Review: SWISS First Class Boeing 777 (MIA-ZRH)

For the first segment of my trip to Zimbabwe, I flew SWISS’ Boeing 777-300ER first class on the 8hr20min overnight flight from Miami (MIA) to Zurich (ZRH). This was my first time in many years flying SWISS first class, and I was looking forward to seeing how the experience was holding up.

I’m happy to report that I was very pleased with the experience. SWISS’ first class suites are spacious, and the airline offers impressive food and drinks, great amenities, and friendly service. As far as Lufthansa Group airlines go, this definitely felt a step above Lufthansa first class (though in fairness, I do love the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380 at Lufthansa).

How I booked my SWISS first class ticket

Unless you have elite status with the Miles & More program (the loyalty program of Lufthansa and SWISS), it’s not possible to redeem miles directly for SWISS first class.

So, how did I fly SWISS first class? I booked my SWISS ticket using Air Canada Aeroplan points. Specifically, I booked the following award in business class for 70,000 Aeroplan points plus $74.41 in taxes and fees:

2/11 LX65 Miami to Zurich departing 7:50PM arriving 10:50AM (+1 day)
2/12 LX736 Zurich to Amsterdam departing 8:45PM arriving 10:25PM

Aeroplan points are easy to come by, as the program is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. On top of that, Aeroplan often sells points at a discount.

I then upgraded the ticket from business class to first class. On a space available basis, SWISS sells first class upgrades at check-in, even on partner award tickets, so I managed to successfully get one of those upgrades, though at a steep cost. Still, I figured it was worth it to finally be able to review this product again.

SWISS first class lounge & boarding

I arrived at Miami Airport shortly before 6PM, for the 7:50PM departure to Zurich. At the check-in desk, I was pleasantly surprised to find that both Lufthansa and SWISS now offer escorts through security at the airport.

During the afternoon and evening peak rush, the security checkpoints at Terminal H & J at Miami Airport might just be the most unpleasant security experience in the United States, and having an escort saved a lot of time, as she literally walked me to the front of the line.

SWISS sends its first class passengers to the LATAM Lounge, which I suppose is supposed to be more premium than the Turkish Lounge, though I’m not sure why. When I walked into the lounge and saw how crowded it was, I decided to leave.

Am I the only one who would rather sit in the below area than in the above lounge? Because that’s exactly what I did. The kind SWISS escort said she could pick me up when boarding started, but I said that wasn’t necessary, as I was already in the gate area.

Anyway, I saw the inbound Boeing 777-300ER arrive from Zurich around 6PM, pulling into gate J18. I’d be flying on HB-JNB, a plane that was delivered to the airline in 2018.

Boarding was scheduled to start at 7:15PM, and sure enough, that’s exactly when boarding started, with first class passengers being invited to board first.

SWISS 777 first class cabin & seats

Boarding took place through the second set of doors, where I was greeted by the maître de cabine, and pointed left into first class. On the 777-300ER, this first involves walking through two rows of SWISS’ staggered business class.

That then leads into the first class cabin, which consists of a total of eight seats, spread across two rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration. SWISS’ first class cabin feels understated yet elegant, in my opinion.

Those traveling with a companion may want to select one of the center pairs of seats. Many modern first class suites make it hard to enjoy the flight with someone else, though these seats are great for those purposes, as you can be right next to your companion. Note that if you’re traveling alone and end up in one of these seats, there’s a shield that can be raised for privacy.

Meanwhile solo travelers will no doubt prefer the window seats, offering both a window view and access to the aisle.

I assigned myself seat 2K, the window seat on the right side in the second row. There were a total of three people in first class. The other two people were seated on the left side of the cabin, so I had the entire right side of the cabin to myself — score!

First class consists of a spacious and well padded seat, which is 22″ wide. It’s easy to get comfortable in this seat.

Across from the seat is a 32″ personal television, as well as an ottoman that doubles as a buddy seat. You can use that buddy seat so that you can dine face-to-face with a companion, if you’d like.

The tray table folds out from the side of the seat, and is massive. It’s a single tray that’s also quite heavy, so taking it out and storing it is quite the ordeal (and is usually handled by the crew).

There’s a compartment to the side of the seat, containing an entertainment controller, all the seat controls, AC and USB-A charging ports, and the headphone jack (which has probably seen better days).

There’s also a large lamp at the back corner of the seat, with the lighting intensity easily controlled by a button next to it.

Privacy in SWISS’ 777 first class is sort of a funny topic. Nowadays it’s common for first class seats to have doors, and I guess that’s sort of what SWISS has? For one, the seat has a privacy shield that can be controlled with a button next to the seat, and that extends to about the halfway point of the seat.

The seat also has a wardrobe where you can hang clothes, and that can be pulled out.

When you extend both the shield and the wardrobe, that essentially gives you a door. So the privacy is nice when sleeping, but I generally wouldn’t plan on pulling the wardrobe out during the flight otherwise, since it’s a sort of awkward setup.

As you can see above, seat 2K has three windows, which is quite cool! Rather than having manual window shades that you can raise or lower, there are instead blinds that can be controlled with the push of a button. I think this is a classy touch, though it always makes it hard to take pictures out the window, since there’s an extra shield with this setup.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that SWISS doesn’t have individual air nozzles on its 777s, but rather the overhead console just has reading lights.

All-in-all, I think this is a great first class hard product. Is it the most cutting edge one on earth? No. But it’s significantly better than Lufthansa’s first class hard product, and makes for a very comfortable journey.

SWISS first class amenities

Within moments of settling in, both of the first class flight attendants stopped by my seat to introduce themselves, including the man working in the cabin and the woman working in the galley. I was offered a pre-departure drink of choice, and ordered a glass of champagne.

Currently SWISS is serving Pommery Cuvee Louise Millesime 2006, which I enjoyed immensely. This was served with an amuse bouche, consisting of a carrot panna cotta and some breadsticks, as well as a warm towel. It’s always a nice touch when airlines have a little snack with the pre-departure beverage, so high marks to SWISS on that.

Already waiting at my seat upon boarding was an amenity kit, stored in a second SWISS branded bag.

The amenity kit was well stocked, with a dental kit, earplugs, eyeshades, comb, shoehorn, and tissues. On top of that, there was a box of Ricola candies, as well as skincare products from Soeder.

I was also presented with both pajamas and slippers.

The pajamas are created in partnership with Zimmerli, and they’re very high quality, and quite stylish. I took these home, and have been wearing them around the house every so often.

The slippers are also pretty comfortable and sturdy, and I love how they have the SWISS branding on them.

Headphones were also at the seat, and were just okay, but nothing special.

Toward the end of the boarding process, the menu and beverage list were distributed.

The maître de cabine had great attention to detail. A few minutes before departure she walked by my seat and saw some plastic wrappers sitting there (from removing the packaging from some amenities), so she grabbed them and said she’d be back shortly to greet me. Indeed, she came by a couple of minutes later to welcome each first class passenger aboard, and provide them with a voucher for free Wi-Fi.

SWISS 777 first class entertainment & Wi-Fi

SWISS has a solid entertainment selection on its 777s, which is quite a contrast to what you’ll currently find on the carrier’s A330s. Interestingly the 32″ monitor isn’t touchscreen, but rather everything has to be controlled via the remote to the side of the seat.

The system contained a large selection of movies, and a more limited selection of TV shows. There were nearly 250 movies, including many recent titles, so it shouldn’t be too hard to stay entertained while onboard.

Some of the TV selection included airline specific programming, which I always love. For example, you could watch the below SWISS brand film, which I adore.

As you’d expect, there was also a selection of games and music.

As always, my favorite inflight entertainment feature is the moving map, so that’s what I had turned on for most of the flight.

One other quirk worth mentioning — SWISS doesn’t turn on its entertainment system until well after takeoff. Is this some sort of a safety regulation in Switzerland or at the company, or something else?

SWISS offers Wi-Fi on its 777s. Back in the day, SWISS had outrageously high Wi-Fi pricing based on data usage, and that was improved some time back. SWISS now has three pricing options (in addition to the free Wi-Fi for first class):

• There’s a messaging plan for free, where you can use chat apps, including the ability to send pictures
• There’s a four hour plan, with no data restrictions, which costs CHF 25 or $28
• There’s a full flight plan, with no data restrictions, which costs CHF 35 or $38

SWISS lets you switch between devices with a single Wi-Fi plan, so that you could alternate between your laptop and smartphone, for example.

SWISS 777 departure from Miami

At 7:40PM, about 10 minutes before departure, the captain came to the first class cabin to personally greet each passenger, which was a nice touch. A minute later, he made an announcement over the PA, informing passengers of the flight time of 8hr20min, and an anticipated smooth ride.

At 7:45PM the main cabin door closed, so it looked like we might be about five minutes ahead of schedule. While the safety video was screened immediately, oddly we didn’t actually go anywhere for quite some time. We finally began our pushback at 8:05PM, and then 10 minutes after that we began our taxi.

Our taxi was short in terms of distance, though there was quite a queue at the runway, so we were only cleared for takeoff on runway 8R at around 8:35PM. That sure was a drawn out departure.

We rocketed off into the night sky and had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off about five minutes after takeoff. The crew immediately closed the curtains around the cabin, and turned on the mood lighting.

SWISS first class dinner service

The crew working first class on this flight were seasoned professionals, and struck the perfect balance between providing a good dining experience and allowing passengers to maximize rest. The dinner service got started quickly after takeoff. You can find the SWISS first class dinner menu below.

You can find the SWISS first class drink list below.

Within 20 minutes of takeoff, I was offered my first drink. I decided to order a glass of the pinot blanc from Switzerland, which I enjoyed. This was poured at my seat — I was first offered a taste, and then the full glass was poured.

The first course was served just 25 minutes after takeoff, which is an impressive pace. SWISS has quite the table setup in first class, with a large tablecloth, salt and pepper mills, a bread basket, plates with butter and olive oil, etc.

There’s quite a bit of flexibility with the SWISS first class dining concept. With the first course option, you can have as much as you’d like, so you could try all the dishes, if you wanted to.

I started with the fillet of balik salmon (a staple offering in SWISS first class), as well as the yuzu marinated shrimp and scallop with cucumber and pear. While perhaps not as glam as the caviar service on some other airlines, the taste was great.

Next up, I had the tomato tortilla soup, which was served in a large bowl, and was surprisingly spicy for airplane food (which I love).

For the main course, I was initially tempted to order the fondue, which the flight attendant offered as a special. However, I ultimately decided against it when he described it as “a Florida take” on fondue. I appreciated his honesty, and decided I’d save my fondue desires for the SWISS First Lounge Zurich.

Instead, I ordered the salmon with Tuscan vegetable salsa, pearl couscous, and sautéed spinach and leeks. There was also a huge slab of butter on the salmon, which I removed. This was a phenomenal fish dish, one of the best I’ve had on a plane. I would’ve been happy with this in a restaurant, so that’s saying something, given the constraints of food preparation on planes.

Shortly after being presented with the main course, the flight attendant came around with a pan of vegetables and asked if I wanted any, which I declined.

Switzerland is known for its cheese, so I figured I had to order a cheese course. What a beautifully presented cheese selection!

Last but not least, it was time for dessert, where I selected the tiramisu.

At the conclusion of the meal, I was offered a selection of chocolates from Sprüngli.

This was a phenomenal meal from start to finish. Not only was the food well executed and beautifully presented, but the crew’s pace was also hard to beat, as the entire meal service was done within 90 minutes of takeoff. In every instance, the flight attendant was by my seat within a minute of me finishing my dish, and was already preparing for the next step.

SWISS 777 first class lavatories

SWISS has two lavatories in first class on the 777, both located right behind the cockpit (so they’re quite far from the cabin, and the lavatories shouldn’t be a reason to avoid row one). The lavatories were sufficient but basic.

The only noteworthy thing about the lavatories is that they had a couple of amenities from Soeder, including face serum and hand cream.

I’d say that a low point of this flight was lavatory cleanliness. That’s not to say that it was filthy, but it wasn’t clean at the end of the flight. That’s something I very much appreciate about many Asian airlines, as the first class lavatory is quite literally spotless with every single use.

SWISS 777 first class bed

Toward the end of the dinner service, the crew offered to prepare my bed in seat 1A, so that I could go right to sleep when I was ready, which was a nice offer. SWISS’ first class bed on the 777 is divine. Not only is the bed spacious and 80″ long, but the bedding is phenomenal, as it’s soft and cozy.

I ended up falling asleep with well over six hours remaining to Zurich, as we were approaching Bermuda…

…and I woke up around two hours before landing, as we were off the coast of Spain and Portugal. For me, well over four hours of uninterrupted sleep on a transatlantic flight is as good as it gets.

SWISS first class breakfast

Upon waking up, the crew was by my seat within a couple of minutes to ask if I wanted anything to drink. I ordered a cappuccino, which was served to me within a couple of minutes.

I wasn’t hungry but figured I should review the breakfast selection, so I asked to be served breakfast as late as possible. That was about 75 minutes before arrival. You can find the SWISS first class breakfast menu below.

To kick off the meal, I ordered an americano, served with a warm towel.

A few minutes later my table was set. To kick off the meal, I had some fresh fruit and muesli, and that was offered with quite the indulgent bread and pastry basket.

SWISS also offers custom eggs in first class, so I ordered a plain omelet, which was quite good for an airplane (though I’d be less happy with it on the ground).

SWISS first class service

The two flight attendants working first class on this flight were very professional. They weren’t necessarily the most over-the-top friendly (it wasn’t like Singapore Airlines in terms of smiles), but they were extremely efficient, had an eye for detail, and were friendly in a sort of distant way.

On an overnight transatlantic flight in first class, it’s all about offering a customized yet efficient service, and this crew nailed that.

SWISS 777 arrival in Zurich

At 10:10AM Zurich time, the first officer announced that we were near Paris, and would be landing in about 40 minutes. Sure enough, we started our descent around 10 minutes later, and 10 minutes after that, the crew was advised to prepare the cabin for landing.

Both of the first class flight attendants, as well as the maître de cabine, stopped by each first class passenger to thank them for flying with SWISS, and to wish them a nice day. It wasn’t a particularly nice day in Zurich, though the views on approach are still always lovely.

We touched down on runway 14 at 10:50AM.

From there we had a five minute taxi to our arrival gate, which was E43, and we pulled in at 10:55AM, just a few minutes behind schedule.

At the door, there was a SWISS representative who offered to drive first class passengers to Terminal A. However, I wanted to stay in Terminal E, since I was checking out the SWISS First Lounge there.

Bottom line

SWISS’ 777 first class was a pleasant surprise. The cabin was spacious, the amenities were great, the food and drinks were delicious, the service was friendly and efficient, and I appreciated the free Wi-Fi. I had a great flight, and this sure was a treat, though it’s a shame that there’s no practical way for most of us to redeem miles for SWISS first class.

While this flight was great and I’d highly recommend SWISS first class, I’d say it’s not quite in the league of Emirates’ 777 first class, Japan Airlines’ A350 first class, Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites, etc.

What’s your take on SWISS’ 777 first class?