With only half an hour to work with, I was impressed with what Helvetic delivered on a short flight across the Alps.

Introduction

Leading up to my flight, SWISS made sure through multiple emails that I knew I would be flying from Zurich to Milan with their partner, Helvetic Airways. One of the many nuances of the complicated dynamics of the Lufthansa Group, Helvetic flies some regional flights on behalf of SWISS—though other than the name on the outside of the plane, I wouldn’t have known the difference.

Check-In and Security

SWISS operates two separate check-in areas for economy and business/first passengers at Zurich airport, which are about a five minute walk apart. Since I had a business class ticket on SWISS partner Helvetic Airways, I was eligible to use check-in area one. This space is still under construction, but is where you’ll find standalone check-in desks reserved for business class travellers and Star Alliance Gold members. Across the hall is a check-in lounge reserved for first class SWISS passengers and HON Circle members.

Check-in area one at Zurich Airport serves business class and Star Alliance Gold passengers (desks on the left) as well as first class and HON Circle members (through the glass doors on the right).

I had already received my boarding pass from an earlier SWISS flight from Montreal, but stopped by to check my carry-on bag through to Milan since I had a few hours to explore Zurich and didn’t want to take my suitcase with me. This was accomplished quickly with no wait by a friendly SWISS staff member.

After a lovely afternoon in a lovely city I was back at check-in area one, which is also where you’ll find the priority security lane for business class passengers. There was only one person in front of me in this lane, and I was through in about 90 seconds.

Lounge and Boarding

As you’d expect from a flag carrier at its primary hub, SWISS operates numerous lounges at Zurich Airport. Not all lounges are created equal though, so in this review we’ll focus on what is, in my view, the best lounge accessible to Star Alliance business class and Gold status passengers flying out of Zurich: the Alpine Lounge.

This is not the easiest lounge to find, something that was annoying as I was trying to find it but which I appreciated when I walked inside to find I was one of only two passengers there. If you just want any lounge, you follow the clear signs to the main SWISS business class/Senator lounge combo at the A-gates. If you want the best lounge, you keep walking downstairs until you find a discreet, sliding glass door leading to an oasis of calm and mountain-themed tranquility.

I stopped to ask for directions at the SWISS business lounge, and the young woman staffing the reception desk there seemed genuinely excited that I had heard about the Alpine Lounge and wanted to visit. She called a colleague to replace her at the reception area and offered to walk me to the lounge herself, which is excellent service and not at all the norm. On the two-minute walk over she shared more information about this hidden lounge: it used to be the SWISS First Class lounge, is only open until 6:00 p.m. daily, and not many people use/know about it. Other than the early closing time things were looking good.

The spiral staircase entrance adorned with Swiss scenery artwork creates a sense of occasion when ascending to the SWISS Alpine Lounge.

Through sliding glass doors you find a winding staircase with beautiful imagery of the Swiss countryside adorning the walls. At the top was the usual desk where my boarding pass was scanned and I was welcomed inside.

Being initially designed for first class passengers, the Alpine Lounge is much smaller than the main SWISS business/Senator lounges at Zurich. The design is clean and airy, with decor alluding to the mountains of Switzerland. It was just a lovely place to be.

The SWISS Alpine Lounge is bright, clean, and well-arranged, with furniture and decor meant to evoke the Swiss Alps.

After spending a minute walking around the small space I settled on a table with ramp views in the dining area; with only one other passenger privy to the Alpine Lounge’s existence this Tuesday evening, I had my choice of seats.

Some of the self-serve spirits on offer, including local Swiss vodkas.

There was a friendly chef manning a live cooking station, and I went for a cheese spätzle topped with chives and fried onions. This took about seven minutes to prepare, came out piping hot, and was as deliciously cheesy as it looks. The same dish was served buffet style at the SWISS business lounge, which I migrated to after the Alpine Lounge closed…it just wasn’t the same.

Cheesy, beery goodness.

I came back to Zurich Airport early so I would have a chance to visit this lounge, which as mentioned above closes at 6:00 p.m. I’m glad I did: for a lounge accessible to short-haul economy passengers with status, or regional business class passengers, it was exceptional. The early closing time really is the only downside.

The SWISS business lounge in the A gates area, where I spent the two and a half hours between the Alpine Lounge closing and my flight boarding, was perfectly fine as well. It was crowded so I didn’t take many pictures, but if you visit head to the very back where you’ll find a triangular table with a topographical map of Switzerland surrounded by two walls made of hay and two more adorned with high-resolution pictures of SWISS aircraft. This hidden corner of the lounge didn’t get nearly as busy as the main areas, and the photos partially made up for the lack of ramp views.

This corner of the SWISS business lounge stayed quiet in an otherwise busy lounge...probably because it looks like a conference room.

It was about a ten-minute walk from the SWISS A gates lounge to my gate for today’s flight. Boarding started promptly at 8:55 p.m. with an invitation for passengers in group one to board; that prompted no one to come forward, so group two was called which is where business class passengers are placed. I was on board and seated within about ten minutes of arriving at the gate.

Seat, Service, and Food

Regional jets sometimes conjure up bad images of cramped seats, no overhead space, and basic service. I try to search them out for short flights in European business class though: unlike US domestic first class or regional business class elsewhere in the world, nearly all European carriers use economy seats for short-haul business class, the main on-board differences being better service and a blocked adjacent seat (the first few rows usually have extra legroom as well, but business class can extend past these extra legroom rows). On larger jets like the 737 or A320 family operating a 3-3 configuration, this means you still end up with a neighbour and don’t have direct access to the aisle or your overhead bags in window seats. On today’s Embraer E195 though, its 2-2 configuration guarantees all business class passengers a row to themselves with the adjacent seat blocked.

Row two, which is really row one on the left side of Helvetic E195s, offers plenty of legroom, and the empty adjacent seat heightens the sense of personal space.

I managed to snag seat 2A, which is actually in row one with extra legroom, and was quite a happy camper as boarding wrapped up within about ten minutes. Before departure the lead flight attendant introduced herself to all business class passengers, addressing us by name and handing out a bottle of water and a packaged moist towel, with top status holders with SWISS also receiving a bar of chocolate. At the same time she took our drink orders for after takeoff; I asked for a gin and tonic, which was served less than a minute after the seatbelt sign was switched off.

My gin and tonic from shortly after takeoff, and the customary Swiss chocolate from shortly before landing. Service on this short flight was non-stop.

After the five business class passengers had all received their choice of drink, the flight attendant reappeared to offer a choice of salami or vegetable sandwich. I opted for the former which then appeared in seconds, and tasted fine: sliced salami on a pretzel bun, nothing special but knowing the short flight time wouldn’t permit much service, I already had dinner in the lounge.

What more could you expect during a 15-minute service?

It’s worth emphasising here that Zurich to Milan is only a 30 minute flight, total; that means about 15 minutes of usable service time. In less time than it took me to drink one G&T the single lead flight attendant managed to independently serve drinks (including two mixed drinks and one hot tea, both of which take more time than, say, a glass of orange juice), sandwiches, and the mandatory Swiss chocolate—all while clearing rubbish promptly.

We touched down on time, had a short taxi, and I was off the plane less than an hour after stepping on. Unfortunately priority bags were not the first off the belt, though mine was probably number ten or so, after waiting for roughly five minutes.

Cost and Final Thoughts

I booked this flight as part of a six-leg Aeroplan redemption from Montreal to Vilnius, for a total of 75,000 points plus around $335 CAD in taxes and fees. This flight on its own can be booked for 15,000 Aeroplan points and $94 CAD, though that would be poor value—as would be the nearly $1,200 CAD SWISS was charging in cash for a one-way ticket when I booked, five days before this flight.

Though I wouldn’t pay those prices, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of service and the quality of the lounges offered for such a short flight. Our flight attendant was working for every minute of the half hour we were airborne, and actually for even more time on the ground taking pre-departure orders. Check-in and security at Zurich airport were quick and efficient. Despite the different branding, as a business class passenger on a flight operated by Helvetic you get every bit of the premium SWISS experience on the ground, and exceptional service in the air.