by Krish Patel
SWISS. The flag carrier that sports the Swiss flag on each of its aircraft’s tails. Known for delicate precision, warm hospitality, and friendly crew, the SWISS flight experience is among one of the best out of any airline in Europe. We recently had the chance to fly Business Class with SWISS onboard their Airbus A330-300, the backbone of the airline’s long-haul fleet, from Newark (EWR) to Zurich Airport (ZRH).
Checking In, Lounge, & Boarding at EWR
Like all other foreign airlines departing Newark, SWISS utilizes Terminal B. Check-in for the Lufthansa Group Airlines, which includes SWISS, is situated towards the end of the terminal hall. Despite there being no major queues for Business Class check-in, it took a while for the Lufthansa agent to process my passport, which significantly delayed the check-in process.
After dropping off my bags, I received my boarding pass and quickly cleared security in pier 3 of Terminal B with TSA PreCheck. My Business Class ticket granted me access to priority security, which was well-appreciated.
Terminal B clearly showed its age, with low ceilings and industrial colors that date back to the 1970s. The airside section of the building felt incredibly cramped and congested, especially as the evening departures approached. It’s also worth mentioning that there are very few amenities in this terminal; in fact, a significant number of the shops and restaurants are located landside rather than post-security.
Accessible to SWISS Business Class passengers is the Lufthansa Lounge near gate B60 and right across from the SAS lounge. (These are the only two lounges in Pier 3.) Since Lufthansa is part of the Star Alliance (as is SWISS), the two airlines share a partnership that allows for lounge access in Newark. Additionally, Austrian Airlines Business Class passengers are also directed to the Lufthansa Lounge.
For an outstationed lounge, the Lufthansa Lounge in EWR feels premium and is designed with the airline’s new Allegris concept. I appreciated the bright wooden tones and elegant understated finishes that provided a subtle hint of German sophistication.
There are plenty of comfortable areas to sit, which offer direct access to charging outlets, including USB-A and USB-C ports. Guests have several seating options to choose from, including dedicated areas for working, dining, or lounging. The dark blue, gray, and brown color palette added for a nice flavor of modern sophistication that felt calming and tranquil.
The focal point of the lounge is a 360˚ bar, offering complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I perused through the mocktail list and ordered the paloma.
Hungry guests could help themselves to a light snack or meal from the lounge’s buffet, featuring fresh items. Options included braised chicken, herb rice, spiced chickpeas, a salad bar, and charcuterie platter. I tried some of the food options and wasn’t super blown away by any of the dishes.
For an outstationed international Business Class Lounge, the Lufthansa Lounge is swanky and luxurious. However, it does not have the ‘wow factor’ of the United Polaris Lounge in Terminal C, which offers more amenities such as showers, quiet rooms, and a high-quality á la carte restaurant. I knew that Lufthansa had redesigned its lounge in Newark a few years ago, so my expectations were somewhat high.
After my stay in the lounge, I left to board my flight. Boarding began an hour behind schedule at gate B66 due to our flight’s delayed departure time from EWR.
SWISS Business Class passengers receive priority boarding in Group 2, taking place after Group 1 boarding for First Class customers and HON Circle guests. The gate area was extremely crowded before boarding began, making it difficult to find an open seat. Even the queues for priority boarding had already filled up quickly. Thankfully, I was still lucky to board early enough and record footage of the cabin.
SWISS Business Cabin & Seat
SWISS Air’s A330s feature a total of 45 Business Class seats spread across two cabins. The seats are configured in a unique 1-2-1 and 2-2-1 layout that alternates by row, meaning that most seats offer direct aisle access except for a select few window seats on the left side of the jet. With a sophisticated Swiss charm, the cabin felt welcoming enough for the 7-hour transatlantic flight thanks to the wooden tones and dark-upholstered seats.
However, compared with other Business Class products in the industry, SWISS Air’s lie-flat pods on the A330 feel outdated. They barely offer any privacy, as there’s no partition separating travelers from the aisle. A trade-off that this creates for travelers is that couples flying together in the honeymoon sets will easily be able to chat during the flight without having to deal with a divider.
The tech is also not the most modern for a Business Class seat, as there are no USB-C chargers. If you have a new iPhone model, I recommend that you board either with a charged device or bring a universal adapter. Seriously, who has an iPod these days?
After all, SWISS decided to include an iPod charger at the seat.
In front of you is a small inflight entertainment monitor with a dated interface. The IFE screen is fairly old and does not have the same extensive entertainment selection as legacy U.S. carriers and elite Middle Eastern airlines. However, there were a few movies, playlists, and TV shows, but I didn’t watch anything because I wanted to eat dinner quickly and then maximize sleep.
On either side of the entertainment monitor is a set of coat hooks, as well as literature racks. You’ll find a small storage cubby right below the screen where you can keep your water bottle or noise cancelling headphones. The ottoman is relatively narrow in terms of Business Class standards, and my feet felt as if they were boxed in while sleeping.
A major advantage of the throne seat is having a ton of side counter space. Rather than one side table, passengers in these seats will receive two. The right side table houses the entertainment remote, while the left side is where your tray table, seat controls, chargers, and reading light are all situated. Having two side tables is nice, but SWISS could’ve invested in adding a privacy feature or partition.
Tucked behind the seat is another pair of seat controls, though it took me a while to find this feature.
SWISS A330s are equipped with two designated Business Class bathrooms, both of which are located between the mini and larger cabins. This roughly creates a 23:1 passenger-to-lavatory ratio, resulting in long queues during peak times of the flight such as after meals or before arrival. As the amenity kit provided was lacking in terms of amenities (more on that later), it was nice to find a spread of goodies in the lavatory for passengers to take.
After brushing my teeth in the lavatory, I reclined my bed for sleep. It’s unfortunate that SWISS doesn’t provide mattress pads in Business Class because the seat material was somewhat hard and uncomfortable as a sleeping surface. However, I appreciated the soft pillow and blanket. The seats offer a width of 20.5 inches, which is on the tighter side, but the bed length is a decent 79 inches. I slept for just under four hours and woke up once the cabin lights turned on again.
Food and Drink in SWISS Business Class
Each Business seat came provided with a bag of mixed nuts upon boarding. The flight attendants also took some time to distribute menu cards and a dedicated breakfast card, which outlined the breakfast options available before landing. Passengers could check off all the items on the card they would want served on their breakfast tray.
Pre-departure drinks were served before pushing back from the gate in Newark, with choices including the airline’s signature sparkling elderberry juice or champagne. The juice was refreshing.
After takeoff, I was served a hot towel and offered a drink, for which I chose water.
Appetizers were then brought through the aisles not long afterwards. There was only one choice on tonight’s flight, consisting of goat cheese with roasted baby carrots and green asparagus. There was also a seasonal salad on the appetizer tray, artisan fruit and cheese plate, and flight attendants distributed the bread basket. I was confused why the cheese plate was served with the first course, even though the menu listed it under the dessert selection. But as expected from a high-quality airline like SWISS, the starter made a great first impression for the meal service.
The entree selection is where the menu displays more variety:
Beef fillet with mushroom cream sauce
Pan-seared chicken with caramelized onions
Seared striped lemon sea bass
Coconut curry with roasted squash, chickpeas, cauliflower, and basmati rice
I settled for the coconut curry, which wasn’t presented in the most aesthetic manner. It was incredibly warm for the standards of an inflight meal and also tasty, but not super memorable.
When dessert actually came, I ordered rooibos tea alongside the mango and coconut shortbread. The shortbread cake was delightful, but hard to break through using the provided spoon. A signature touch to the dessert service in SWISS Business Class are the individually distributed chocolate pralines from Aeschbaach Chocolatier.
I woke up almost an hour before landing in Zurich, when I was served breakfast. On my tray, I chose to have the breakfast breads, spinach and egg dish, and mixed fruit. The eggs were soggy, but the bread and fruit both tasted fresh. For drinks, I refreshed myself with a smoothie and an oat milk cappuccino. Both were delicious.
Amenities & Service in SWISS Business Class
Upon boarding, waiting at the seat for passengers are a pillow and duvet, headphones, amenity kit, and bottle of water. The bedding items for today’s flight were soft and comfortable for the 7-hour flight, though having a mattress pad would have been a nice touch since the seat material was fairly hard. Unfortunately, SWISS Business passengers only receive mattress covers on flights longer than 10 hours.
SWISS Air’s Business Class headphones felt cheap and were of poor quality. They didn’t function well and did a terrible job blocking out exterior sound.
The amenity kit is simple and understated, composed of a soft black pouch. It includes basic essentials needed for a long-haul flight, like a toothbrush, sleep socks, and earplugs. Some more skincare items and an eye mask would not be too much to ask for. But this wasn’t much of an issue because I requested the flight attendant for an eye mask and was handed one before going to sleep.
Booking SWISS Business Class
One-way Business Class fares from Newark to Zurich on SWISS Air Lines cost $3,500 or 125,000 SWISS Miles & More points. As someone with a collection of several United MileagePlus miles, I found a “Saver” redemption award for just 80,000 points plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
Co-branded Chase credit cards that can be used to book SWISS Business Class include:
United Club Infinite Card
United Explorer Card
United Quest Card
The three cards listed above earn miles on airline purchases. Additionally, having United Premier status or a credit card with the airline can unlock lower Business Class awards that would otherwise cost well over 110,000 points due to dynamic pricing.
Overall Thoughts
If you can find a points redemption through a Star Alliance partner, then flying SWISS Business Class to Zurich can be an experience that allows you to step off the plane refreshed. While aspects such as the dining and service left me impressed, I did not like the Business Class seat on the A330. It felt exposed, tight, and lacked the comfort of a modern Business Class seat such as Lufthansa Allegris or British Airways Club Suites.
SWISS Business Class delivers a polished European hospitality that cannot be found on any U.S. airline, though its aging hard product can make it underwhelming on an overnight flight, making the experience worthwhile for someone who values friendly service over a comfortable bed.