I checked in online for my flight to Zurich, so headed straight towards International Terminal G when I got to SFO. Security at SFO can be bad, though fortunately they have CLEAR, which probably saved me 20 minutes.
I briefly visited the United Lounge in the international terminal, which is the former United Global First Lounge, though it’s being used for all Star Alliance business class passengers at the moment. That’s because United is in the process of building their Polaris Lounge, and as a result they’ve closed their United Club for the time being. The lounge was so crowded that I decided to just sit in the gate area instead.
One thing I love about SFO’s international terminal is the great views of planes available from many gates. Seriously, how stunning of a view is this?!
Swiss 777-300ER San Francisco Airport
I love Swiss’ livery — it’s simple and elegant, and looks especially good on the 777.
Swiss 777-300ER San Francisco Airport
My Swiss flight was departing from gate G100, and boarding was scheduled for 7:15PM. In reality boarding started at 7:20PM, with first class, business class, and Star Alliance gold passengers.
Swiss departure gate San Francisco
Swiss 39
San Francisco (SFO) – Zurich (ZRH)
Thursday, January 4
Depart: 7:50PM
Arrive: 3:50PM (+1 day)
Duration: 11hr
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 14A (Business Class)
I boarded through door L2, where I was pointed right towards my seat. Swiss’ 777 business class cabin is massive, with a total of 62 seats. Between doors one and two is the first class cabin, with eight seats, plus a business class mini-cabin with two rows.
The rear business class cabin has a total of 52 seats, spread across 11 rows, with five seats per row. In my opinion Swiss’ new cabins are stunning. They’re elegant and understated without being generic. They sure have their design down.
Swiss 777 business class cabin
Swiss 777 business class cabin
Swiss has a staggered configuration in business class. The center section of each row has two seats, with the layout staggered in every other row. That’s because the footwell for one seat is inbetween or to the side of the seats in front.
Swiss business class seats 777
Swiss business class seats 777
Then along the windows the cabin alternates between having one seat per side and having two seats per side. Each row has a total of five seats, meaning that in one row the configuration will be 1-2-2, in the next one it will be 2-2-1, etc.
The pairs of seats along the windows have slightly less personal space than in the center section. As you can see above, each seat in the center has a large counter, while by the windows there’s a single shared counter between the two seats.
Swiss business class seats 777
Swiss business class seats 777
No doubt the most private seats in business class are the “thrones,” which are single seats by the windows. There’s one of these in each row, meaning that there are a total of 12 of these in business class. If you don’t have status with Miles & More then you can pay ~$200 to assign one of these in advance, which I did.
I was in seat 14A, which was in the fourth to last row of business class.
Swiss business class throne seat
The amount of storage offered by these throne seats is unparalleled, and the privacy is pretty good too.
Swiss business class throne seat
Swiss business class throne seat
To the left side of my seat was a massive counter where I could easily leave my laptop for the entire flight.
Swiss business class seat storage
Above that count was an exposed storage compartment, perfect for headphones, chargers, etc.
Swiss business class seat storage
Underneath the seat and to the left were two storage compartments — one was exposed and one was fully enclosed.
Swiss business class seat storage
There was a counter that was almost as large to the right of the seat.
Swiss business class seat storage
On the counter to the right were the basic seat pre-sets.
Swiss business class seat controls
Above that was a console. One of the benefits of it was that it provided privacy. Hanging on the outside of it was a coat hanger. There was also a water bottle holder and a reading light.
Swiss business class seat
Then there was a storage compartment that could be extended with the push of a button.
Swiss business class seat storage
The tray table could be extended from the right side of the seat, and could be folded over in half.
Swiss business class tray table
The power outlet was underneath the seat and to the side, and had both a 110v and USB adapter.
Swiss business class seat chargers
The personal television was on the seatback in front, and there was yet another storage compartment underneath it.
Swiss business class seat storage
The one downside to these throne seats is that the footwell can be pretty tight. Not only is the footwell itself a little bit smaller, but you’re also really cocooned into your seat, so it can be tough to bend your knees while sleeping, etc. It’s a pretty tight squeeze.
Swiss business class seat footwell
Overall this is a great seat, though I have two other issues with it I wanted to briefly address. First of all, there were no individual air nozzles, which I hate, since I find that most airlines keep their cabins too warm. Second of all, the seat was extremely hard, whether just lounging or trying to sleep.
Waiting at my seat upon boarding were a pillow and blanket, which I found to be disappointing. The blanket was alright (though there are so many better airplane blankets out there), though my bigger issue was how thin the pillow was. As someone who appreciates a plush pillow, I found this one to be awful, and would recommend bringing a sweater (or something) to rest your head on if flying Swiss business class.
Swiss business class pillow & blanket
Also waiting at my seat were headphones, which were decent enough quality.
Swiss business class headphones
The amenity kit was hanging from the hook on the seat when I boarded, and was a neck warmer and beanie. While I think it’s a cute concept, I found it to be impractical, as there was no way to close it. So once you opened the “kit” things would just slide out.
Swiss business class amenity kit
Speaking of the amenity kit, the contents were very basic. There was a toothbrush and toothpaste, eyeshades, socks, earplugs, and lip balm. There was a note indicating that further amenities were available upon request.
Swiss business class amenity kit contents
At 7:40PM the captain made his welcome aboard announcement and informed us of our flight time of 10hr35min, and that we’d be starting our engines within 10 minutes and taking off within 30 minutes.
Five minutes later the crew came through the cabin with pre-departure beverages, with the choice between orange juice and champagne. I had a glass of champagne, which was served in proper glassware.
Swiss business class pre-departure champagne
A few minutes later the crew passed through the cabin with warm towels and the menus for the flight.
Swiss business class warm towel
Swiss business class menu
At 7:50PM the main cabin door was closed, with every business class seat taken (a few people were moved up once the door closed, and I’m guessing they were friends or family of the crew, based on the interaction). One thing I appreciated about the boarding process was how few announcements there were. On some airlines they make the same announcement a dozen times telling people to move out of the aisle, etc. They didn’t make a single announcement during the entire boarding process, and the first announcement came from the captain. That sure made the boarding process seem less stressful.
Once the door was closed the safety video was screened, and around the same time we began our pushback.
Swiss 777 business class cabin
Our taxi out took quite a while, and while we taxied the crew came through the cabin to make sure everyone had their shoulder harness on. At 8:15PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 28L. Shortly before takeoff one of the pilots announced “cabin crew expect takeoff in 20 seconds.” Gotta love Swiss precision. 😉
View after takeoff from SFO
As we climbed out I browsed the entertainment selection. The first thing I noticed was that the screen was very high resolution. Furthermore, I appreciated that there were no ads before any of the programming.
Swiss business class entertainment selection
The entertainment selection itself was just alright. It wasn’t terrible, but can’t compare to what’s offered by Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, etc.
Swiss business class entertainment selection
Swiss business class entertainment selection
Swiss business class entertainment selection
I ended up watching a few episodes of the British comedy “Bucket,” which I had never heard of before, but enjoyed.
Swiss business class entertainment selection
I also briefly checked out the airshow.
Airshow enroute to Zurich
Airshow enroute to Zurich
Swiss has Wi-Fi on their 777s. Unfortunately they charge based on data, and it’s not cheap. It’s not the most expensive Wi-Fi in the sky, though it’s not as good as Lufthansa, for example. I also swear the data usage is calculated faster on Swiss than other airlines somehow. I bought a 120MB package and ran out in less than 30 minutes, and that was without heavy use (and I made sure there was nothing going in the background).
Swiss Wi-Fi pricing
The seatbelt sign was turned off about 10 minutes after takeoff, at which point I checked out the lavatory. There are three business class lavatories, which just barely does the trick for a 62 person cabin.
Swiss business class cabin 777
The lavatories were on the small side, though were fairly nicely appointed.
Swiss business class lavatory
Swiss business class lavatory amenities
20 minutes after takeoff the flight attendants came through the cabin to take meal orders. The dinner menu read as follows:
The drink list read as follows:
Within 35 minutes of takeoff the crew was rolling carts down the aisle with the first drink service. I had a glass of the South African sauvignon blanc and a sparkling water. I was offered mixed nuts to go along with them.
Swiss business class dinner — champagne, sparkling water, and mixed nuts
After the initial drink service it was 40 minutes until the next cart was rolled down the aisle, which had tablecloths and drink refills.
Swiss business class table setting
Immediately behind that was a cart containing the first course, which was served on a tray.
Swiss business class dinner — appetizer, salad, and cheese plate
There were two choices of appetizers, and I selected the sesame crusted tuna. The starter was pretty good, but the tuna was a bit on the rubbery side.
Swiss business class dinner — appetizer
Then there was a pretty basic side salad, with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.
Swiss business class dinner — salad
There was also a basic cheese plate, with two types of cheese and four grapes.
Swiss business class dinner — cheese plate
I was also offered a selection from the breadbasket, and chose the pretzel bread.
Swiss business class dinner — bread & olive oil
It was another 40 minutes until the cart with the main courses was rolled down the aisle. I ordered the beef tenderloin with gnocchi. While the cut of meat didn’t seem like it was the highest quality, at least it wasn’t way overcooked. The beef’s accompaniments were quite good.
Swiss business class dinner — main course
25 minutes after the main course, dessert was served. The only choice was a pistachio and apricot tart. While it tasted fine, it was too hard, and there wasn’t even a way to easily eat it with the spoon. This wasn’t one of the better airplane desserts I’ve had.
Swiss business class dinner — dessert
After dinner a flight attendant came through the cabin with a box of chocolates.
Swiss business class dinner — chocolate
The meal service was done about 2hr20min after takeoff, which I thought was a bit slow for a redeye flight with meals served on trays. As far as the food quality goes, I thought it was decent, maybe just slightly above average. I’ve had better, but I’ve also had worse.
The service felt like an assembly line, so it’s not personalized in any way. This is something Lufthansa does well, as they now have a single flight attendant dedicated to each section of the cabin, rather than having flight attendants roll a cart all the way down the aisle. The crew seemed quite friendly, though there just wasn’t much opportunity for interaction, as you felt like you were just a step of their assembly line.
One thing I appreciated was that the crew was good with drink refills. For airlines with similar service concepts, sometimes you basically have to beg for drink refills, though this crew was pretty proactive. That’s thanks to the fact that they had a full bar on each cart they rolled down the aisle.
Airshow enroute to Zurich
Airshow enroute to Zurich
After dinner I reclined my seat and tried to get some rest. I was able to get some sleep, though not that much, unfortunately. I slept for about 3.5 hours, until we were 4.5 hours from landing in Zurich. While the throne seat was great in terms of the privacy it afforded, the footwell was tight, the seat was really hard, the pillow was crap, and the cabin was warm, so it wasn’t the ideal sleeping environment. We were just starting our Atlantic crossing at this point.
Airshow enroute to Zurich
Since I couldn’t go back to sleep I decided to get some work done and ordered a mint tea.
Swiss business class hot tea
Our Atlantic crossing was pretty choppy, and the seatbelt sign went on several times. The crew didn’t make any PAs when the sign went on.
I worked for about 2.5 hours, and then just under two hours before arrival the crew distributed tablecloths for the breakfast service.
Airshow enroute to Zurich
The breakfast menu read as follows:
The actual breakfast was served about 1hr45min out. Once again everything was off a cart, though this time around it was buffet-style, as the crew had a big bowl of bircher muesli, a big bowl of fruit, etc., and you could point to what you wanted and then they’d make you a bowl. As a concept I appreciate this.
Swiss business class breakfast
For breakfast I had the bircher muesli and fruit salad, both of which were excellent.
Swiss business class breakfast — fresh fruit and bircher muesli
I also had the egg dish, which was served in a tiny bowl. On the menu it was simply described as a “warm egg dish,” though after cutting into it I realized it was a ham omelet, which I’m not a fan of.
Swiss business class breakfast — egg dish
I had coffee to drink, and also selected a croissant from the breadbasket. While dinner was served from front to back, breakfast was served from back to front.
At this point most people in the cabin were awake, so I opened my blinds to look outside.
View approaching Zurich
40 minutes before landing the first officer made a pre-landing announcement, informing us that we were passing Paris and would be descending shortly for an on-time arrival. He said the weather in Zurich was about the same as in San Francisco, which caught me off guard in winter. Moments later the crew started preparing the cabin for arrival.
Airshow approaching Zurich
View approaching Zurich
View approaching Zurich
We had a choppy descent, but a smooth touchdown at 3:45PM.
Touchdown Zurich
Taxiing Zurich
From there it was just a two minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we parked next to another (gorgeous) Swiss 777.
Swiss 777 Zurich Airport
Swiss 777 business class bottom line
Swiss is generally regarded as a great brand, though their business class didn’t leave me impressed. The seats themselves are fine, though the staggered configuration isn’t really competitive with Apex Suites and reverse herringbone seats, in my opinion.
Unfortunately not much else about the experience delights either. The crew was friendly though I found the seat to be way too hard, the cabin warm, the bedding awful, and the food unmemorable.
I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid Swiss, though I can’t say I’m dying to fly them again in business class.
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