Zurich has several lounges for Swiss Airlines pax. But one highly recommended by many is the Panorama Lounge on the top floor of terminal E, so I decided to check out what the fuzz is all about.
The lounge is nicely stocked. It has a full variety of drinks as well as some hot options in food and soup. One little thing is that I wasn't exactly comfortable with Swiss soups (it got a weird sour/bitter taste to it)
I wasn't hungry. So I just grabbed a coffee to relax before my longhaul flight.
Oh, and the most important thing, why is it called the Panorama lounge? Well, it offers a panoramic view on the runway and it is very impressive. This is a panoramic view I took with my X100. It kinda screwed up a bit, but it gives you an idea what to expect.
Now on the plane. Swiss Airlines' seat is arranged in a crossed kinda way because it achieves the fully flat seat by sliding under the side-table kinda thing of the seat in front of you.
Again, plenty of legroom. But because it actually slides down, it doesn't have an ottoman for one to relax their feet on. Nevertheless, it's still quite comfortable.
The sliding spot I was referring to. It goes all the way giving pax 2 meters of space when fully reclined.
Swiss Airlines makes a special note on its presentation. Seatbelt in business class comes with airbag integrated. Not sure I'm sold on the idea on strapping myself to a mini explosive device.
I like how Swiss Airlines' Amenity kit comes in a metal box rather than those cheap bag that UA or AC uses.
Amenity kit content
A shot of the seat in lounge position. It's worth mentioning the seat is rather hard, even though not very noticeable when sitting. (more on this later). I really liked the side table idea. I could throw things around without occupying any space on my seat.
I took a quick Breakfast after boarding as I was expecting to sleep during most of the travel.
This is how the seat looks in bed position. As it slides under the slot to achieve the fully flat, the seat is lowered almost to the floor. And as I mentioned earlier, the seat is rather hard in bed position (they have a firmness setting on the seat control. But it didn't seem to make much difference no matter how long I pressed) So it actually feels like sleeping on the floor of an airplane, a rather unusual experience I must say.
The lunch. Nothing really special. So I'd just stick with pics:
Appy
Duck
Dessert
Coffee
Overall, I think Swiss' offering on business class is not bad. I really liked the side table as I don't need to panic to put away my laptop when they come for food service, although the seat could be softer.