My first time in First Class with Swiss, a perfect way to say goodbye to the A340

Often the car change is something that penalizes the passenger, Rather, it is more rarely a situation that makes one happy and repays disappointments.

I have written several reviews, and shot several videos, Where I recount how a car change ruined my plans. It happened to me with Finnair from Helsinki to Singapore where I ended up downgraded to economy, with Qatar where my QSuite was taken away. from under the nose, up to ITA with the swap from new A330neo to old A330: c'est la vie.

This time, however, the closure of Iranian airspace brought me luck and so to fly from Zurich to New Delhi I didn't take an anonymous A330, but what to me is Swiss's long-haul flagship: the A340/300. If these acronyms mean anything to you, I'm talking about an aircraft rarer than A380 and 747.

Two small premises

1. As always when I travel, I pay my billiards, And I do not notify the company of my presence on board. I say this because it is clear that here at TFC we work a lot with the Lufthansa group, but again what I tell is my honest account and what I get is what I "deserve" as any other paying passenger. I do not consider myself an influencer, I do not ask for tickets or hosting in exchange for reviews.
2. I always try to behave in a polite manner and sometimes, especially in cabins like this, I am "ashamed" of certain attentions that I imagine real passengers on First expressly request instead. If I then get some benefits it is just as honest and genuine on the part of the crew.

Reservation

This is a ticket paid cash, but we are not talking about monstrous figures, quite the contrary. I found a very interesting fare combination to fly, in 24h first class with Swiss and Lufthansa, two of the few first classes I had not yet reviewed on this site.

I also chose to make this investment because. I absolutely needed to renew my Star Alliance gold status.. I accumulate on Krisflyer which is Singapore Airlines program, and this ticket allowed me to get, well in advance, qualifying miles to have the level until the fall of 2025, at which point I hope the ITA/Lufthansa issue will be settled and I will decide what to do.

The outward route departed from Copenhagen to Zurich, and from here I embarked towards New Deli At a cost of about €1,600. For the sake of comparison, this figure is roughly the cost of the average upgrade that is required for business travelers to upgrade to F.

At the airport

Unfortunately, everything did not go according to plan. My flight from Copenhagen left 25 minutes late and unfortunately arrived on time. It would seem like a contradiction, but the point is that 9 times out of 10 planes that leave on time arrive early, and I had also based the possibility of maximizing on the ground benefits of this ticket on this advance.

They arrive right on time I did not have a chance to enjoy Swiss's first class lounge, if not just for a champagne flute and only the one in the Schengen terminal and not the nicer one on the opposite side in the intercontinental flight area.

Greeting me at the end of the finger was an attendant with a sign with my last name on it who escorted me to the lounge and explained the paperwork that needed to be done. In a nutshell, the visa check to be able to go to India.

Lufthansa first class passengers share lounges with the holders of the HON level, or the highest in the Miles & More program, status that can only be reached by flying first or business class. A choice that Air France and British Airways do not make, however, and which make F's lounges, more exclusive and less crowded.

As mentioned. In the lounge I had less than 15 minutes of time And then I went to the appointment with the driver.

LH and LX are, along with Air France the only airlines offering this service to passengers from F. One is picked up in the lounge and taken under the plane, but there is a subtle difference. Air France takes each passenger in a Porsche Cayenne, LX puts up to 4 guests in a Mercedes V.

Other small difference in AF the passenger does not have to waste time doing the document check, the attendant takes care of that. With LX you have to walk to the Border Patrol garret and show your ID.

On board

Not just changing cars, but boarding from pitch and not through fingers. We four First Class guests were the last to board and arrived under the plane when all other passengers were already on board.

I, happy as a child, enjoyed taking photos and making a video for the review under the nose of this work of art that is the A340/300.

The first-class cabin of the A340 accommodates up to 8 passengers divided into two rows. I have no idea whether Swiss will upgrade this aircraft with the new cabins that are coming in the next few months, in any case this product is definitely more modern than the one installed on Lufthansa.

The structure of the chairs is similar to the one ANA uses on its The Suite, indeed the Japanese carrier's first class Is really an evolution of these booths. The time spent "dicking around" under the plane I paid for it by not being able to take detailed photos of the cabin without the passengers, amen on the net is full of such photos and just google them.

I had assigned myself seat 2K, the farthest away from the galley where food is prepared for F passengers and where the crew stops overnight, although I must say that they made very little "noise".

The first class seat on Swiss's A340

The space is really a lot and I have to say. this chair makes it into my top5 firsts and will surely have a place in the year-end TFCbest.

Obviously my seat was window side and the space, measured in portholes available says 4 windows plus other space. Obviously we are not on a low-cost, here you don't have to use the centimeter to figure out how much space you will have during the trip.

The seat is wide, the seat is comfortable, and the possible configurations for finding the perfect position are virtually endless, and the door, although not very high, insulates quite a bit from the aisle.

In front of the chair is an ottoman that conceals one of the many storage spaces in this seat. If needed, the bench is perfect as a seat for a snack buddy, there is also a seat belt for two to sit together to dine, chat or play cards.

The coffee table, made of solid wood, is huge and heavy.

There are several wells where you can put your personal items during the flight, sure I walk around with a mobile office, but normal people (in first class) have at most an LV.

In contrast to what Lufthansa offers today, waiting for Allegris to arrive on the whole fleet, Swiss offers an armchair that becomes a real suite. There is a double panel. The one next to the seat is electric and isolates the passenger from the view of the seat neighbor, the second is a real door that completely shields from view.

Of course we are not talking about a high-sky/ground structure, as few companies offer, but the privacy you get is still sufficient To not worry about the prying eyes you must neighbors.

There is also a nice lamp in the back corner of the seat, the intensity of the illumination can be controlled by a button.

Very nice then some finishes such as the lighting of the coffee table in the seat armrest, of course the passenger decides the ignition.

Unlike what happens on many First, here the passenger is forced to "work" if he wants to raise/lower the curtains, which are four in number and all manual. A real drama that, upon request, the crew can easily perform on behalf of the guest.

Speaking of the shortcomings of this chair the only thing I can say is that there are no air vents.

Traveling in pairs? I would take the middle seats. Of course it doesn't become a double like with Singapore Airlines' A380 Suite, but fewer and fewer first-class cabins allow you to travel in a honeymoon configuration, and in this case instead you get to have your own space, dining together even without getting out of your seat.

From an A340 you can't even expect the bathroom of the A380, this is an old lady who, however, defends herself very well in front of all the newcomers.

The first-class bed on Swiss's A340

Sure we are not talking about a real bed, because only Singapore offers that. However, the seat is turned into a bed by the crew in a nanosecond, on the seat is also put a decent topper that insulates sufficiently And adds just the right amount of padding to the seat.

There is plenty of leg room to turn around and find the perfect position, I have no problem admitting that I slept 3 hours like a log. Once you close the doors you are quite isolated from the rest of the cabin.

The chairs look the same, but they are not

One important thing is that to the "untrained" eye. the seats on Swiss's fleet might look the same. This is not the case, and the reason depends on the size of the fuselage, installation time, and the structure of the aircraft itself.

For example. On the 777, the door also incorporates a small closet, which, however, when closing remains visible. In contrast, the 777's curtains are automatic, whereas in this case they are old style.

Last but not least, the seat and backrest on the A340 also have the function that allows you to manage the stiffness, by means of an inner tube, which is not present on the 777. Then there are other small differences that of course I leave to you to discover, so as not to spoil everything.

IFE

The screen is large and of good quality, and the interface is the same throughout the aircraft and the entire LX fleet. One thing that bothered me, however, was the constant commercials while looking at the map.

The headsets are the same as in business class, and everything is handled by the controller hidden under the armrest.

More than enough content to get you there without being bored, perhaps lacking a few little options such as live TV, full series, and modern games.

Airplane equipped with wi-fi and equal prices for everyone from economy to business.

For F passengers everything free and unlimited.

Speed and stability of service left me a little bit puzzled, but I remember it we are not on a modern machine, it is already great that it is there.

Service

In First Class the game, in my opinion, is mostly played here. On the ground, as well as on board. And you can see so much here because Premiere is a category unlike any other (at least of those where I have flown in the last 5 years).

On the ground there is no match. The lounge is not for the few, but for the many. The fact that I was then taken to the "poorer" one is an additional malus in this final evaluation.

Of course there is car accompaniment, but even here it is not the same as La Premiere, not to mention that one (female) attendant for 4 passengers means that in the best of situations force 3 passengers to "climb" the ladder carrying their trolley and that is low-cost, not First Class.

On board the difference is less noticeable, but it is there nonetheless. If only because the ratio on AF is 1 assistant for 4 passengers, here it is 1 for 8, although assisted by other colleagues as well.

However, I must say that the attendant went out of his way to make the flight, mine and the other 4 guests, special. In fact, if I had to evaluate the service by his performance alone, it would have been at the same level as LP. And I'm not saying this because of the unexpected gift at the end.

Swiss First Class Amenities

When I sat in the seat I found the beauty, LX has a number of different beauties on the aesthetic level, but identical from the content. I probably got lucky and got the one that, on the level of (re)usability is the best. However, the content is poor compared to what the competition offers, perhaps I could say the poorest of all the Fs where I have traveled.

Although then it is supplemented by the possibility of fishing, some extra items, from the tray that is offered by the assistant. Excellent quality of pajamas, with a choice of short or long sleeves, comfortable slippers.

Food & Beverage

#spoileralert no caviar

If you're aiming for this ticket to make your "pouery" friends back home die with envy and fill them with snaps on IG I tell you to save your money (or points). LX's choice is conservative; there is no caviar offering and there is only one champagne label on board. Sure it's a 2006 Pommery, but it's certainly not of the most famous or desired and especially there is no second choice or rosé.

Take it or leave it the Americans would say. The wine list is not as sophisticated as that of Emirates, Air France or British. There are "only" three whites, three reds, and one dessert wine.

On the other hand, the menu is rich and, what I was very pleased with, the presence of "off menu" daily specials that are narrated verbally by the flight attendant. In these cases I, as is often seen in the videos, always ask the person serving them what to choose and I must say that I was not disappointed with the food proposal.

I very much appreciated the fact that after choosing my appetizer I was told "It's a micro portion, I suggest you also get this and this" and not even saying so I did. Taking the salad with orange and cheese and the white wine soup with crouton and bacon.

For the main course I had the meat, which was excellent, asking and getting it not "polluted" with truffles.

I did not refuse to try the cheese plate, and for dessert between the coconut cheesecake and the semifreddo I took the second one.

For a flight of a little more than 7 hours, there is also a late dinner menu, but I settled for a stracciatella ice cream.

In conclusion

Once the doors open, all passengers are equal, On this the only difference you have is when you are departing, But when you land you are left alone to yourself and you can't help but live on memories, as well as the historic Costa Crociere advertisement with the baby crying because he wants to go right back on board. The flight then ended with a super surprise.

• first class