by Lufthansa Flyer | Jul 20, 2016 | CS100, Featured, On Board Experience, Passenger Experience, Swiss |
Swiss International Airlines Launches Inaugural Service With Bombardier CS100
Special guest on-scene report from FlyerTalk’s ClaudiSTR with KK Flyer
On July 15, Swiss International celebrated the start of service of the new Bombardier CS100 aircraft with an inaugural flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Paris (CDG).
Swiss is the launch customer for the CS100/300, the newest and largest members of the Bombardier aircraft family. Depending on specific configuration, the CS100 accommodates from about 108 passengers (8 business + 100 coach) up to 125 passengers in a 5-across arrangement. A larger version of the airframe, the CS300, seats typically about 130 (12 J + 118 Y) up to a maximum of 160.
In terms of passenger capacity and cabin diameter, the Bombardier C-Series jets fit nicely into the space between the Embraer E-Jet family and the larger Boeing 737– Airbus A320– series, and are a nice replacement for the retiring BAe 146s (Avro RJ100). Based on my first experience, I would like to especially thank the Canadian taxpayers for rescuing from development delays what seems to be a technically wonderful airplane. The C-Series should turn out to be an excellent addition to regional/short-haul fleets around the world in the 100- to 130-seat market.
View from row 15…..
I was fortunate to be among the passengers onboard for the July 15 inaugural flight of HB-JBA, “Kanton Zürich,” the first CS100 operated by SWISS, and indeed the first CS100–flight in revenue service.
The on-board experience…..(Photos Courtesy of Vielfliegertreff’s (VFT) founding member ‘RCS’):
5-across cabin seating features comfortable seats with plenty of knee/leg room even for people a bit over 6 feet/185cm tall. Body support was good, and the seat upholstery had a nice look and quality feel.
Take note of the shortened arm-rest for the window seat. This stub might lead to a comfort issue.
Generous overhead baggage storage…..will alleviate risks of gate-checking luggage.
Large and well-designed overhead bins accommodate standard carry-on baggage, and when closed contribute to a spacious feel in the cabin. Combined with large windows, the cabin leaves a large, bright, and airy impression.
A typical Economy Class seat provides ample leg room.
I was sitting in Row 15 (over the wing, which I found to have a bit more noise and vibration than I expected. Further forward and aft, the cabin was much quieter.
The lavatory to my surprise was large and roomy considering the size of the aircraft. It reminds you of the Lavs you would find aboard widebody aircraft.
Unfortunately, since the flight destination was Paris/CDG, the normally festive mood was somewhat subdued out of respect for the victims of the terror attack in Nice the night before. For example, the usual celebratory water cannon salute for a new aircraft arrival in Paris did not happen, and the pre-flight celebrations in Zurich were low-key, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the gate. But despite the muted background, there was genuine excitement for the new airplane.
Frequent flyers, airline managers, people from the airline industry, and as special guest Miss Switzerland 2013 gathered to celebrate the first revenue flight of C100. Amongst the passengers also was Thomas Lee, who completed his 5th inaugural flight of a new airplane after joining the 747-100, A380, 787 and A350 inaugural flights.
In addition to the impressive passenger cabin, the ‘office’ of the aircraft is even more impressive. The pilots flying the CS100 will enjoy a full ‘Glass Cockpit’ with the most advanced technology currently available.
What a fantastic place to work! Photo Courtesy of Vielfliegertreff’s (VFT) founding member ‘RCS’
Overall, I am excited about the Bombardier C-series aircraft, and despite a bit of mid-cabin noise and vibration, I am pleased with the passenger experience. I look forward to future SWISS flights featuring the CS100, and I think passengers flying short-haul routes served by SWISS and the CS100 are in for a pleasant flight experience.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 10, 2016 | Featured, Swiss, Travel, Voucher |
To mark the Queen’s 90th Birthday, SWISS is offering passengers a voucher good for £90 off of long haul bookings that originate in the UK with connecting flights to Switzerland.
The offer is valid until Sunday, 12 June and covers travel between 20 August and 31 March.
The voucher code to use during booking is SWISS16QUEEN90 and is valid for bookings with a minimum fare of £450.
H/T: FlyerTalk’s NewbieRunner
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 7, 2016 | Fare Sale, Featured, Lufthansa, Swiss |
No doubt that Turkish tourism is suffering and load factors are down, but for those of you with a desire to see Istanbul, this may be a great opportunity. I’ve been there a few times, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it on every visit!
In reviewing fares, I found several options available between certain US gateways and Istanbul that can be booked for as low as $450 (San Francisco – Istanbul on SWISS) if you travel between September and March and stay at least 7 days. Istanbul fares from other US gateways range between $500 and $600. The East coast of the USA prices in the low to mid $500 range, the Midwest comes in around $550-$600.
There’s no published end to the fare sale so it is probably just a matter of inventory control that will determine when fares start to go back to normal. But for now, these are really worth taking advantage of.
Pay attention when booking your flights as they can be operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, United, or Air Canada.
If you’re going to fly Economy, your best bet would be to book an LH flight since you can bid to upgrade to Premium Economy for $200-300 per long-haul segment or pay about the same amount and upgrade once you board your flight if Premium Economy seats are available. If you upgrade the entire trip, you’ll still be able to get to IST and back for about $1000. Not bad!
To see the best ‘Matrix’ of fares, I suggest using Google.com/flights – it lays out all of your options and gives you fares for 2 months out on one screen.
by Lufthansa Flyer | May 27, 2016 | 777, Featured, Route Announcements, Swiss |
Over the past 2 days, SWISS has released updates to their 777 timetable that includes a new destination, an extension of service, and a delay in service.
First the bad news:
SWISS has decided to postpone the 777 on flights between Zurich and San Francisco. Originally, the 777 was set to begin flying the route on August 30, but now that has been pushed back to February 16, 2017. At that point, the 777 will fly the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Their A340-300 will continue to fly the route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Now the good news:
Swiss has decided to extend the 777’s presence in Montreal. Originally the plane was scheduled to end ‘YUL’ service on August 28. This has now been extended to October 28. The 777 will fly the route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The A330-300 will fly the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Now the better news:
SWISS will be bringing the 777 to Miami beginning October 30. Current plans has the aircraft flying the route on 4 flights each week (SWISS currently plans 14 flights per week to MIA). So specifically, here is where you can find the 777 flying between Zurich and Miami:
SWISS flight LX064 (ZRH-MIA) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
SWISS flight LX065 (MIA-ZRH) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
All other fights between Zurich and Miami will be operated by an Airbus A330-300.
H/T- AirlineRoute.net
by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 22, 2016 | Featured, Route Announcements, Swiss |
SWISS has unveiled their ‘VERY’ preliminary Bombardier CS100 destinations and schedules as the aircraft finally joins the fleet and enters service on July 15. Besieged by delays, it’s nice to finally see the plane in action.
As you can expect, there will be a lot of rotation of the CS100 throughout Europe in the coming months as 20 CS100 and 10 CS300 are poised to join the fleet. For now, here is the schedule as released by SWISS on April 21:
July 15: Zurich – Paris
July 15: Zurich – Budapest
July 16: Zurich – Manchester (Until October 28)
March 27, 2017: Zurich – Manchester
July 16: Zurich – Prague
August 20: Zurich – Warsaw
August 21: Zurich – Brussels
September 7: Zurich – Stuttgart
September 11: Zurich – Bucharest (Until October 23)
September 11: Zurich – Venice (Until October 28)
September 16: Zurich – Milan Malpensa
October 1: Zurich – Florence
October 1: Zurich – Hanover (Until October 23)
October 2: Zurich – Nice (Until March 25)
October 30: Zurich – Birmingham (Until March 25)
October 30: Zurich – Geneva (Until March 25)
October 30: Zurich – Luxembourg
H/T: AirlineRoute.net
