First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to Mr. Muellair who wrote this review. I’ve known him for quite some time now and have had the pleasure of traveling with him, but it simply makes me happy that he took the time to describe his experiences. Thank you.
Booking
Despite the circumstances, I don’t let myself get beaten down and try to clear my head as best I can by planning trips and then actually taking them. In this flight review, the first part of my journey to Zanzibar will be covered. I flew the first leg with Swiss to Dubai. Even during Corona, Swiss offers a direct flight from Zurich to Dubai several times a week. All of Swiss’s long-haul aircraft types are used in rotation. These are currently the A330, A340, and occasionally the Boeing 777. For my flight, I unfortunately got the A330, which has the oldest onboard product.
The decision to book this flight coincided with an award booking to Zanzibar. Since the UAE and Zanzibar are in the same mileage zone, this detour could be made on the same ticket. For a one-way flight to Zanzibar, Miles and More charges 35,000 miles plus a surcharge. In pre-Covid times, Swiss flew to Dar-Es Salaam via Nairobi, and First Class was also available. In Covid times, you have to fall back on currently operated routes. The current routing is a bit unusual: Zurich – Dubai – Addis Ababa – Zanzibar. Since the alternative Zurich – Geneva – Addis Ababa – Zanzibar involved a 5-hour layover in Geneva without lounge access, I opted for the flight via Dubai.
I checked in online for the flight, but since I had vacation luggage, I had to go to the check-in counter. Since Zanzibar currently does not require a COVID test and neither Dubai nor Addis Ababa require one for transit passengers, I went to the airport without a PCR test. Since the rules feel like they change hourly, check-in at the First counter took about 20 minutes, including the involvement of a supervisor. My luggage was then checked through to the final destination.
The document check before boarding went relatively quickly. Before boarding, the upgrade options were pointed out. Since Business Class was relatively empty, I decided not to upgrade. Boarding was carried out efficiently and according to the standard rules. Despite the plane not being fully booked, it still took a while for boarding to finish.
Various reviews have already been written about the cabin and seat on the Swiss A330. The amenities such as blankets, pillows, and amenity kit were available as usual before COVID. As a Senator, I was able to reserve seat 5K in advance. This seat is not a throne, but it still offers a certain degree of privacy. Not all seats in the forward section were occupied, which made for a relaxed atmosphere.
The entertainment system on the A330 has a small screen compared to the Lufthansa seat. Since no new films are being released, the available selection of movies is also limited. Unfortunately, the Swiss Magazine and the Duty Free catalog are not available in printed form. I don’t miss the Duty Free catalog, but I always enjoyed reading the Swiss Magazine.
In Business Class, there were no noticeable restrictions on this flight. The menu card was distributed after the welcome drink. The food departing from Zurich is generally of reasonable to good quality. The menu card on this flight listed the following starters and main courses.
Dining
For the starter, I chose the beef entrecôte tataki, a choice I would not come to regret.
The main course was the braised beef brisket, which was very tender.
The yuzu lemon meringue cake was delicious, and as a self-confessed Lindor truffle fan, I was happy to receive them as a dessert accompaniment.
You can find the full menu here, by the way — this time the Canton of Fribourg was the host:
After the service, a snack was handed out. From a basket, you could choose snacks like Zweifel chips, Kägi Fret, and fruit. I thought it was great that all the options were regional Swiss products.
You could really tell the crew was enjoying this flight. The service was carried out with great attentiveness. Details like the lemon and ice in the cola and mineral water were refilled without being asked. The food was served in a harmonious manner and in the correct order. This is something I’ve noticed going wrong on other Swiss flights before.
The amenity kit comes in the usual Victorinox bag and offers the standard additions found on almost every airline.
Conclusion
The first flight as part of the journey to Zanzibar was simply a delight. A very attentive and motivated crew made this start to the vacation a positive experience. If it weren’t for the masks, I wouldn’t have remembered that COVID was a thing.
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