While my SWISS Airbus A220-300 flight from London to Zurich was pleasant in one distinct way, the reality is you’re paying a huge premium to fly SWISS out of Heathrow versus a budget carrier from another London airport and won’t get a lot out of it, at least onboard.
SWISS A220-300 Economy Class Review (LHR-ZRH)
At the outset, let’s revisit my discussion on why SWISS can charge a premium over budget carriers that serve the same route.
It’s not for the onboard experience, which other than the free chocolate and water bottle is not much better than a budget carrier. Legroom is similar (in some cases worse) and there is no Wi-Fi or power outlets.
No, it’s for the ease and connectivity of flying out of London Heathrow and being able to connect onto other SWISS or Star Alliance flights, with lounge access and business class upgrades for frequent flyers or others willing to pay up.
I start with this because if you’re just buying a point-to-point ticket, I really do question the value of SWISS at 2-3x the cost over its competitors, especially if you are traveling light.
> Read More: SWISS Charges A Premium In Europe, But For What Exactly?
But we did take advantage of the Lufthansa Lounge before the flight, which was a nice benefit and not something we could have enjoyed had we flown out of Stansted or Luton.
Boarding commenced only 25 minutes prior to departure from the Queen’s Terminal (2).
SWISS 325
London (LHR) – Zürich (ZRH)
Wednesday, March 25
Depart: 5:10 PM
Arrive: 8:00 PM
Duration: 1hr, 50min
Aircraft: Airbus A220-300
Distance: 491 miles
Seat: 17D, E, F
Lagging in the lounge, we were among the last to board, so I don’t have a lot of cabin shots, though I’ll include several from a previous flight.
Seat
SWISS has placed 145 seats on its A220-300s, arranging them in a 2-3 format and utilizing EC-00 slimline seats from ZIM. Seats are 18 inches wide and recline two inches. Per AeroLopa:
- Rows 2 to 11 – 32 inches of legroom
- Row 12 – 39 inches of legroom
- Seats 14 to 20 (ABC) – 28 inches of legroom
- Seats 14 to 20 (DEF) – 29 inches of legroom
Seats have no power outlets (USB or A/C), but there are personal air vents.
Wi-Fi + IFE
The flight had no Wi-Fi Internet or streaming IFE and no screens, other than the small overhead screens which displayed a flight map in-flight and information on connecting gates prior to arrival.
At least it was a beautiful evening to look out the window.
Food + Drink
The last time I flew this route, a delicious complimentary sandwich was served. Those days are over, but a buy-on-board menu is offered called SWISS Saveurs. It includes a variety of fresh foods (like the sandwiches that used to be free), packaged snacks, soft drinks, wine, beer, and spirits. The menu has hot items as well like burgers or pasta, but those are only available on longer flights: LHR-ZRH is too short.
Bottled water (still) and chocolates are still complimentary.
On this flight, I tried a glass of Alpine Essence, the SWISS signature cocktail. It was refreshing and served in a real glass…a nice touch. The cocktail is a riff on a Negroni, but lighter and less bitter than a traditional Negroni. It was jointly developed with bartender Sarah Madritsch and Zurich’s IGNIV by Andreas Caminada Bar.
I give more details on the drink here. It cost 10 CHF (almost 13 USD at current exchange rates).
> Read More: A Perfect Aperitif At 35,000 Feet: SWISS Alpine Essence Cocktail
Lavatories
Economy class passengers have access to two lavatories located in the rear of the aircraft. They are well-designed not to be as claustrophobic as the tiny bathrooms you now see on the 737 MAX, but are still small.
CONCLUSION
We landed on-time in Zurich, where my in-laws were waiting to meet us outside baggage claim. Our flight on SWISS was as expected: clean and punctual. Don’t expect a marginally better onboard product than British Airways or any budget carrier, but do try the Alpine Essence and it was certainly nice to fly from LHR.
Having lounge access on a flight like this does help, I suppose, in that at least you can fill your belly as needed before the flight.
Just curious, but how do you entertain your kids on a flight like this with no WiFi/TV?