Never did I think that my latest flight would be my first flight review on this blog, especially because I promised some other posts first. But a few things happened, that have to be talked about. When I decided to visit my friend who’s currently doing “Interrail” through Europe in Oslo, I was looking for the best flight options from Zurich to Oslo, Norway. Direct flights from Zurich were offered by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) or SWISS.
Actually, I wanted to fly SAS first, because I never flew with them before, but their offer was just not ideal for my situation. I wanted to travel light with only a carry-on trolley, but the “Go Light” fare only included a small carry-on that fits under the seat while the next more expensive fare already included a checked-in bag. Anyway, that said, I booked SWISS in the end, as they offer the “Eco Light” fare with an 8kg carry-on (trolley-sized) included. As the timings fitted best, I chose the flights that were operated by Helvetic Airways.
ZRH – OSL, Economy Class
This flight happened on July 10th which was a Wednesday and while in some regions of Switzerland, the school holidays already started, I passed security at the airport very quickly. I made it in less than 30 minutes from P6 (parking garage which is the furthest away from the terminal) to my gate in Terminal A. As it was a Schengen flight, there was no need to go through immigration, and at the security, I think I did not even wait for 5 minutes. The aircraft, an Embraer E190-E2 (HB-AZH) came in from Munich a bit delayed, therefore our boarding also started later than expected.
With my Eco Light fare, I was in boarding zone 3, and when it was my turn to board, they told me that they had to label my trolley, as there was not enough space in the cabin. While I work in the ground operations and now this procedure (and also expected it somehow), I wished for a bit more customer service at that point. It wouldn’t need much more than a “Hello, how are you?”, followed by, “We’re sorry but we have to label your carry-on, as the flight is very full”. Instead, without a hello I was asked for my boarding pass, the lady scanned it, printed a label for my trolley, and told me to leave it in front of the aircraft door. I honestly didn’t mind that they checked in my carry-on even though that meant that I had to wait for it at the baggage claim in Oslo. But how the ground staff was talking to the passengers, or better not talking, was quite shocking. I know these procedures too well and that’s why I understood the need, but if people are not familiar with them and get treated like that, I somehow can understand when they get mad.
The flight itself was uneventful, I enjoyed the views from 26F. The service on this 2-hour flight consisted of a small bottle of water in economy and the offer to buy extra snacks or drinks against a charge. Just on time – and with the best butter landing I had experienced in a long time – we landed in Oslo where they deboarded the front rows through the jetbridge and the rear rows by stairs and a small walk around the aircraft – of course, I chose to get a look at the aircraft from outside.
There will be another post about Oslo itself soon, but first, how can I summarize the Helvetic Economy Class? It’s a solid product but the only “free of charge” service you get, is a small bottle of water which you could easily buy yourself before the boarding. Therefore, there is honestly nothing, that makes this airline better than its low-cost carrier competitors. As in that case it was a Swiss flight operated by Helvetic, I could at least collect Miles (not so many on these kinds of short-haul flights, but if you take many of them it will count one day).
OSL – ZRH, Business Class
On my way back from Oslo, I planned to fly on the same booking class and ticket fare as I had a few days before. But life had other plans and after I made it through security in literally no time, I ended up waiting at the gate, when my name was called out. I thought they were going to check my hand luggage, but I was wrong. When I handed them my passport, they printed me a new boarding pass and I literally got it back without any comment. Well, communication doesn’t seem to be a talent of everyone.
As I work in the ground operations myself, I knew that a new boarding pass normally also means a new seat – and I was right. When I read 8C I was first a bit disappointed, as I wanted to sit by the window, but just a few seconds later, I also read “business class” on top of the ticket. That was the moment I realized I got an upgrade. I have no idea why exactly I was the one who got an upgrade, as I booked the cheapest fare that existed, but hey, sometimes one has to be lucky. And I was excited how this flight would be.
When the boarding started, I was in the first boarding group, which was great, as I still had much space in the overhead bins to store my bag. On such small aircraft on these short flights, you don’t have special business class seats, but normally either the middle seat (in a 3-3 configuration) or your neighbor seat (in a 2-2 configuration) gets blocked. So, while I was seated on 8C (aisle), 8A (window) was free and I could move to the window (engine view goals!).
After departure, the senior crew / purser started the business class service. It was a maximum of about 12-16 guests in business class but oh dear, this service was soooo slow. I could only imagine how this would not work in a bigger aircraft, as ¾ of the cabin wouldn’t have had their food served before the landing. But hey, who am I to complain about something I got for free ;).
The menu they served was good – even though I was never supposed to get a meal, as I was upgraded at the gate, and they normally cater a flight only for full-fare pax. As there were some extra meals, I got one in the end, and I was lucky enough it was even a vegetarian one. The drinks were served in real glasses, and you could choose between a few soft drinks, red or white wine, champagne, or beer. I got myself a coke as I had to drive home from the airport later. Speaking about that, when we landed in Zurich, we got a bus gate allocated and the deboarding process was rather chaotic, as the business class pax were supposed to go on the business class bus and everyone else on the normal bus.
Overall, I have to say I was not really impressed by Helvetic’s business-class product, most probably it can differentiate depending on the crew you get. But I would never pay full fare for that product or service, as neither you “need” business class on a short haul flight nor is it worth the price.
