉

You complain far too much for a 25-year-old or however young you are. These "rude" attendants are twice your age and you are complaining that you have to ask them for a refill while you lay in bed en route to exotic destinations. Stop and smell the roses, fellow.

Frank what is your problem with Ben and his age?! You stalk him on his blog and all you do is insulting him. From the sound of it, you're just jealous. You sound like an old man who can't be respected by young men, perhaps your own kids! It shows in all of your comments.

maybe stop being such an a-hole preacher and let people live their lives however they want/however they like. Jeesus. What's the matter with you?! Far too much free time on hands perhaps. maybe spend it with your kids! and ear the respect!

LOL@ Frank.
Funny how he consistently comes back, reads the blog, and then makes these comments... If I had such an issue with Lucky's actions and contents, I'd stop reading by now.

I don't think Lucky or the flight attendant's age has anything to do with.. well, anything, but I'm sure others have told ya this before in previous comments.

Frank, the job of the flight attendants (as well as for your safety) is to provide service. - And especially good service while you are in first class. If you are not receiving that then of course it should be brought to the attention of the company. The passenger's age has nothing to do with it. Your post makes his age a justification for being rude, which should not be the case. - Everyone should be treated with respect.

The level of service described above is simply unacceptable for even economy class. To have to put up with it in First Class is just absurd. The reason we pay so much for First Class, whether in dollars or miles, is to have a luxury experience.

All of us have a "bad day" now and then, and we don't take it out on our clients, employees, or passers by. Dis-service of this sort would be out of line at the DMV, much less on a flight where the r/t ticket price is over $20,000 !

Aengel has a great suggestion, yet Ben has a point. I cannimagine a F-class FA messing with one's food, but... In 40+ years of flying I've had only ONE unpleasant experience with a F-class FA. I was full-fare Y, upgraded on the long red-eye. I was alone in the 10-seat section and wanted only a few glasses of wine, but I had to ring and ask for every refill. After #3, the Head Mama visited and TOLD me to 'take it easy, she's had a bad day.' That caused a letter to the Head FA and they eventually sent me a system-wide upgrade voucher (far more than necessary). Once in all those years is better than expected, so I don't worry about it.

Flying this route later this year. Thanks for the great review.

OK, first the hot AA girls in Mendoza, now the hot escort in BKK - and not a word! Do you write another blog?

Thanks for the wine list!

Seems like the weakest part of the meal (although better than the service). Would be a good list for business class.

If you think the showers in the LX F lounge ate bad, take a trip over to the C lounge. I was there a couple months ago and it really reminded me dorm living and dumpy locker room showers. What's bad about them? It looks fairly well kept.

@ Josh G -- The showers weren't awful, they just weren't as nice as those offered by Etihad, Lufthansa, Qatar, etc. My major complaint was that there wasn't any real barrier between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, so water flowed pretty freely. Also, the ventilation was awful, so the room was scorching hot by the end of the shower.

Those of you who are criticizing me: I read the blog because I enjoy seeing pictures and descriptions of Lucky's travels. It is true that I may be slightly "jealous" seeing as how I have worked the vast majority of my life - first in the military and then in consulting. Yet, I have never had such opportunities. This makes me critical of Lucky's attitude towards his travels.

Lucky,QF First Class lounge does not feature in your top 5 lounges? I am surprised.... Nice report, sorry for the somewhat slack service. Trust it was a one off, everybody can have a bad day, too bad some show it more than others.

Ben,
I strongly recommend that you complain in writing about the flight attendant that you describe. As a customer service manager for a very large company I assure that any competent manager would want to know about this terrible service.

It is often a challenge to know what is actually occurring between your service employees and the customer. You cannot fix a problem without knowing it exists.

I urge you to report this.

Jack

Sorry, I'm still stuck on "we don't have it." How do you not have iced coffee?!? It's not like a specialty cocktail or something complicated!!

I agree with Jack - ANY manager would want to know about this interpretation of "service". I would probably have said something to the FA at the time (gently and respectfully), but not everyone is comfortable with that.

@ Frank -- I can see where you're coming from and appreciate the honesty, though here's the thing I don't think you understand. I'm not some trust fund baby, but rather I've been supporting myself since I was 17. I paid for my college, I paid for my rent while in college, I paid for my car, and I pay for all my travels. Am I incredible fortunate to be able to do what I do? Absolutely. Do I take it for granted? Not for a single day.

But to me that doesn't mean I should expect less when I travel. Airlines charge as much for a roundtrip first class flight as they do for a car, so I think you should have basic service expectations when you fly. Being told there are no landing forms? Being told they don't have iced coffee (which anyone can actually make)? Both seem unreasonable to me.

@ Ken -- The Qantas lounge completely slipped my mind. Definitely top five material. You're right.

@ Jack @ Tiffany -- I think you're right. Thanks. I'll be writing a letter.

I've been following your blog since last fall. Thanks for the wonderful posts, which I always have fun reading. Like my fellow readers, I also urge you to write a letter of complaint to Swiss management. You will be doing the airline and its future customer a favour. I look forward to reading the rest of this trip 🙂

Regarding your strawberry Gazpacho, I'm afraid your lazy FA screwed you over again. Indeed the strawberry jelly is supposed to be topped with golden sparkles, that actually pops (explodes) into your mouth. That combination gives you an entire different taste of the jelly and the soup. Personally I love it! From your pic the sparkles are missing...

Excellent summary. The times I flew Swiss (upgrades and air miles), I must say a fantastic service. Except when the Media system went down. They then gave me 10000 air miles as compensation. Can not complain. Just need Miles & More to honour it.

Lounge: messy watery soup, ugly tilted burger
Plane: "generous" hash browns... lol 😛

it´ s a shame for Swiss if you fly Swiss First but on a United codeshare number they don´t let you go in to their First Class lounge.