SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300 to Singapore

SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300

The plan was for us to land in Zurich at 4:30 p.m. from Berlin. Because of the strong hurricane Niklas, we only arrived three hours later. From Gate A81 we walked to the SWISS Senator Lounge before taking the SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300 to Singapore.

Due to the many delays, long queues had already formed at the transfer counter. Unfortunately, many passengers were no longer able to catch their connecting flights. So Niklas had caused chaos not only in Berlin, but throughout Europe.

SWISS Senator Lounge (Zurich)

The lounge has been renovated since our last visit in September 2013. There are now smaller seating areas and larger tables with bar stools in the lower area. The upper buffet area remained unchanged.

SWISS Senator Lounge Zürich
SWISS Senator Lounge Zurich

The SWISS Senator Lounge Zurich is home to the longest serviced lounge bar in the world. On previous visits I never took a look inside. So this time I pay her a quick visit. Unfortunately, it turns out that it is a smoking bar, so after taking a quick photo I return straight back to the lounge.

Längste bediente Lounge-Bar der Welt
Longest serving lounge bar in the world

This time we were disappointed with the food on offer. The leek and potato soup was cold, the vegetable spaetzle was simply inedible and otherwise the selection was rather limited. The Mövenpick ice cream had also been rationalized away. A pity! So I only treated myself to an alcohol-free Feldschlösschen.

Ahead of us was a 12-hour flight in economy class to Singapore. To freshen up again, we used the shower stalls in the lounge and then changed into comfortable sweatpants. Not quite as stylish, we then made our way to satellite terminal E. All international flights leaving the Schengen area are handled here. You can get there with a small self-propelled train – the Skymetro. On the way you should pay attention to the tunnel walls, because a short film is shown there - like the flip books used to be.

Arriving at gate E34, I asked one last time about a possible upgrade to business class. I had already seen at check-in that economy was fully booked, so we still had hope. Unfortunately, it was the case that Business and Economy were filled to the last seat.

What is the cabin and seat like in the SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300?

Thanks to our Star Alliance Gold status, we were one of the first to board and found an economy that was still empty. Today we sat in seats 31J and K in the back and last economy compartment. The SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300 has 2-4-2 seating except for the last four rows. Due to the narrower fuselage, there is only 2-3-2 seating in the last four rows.

SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300
SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300

Was gibt es in der SWISS Economy Class Airbus A340-300 zu essen & trinken?

After boarding ended at 10:45 p.m., the menus were distributed. The choices were chicken and a vegetable paella. The service began shortly after reaching cruising altitude. Christin took the paella and I tried the chicken once. Both were OK – nothing more and nothing less. As a little nightcap after dinner, I drank a vodka and cola. Unfortunately there is only Smirnoff on board.

A film and a good 5 hours of sleep later, we woke up again shortly after leaving mainland India. Now we only had a good 3:45 hours left. About 1,400 kilometers from Singapore, the lights on board were switched on again and we were given a warm towel to refresh ourselves.

Flugroute LX 178 (Zürich nach Singapur) (Quelle: flightaware.net)
Flight route LX 178 (Zurich to Singapore) (Source: flightaware.net)

Breakfast was served in the middle of the Strait of Malacca, 1:30 hours before arrival in Singapore. When I studied the menu that evening, I was disappointed that there was supposed to be scrambled eggs. I had never had edible scrambled eggs on a plane. But I tried it anyway and was more than pleasantly surprised - delicious and a great combination with the croquettes and asparagus. There was also fruit salad, yoghurt, rolls, coffee and a Tetra Pak orange juice. I probably haven't had a drink packet in my hand for 5-6 years.

Frühstück SWISS Economy - endlich ein leckeres Rührei
SWISS Economy breakfast – finally delicious scrambled eggs

After breakfast we prepared to arrive in Singapore. The amenity kit we brought with us included a toothbrush, various creams and deodorant. After freshening up, we put our sweatpants back on. That's not so easy in an airplane toilet.

SWISS A340-300 Winglets
SWISS A340-300 Winglets

The first thing we noticed when approaching Singapore were the many container ships waiting in front of the port to finally be unloaded. After an unspectacular landing, the pilot stopped the A340-300 at Gate E4 at 4:49 p.m., around 30 minutes earlier than planned.

After entering the country without any problems and without long waiting times, we were able to collect our luggage immediately. Unfortunately we missed the hotel shuttle to the Grand Mercure Roxy by 10 minutes and had to wait 50 minutes. You can get information about the shuttle bus and a small hotel sticker at the Ground Transportation counter on the arrivals level.

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Christian

My name is Christian and I was born in the green heart of Germany and studied computer engineering in Ilmenau, Thuringia. Since 2021, I live with my wife Christin and our son in Merseburg and work in Leipzig as a product manager. What I love about travelling is flying, discovering delicious food and drink, and staying in great hotels. I am a travel enthusiast and always on the lookout for the next adventure. I have been posting about my experiences on the road since 2007.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Robert

    Swiss is doing a really good job. Definitely an alternative for the upcoming flights. When will the new lounge at Dock E open?

    1. Christian

      The lounge in E will open at the end of this year I think.

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