Hi, I recently travelled by SWISS International Airlines (the name is no longer SWISSAIR) from London to Mumbai and back. The experience was real good.
First, the prices. Being a self-financed trip, I was looking out for a combination of low fares coupled with less travelling time and min. stopovers/changes.
I got a good deal of 400 pounds from Expedia.co.uk. There was a changeover of flights @ Zurich with approx. 55 mins between the connecting flights. Seemed quite quick and economical. I did have some doubts, given the low fares. Searched on the web and the reviews were not that bad, but not gr88 either. They seemed to be quite strict on luggage rules though. Also, food portions were said to be small.
Anyways, I had no options but to keep my fingers crossed and hope for a good flight. There was a twist in the tale, when one day before my trip, I got injured in a sporting accident and had a swelling on my right ankle. As a result I couldn’t walk. Imagine travelling London-Mumbai alone and not being able to walk. Thoughts abt cancelling the trip crossed my mind. Nevertheless, I went ahead and asked for wheelchair facility at Heathrow, Zurich and Mumbai. The SWISS representative assured me on the phone that all would be taken care of.
Come the trip day & I was a bit nervous, but the smiling SWISS staff at the check-in counter at Heathrow put all my fears to rest. They themselves asked, if wheelchair was needed and offered to provide me the same. I did not need it at Heathrow, since my condition was not that bad. About the luggage part, this one was quite interesting.
SWISS advertise that they allow 20 Kg check-in and 10 kg Hand-luggage. However, my check-in weighed 27.3 kgs, but they did not seem to have any problems with that. The hand-luggage weighed 12.5 kgs and I was made to remove 1.5 kgs from it. Not a big issue, though. Was relieved till now.
Step on to the flight and the atmosphere was warm. Liked the interiors. We had to wait for 1hr. on the Heathrow tarmac, since some passengers who had checked in had not yet boarded. But, the pilot ensured that we reached Zurich on time, thus assuring us of a smooth changeover. In Zurich, I was provided with a wheelchair (again without asking), and the changeover was very smooth. Once inside the Zurich-Mumbai flight, it seemed like a Indian carrier.
There were messages in Hindi on the screen. Indian Veg/Non-Veg food was also provided. Announcements were also made in Hindi, in addition to English/Swiss-German. Every seat had a personal TV screen with a variety of movies (one of which was Hindi)/documentaries. SWISS in-flight service was quick, efficient and with a touch of warmth.
On reaching Mumbai, again the courteous SWISS staff ensured that a wheelchair was ready for me. I was impressed to say the least. The same was the scene on my return to London.
Throughout my trip, I found SWISS to be an efficient, punctual and customer friendly airline.
It is highly recommended.
Cheers!!!
Sudhir