72 hours of travelling from London to Seoul in absolute comfort (LX F and OZ C)

[hsf]

He thought the poster was 'offending' because he was envious of the fit and streamlined male models. Serves him right for chomping away in the lounges and through his flights. Two mains, no less!

Sounds about right!

Thanks for the report.

[phaleesy]

Personally, I can't see anything "offending" about that D&G/Italian swimmer poster. Anything at all. Period.

I think you have misunderstood StarGold's comment.

He thought the poster was 'offending' because he was envious of the fit and streamlined male models. Serves him right for chomping away in the lounges and through his flights. Two mains, no less!

[GramercyPark]

Personally, I can't see anything "offending" about that D&G/Italian swimmer poster. Anything at all. Period.

[9V-SIA]

Very nice TR as usual.
Detailed, and backed up by great pics/video.

Thanks for the memories!
I once took Dan Air ( remember them? ) because I wanted to fly BAe 146.
Cute plane!

[Nick C]

Once again, another enjoyable TR!

[Singapore_Air]

An excellent read so far. The SWISS F ground experience is really very good and I await your thoughts about the journey inflight !

[stargold]

stargold, just curious as to your redemption: if you were going MXP-ZRH-LAX-ICN, couldn't you have done the whole thing as a single F redemption with a stopover in LAX? Or BD doesn't allow that because the routing is so long?

Driving with your hands in the 2 to 8 position?

Enjoyed it

It was a very good deal - good enough not to miss F on the LAX-ICN

Excellent TR so far! Looking forward to the rest.

I enjoyed your report immensely!

Great photos and the food, food, food... yummmm

Thank you! Next instalment with plenty more photos of yummy food on the way!

[StarG]

Excellent TR so far! Looking forward to the rest.

[SQflyergirl]

Driving with your hands in the 2 to 8 position?

Enjoyed it

[Kyo]

I enjoyed your report immensely!

Great photos and the food, food, food... yummmm

[HUGE AL]

stargold, just curious as to your redemption: if you were going MXP-ZRH-LAX-ICN, couldn't you have done the whole thing as a single F redemption with a stopover in LAX? Or BD doesn't allow that because the routing is so long?

[stargold]

Once I finished the flute of the rosé, I noticed that it was already past 20:00 which meant they started the Pre-flight Dining service where you are able to enjoy a multi-course dinner of freshly cooked dishes in the dining area. I walked over to the dining area and one of the waitresses came round quickly asking whether I would like the menu for the Pre-flight Dining. I replied yes, and she brought the menu, with a glass of Swiss chardonnay and a bottle of sparkling water that I asked for.



Restaurant area



Bar counter inside the restaurant area



Table setting



Menu



... in detail


Impressive menu, for sure. Speaking as a person not good at turning down enticing food, I was really tempted to order far too much, but I managed to control myself (for the time being!) and decided on the cucumber spaghetti salad with shrimps and the guinea fowl breast. The waitress serving me was attentive and took my order quickly, after which I started reading my copy of Economist that I hadn't yet managed to start on.

Quite soon, the first dish arrived. Somehow, I missed the "cucumber" part when I read spaghetti, so you could imagine my surprise when I received a spaghetti made from cucumber rather than pasta! Apart from the initial surprise, the dish itself was fantastic - the cucumber was very refreshing and simply screamed "summer" in the perfect way, while the prawn was a decent size and grilled nicely. And as you can see from the photo, it was really well presented.



Cucumber spaghetti salad with shrimps


Next to arrive was the "Guinea fowl breast on spring onion risotto with hay flower sauce and ratatouille". I tried the risotto first - it was wonderfully creamy and flavourful and I could have quite happily had more of it. The comfort food factor was right up there with a big tub of Haagen-Dazs - when feeling unhappy and down, a big serving of this risotto would cheer me right up! Then I tried the guinea fowl which was excellently cooked and still moist, tasting really quite excellent with the finely chopped ratatouille on the side. Overall, a resounding success and I loved every mouthful. As before, it looked great too.





Now, it would normally be time to choose dessert and finish the meal. But sensing that I have some space left, I thought - "It might be nice to try the fish!" Not out of pure gluttony as one might reasonably conclude, but simply to try different dishes and report back for my readers, you see? The poor waitress was awfully confused when I asked for the fish instead of ordering dessert - she couldn't seem to comprehend that I could possibly want the fish after finishing the previous two courses. She understood eventually and walked away with a smile to repeat the order to the chef - I have no idea what she said behind the closed kitchen doors, but it wouldn't surprise me if it started with "You won't believe this, but he still wants more food..." while laughing.

The fish arrived pretty soon after, and it smelt absolutely wonderful by way of an introduction even before I saw it in front of me. When I tasted it, I'm glad to be able to report that it tasted just as good as it smelled. Perfectly cooked and moist, the only very minor complaint was that the bed of onions was a little oversalted, but overall it was truly a joy to eat.





After the empty plate was cleared away, there was really no space left for any more food except perhaps a small dessert. The peach tiramisu sounded like the best middle ground between the sorbet (too light) and trilogy of chocolate parfait with fresh raspberry (too heavy), so I asked for that and a glass of white port to go with it.

A very generous serving of the white port arrived first, which tasted exactly like what I had in mind. I've really grown to love port in the last year or so and I can quite happily sip on several large glasses on a quiet evening. It horrifies my housemate of course, who insists that port is only a post-meal drink... but when it tastes so good, I can't just save it for after meals!

And soon after, the peach tiramisu arrived. Excellent presentation as I have now come to expect, and it tasted very nice too - although it could have done with a slightly stronger punch from the espresso. Yes, I am picking very small faults with what is otherwise a perfectly nice dessert.



White port



Homemade peach tiramisu


Relaxing at the table for a while afterwards, I reflected on the dinner service on the whole. Firstly, it's a great touch to be able to order freshly cooked dishes from a menu, rather than eat from the buffet station which is not always ideal when the food may have been prepared a long time ago. Moreover, each and every dish was well presented, flavoursome and perfectly cooked. The setting of the dining room was also very nice - good lighting, nicely sized tables and table setting like a normal restaurant. And finally, the service from the waitress was also excellent throughout, with very good attentiveness and a smile with every encounter at the table.

Overall, it was a great way to eat before a night flight so that you can maximise sleep time onboard (or, in my case, probably in order to eat two great meals instead of one). Today, of course, I wasn't going on a flight that evening, so I still had the opportunity to digest it all over a good night's rest before eating tomorrow!

Meal over, it was now around 21:30 and I moved back to the main seating area for another glass of the Perrier Jouet rosé. Afterwards, I decided to call it a day at the lounge and head to the hotel, so I thanked the lounge receptionist and received instructions on how to reach the arrivals hall again. After a disastrous first attempt at getting the hotel shuttle bus (i.e. the wrong bus - must be the champagne!), I waited 45 minutes for the next one and finally boarded the correct bus.

On the bus, the fellow passengers started chatting and one guy, it turns out, overslept and missed his flight to Toronto that morning. Rather than being allowed to fly on the next flight, KLM said he had to buy a new ticket!! I thought most airlines just laughed at you a little bit and then put you on the next flight - my fears about oversleeping and missing flights was proven correct. Once we reached the hotel, I checked in and then met up with Mr. Oversleep for several beers at the hotel bar until 1am, mostly drowning his sorrows at having to fork out 800 euros for a new ticket (!!). I returned to my room and just collapsed in bed.

What can I say? The unexpected visit to the FCL was a really great way of spending the evening relaxing, eating and drinking. Overall it was a great day of flying around and (unlike some fellow passengers) without missing flights by oversleeping. The real deal was still waiting, however - the flight to LAX tomorrow!

(To be continued soon...)

[stargold]

Feeling like a completely new person (with only a hint of exaggeration), I left the shower suite and went back to the main seating area. After plopping down my carry-ons on a sofa, I went to the buffet area to explore the offerings. There was a selection of hot food in the buffet area as well as more nibbles in the open refrigerator, and a pretty comprehensive selection of drinks including a choice between Perrier Jouet Brut or Rosé champagne. With a glass of the rosé in hand, I went back to my seat to relax and watch the tarmac area for a while.



Buffet area



Dishes offered:
- Barbecued meatballs
- Fried zucchini with thyme
- Poached fish on tomato ragout



Ready-prepared plates of small bites and dessert / Cheese board



One of the dessert plates



Coffee machine



A separate Nespresso machine with a selection of different capsules





Perrier Jouet Brut and Rosé



Red wines (left to right) -
1. Baron de Ley Reserva 2003 Rioja
2. Clavien Pinot Noir de Sion 2008
3. Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz 2004
(Sorry, forgot to take pictures of the other drinks)

[stargold]

Once inside, I spent the first few minutes figuring out the layout of the lounge. Immediately upon entering the left side of the reception, there is the dining area. Continuing on, I found the main seating area with a buffet and beverage station. Along the side corridor, there were the gents' and ladies' bathrooms, shower rooms and the two day-rooms.

On the right side of the reception, there were two further seating areas as well as a meeting room. The medium sized seating area had a small beverage station, whereas the small seating area only had a fruit corner. And immediately behind the reception desk, there was a row of private enclosed work areas with a desk, chair and a laptop ready for use.

It was smaller than I had imagined, but given that only HON members and First Class passengers on Lufthansa/Swiss could use the facility, there wasn't too much danger of overcrowding. Certainly during my stay that evening, I never saw much more than a total of about 10 passengers.

The decor was very tastefully minimal with comfortable black sofas and neutral tones throughout. Some might say boring, but I really like this type of simple interior design that is easy on the eyes and comfortable to use, rather than space or furniture that looks great but not so relaxing or comfortable. And in a humorous twist, each table had three cocktail glasses with peanuts, Lindor chocolates and - wait for it - gummy bears!



Main seating area: It has the main drinks section as well as the buffet selection.




There is a nice tarmac view outside.



Medium seating area: There are some of the drinks offered in the area but no food.



Artwork based on Swiss aircraft



Small seating area: It has the sofas, and a small fruit corner but no drinks or other food.



Some sofas near the entrance / reception desk



The obligatory Peanuts / Lindor chocolate / Gummi bears on each table


After a full day of running around airport terminals and flying, what I needed first more than anything was a good shower. I went through the gents' bathroom door and found three more doors inside: one led to the toilet and two doors each contained a shower suite. After requesting access from the reception and the door unlocked, I went inside.

It was a full-size shower suite with a shower, basin and toilet. Tastefully decorated in neutral coloured tiles and fittings, it was a very relaxing atmosphere indeed. I found a basket of Bvlgari toiletries and other amenities on the basin which was a nice touch. The oversized shower head had a great water pressure and I relaxed immediately as soon as the hot water hit my back. It was one of those moments when you're quite convinced that a nice hot shower is the answer to all of life's problems.



Bvlgari amenities




Nice shower with a good water pressure



Toilet and basin inside the shower room

[stargold]

A most excellent, if unexpected, evening at the Swiss First Class Lounge

Once I came out into the Arrivals Hall, I scanned the area to look for the Departures floor. I found out online at the lounge in MXP that LX do indeed offer Night Before Check-in, which meant I was able to check-in my luggage and receive my boarding pass today for tomorrow's flight. Very useful all around, since it meant I will be free of my bag until I arrive at LAX.

While passing by the Y check-in, I was surprised to see that there seemed to be no longer any normal check-in desks but instead the increasingly ubiquitous combination of the self-service machines and bag drop desks. If the passenger is able to use machines easily and there are no hiccups with documents etc, then yes, the kiosks can work very well. But how about the elderly or others that are not able to use the kiosk quite so easily? Really I think there should be a choice of going to a normal desk rather than forcing everyone to use the kiosk... but then again, I realise that cost base is a big concern especially in today's business climate.



"When is daddy arriving?"



The kiosks and the bag drop counters behind


Of course, I knew that there would be no such problems for my check-in experience today at the dedicated HON Circle / First Class check-in island. I found the entrance easily enough, and went inside to find a very calm and relaxed environment with a row of four check-in desks. The layout was not the normal "me vs. you" divide across the counter, but instead a more welcoming environment of standing alongside the check-in agent at an angle. It's a small difference and many people may not think much of it at all, but I personally think it's the small touches like this that add up to an exceptional product.

I was checked in immediately by an agent who was free. My bag was taken away by her colleague to be weight on the scale somewhere else, while she discussed the flight timing and my seating preference on the flight, making sure that I had the correct documents and confirmed that I have an onwards connecting flight at LAX to ICN. The whole encounter was very relaxed, civilised and welcoming - I could not pick any fault with the service or the arrangement whatsoever. The only possible improvement would be the First Class Terminal at FRA where a PA takes charge of the whole process while you enjoy the lounge, but this was more than good enough.



Doorway from the main terminal



Nicely done - spacious and very civilised



"Enjoy your flight!"


Once my boarding pass was issued and my bags tagged with the HON priority tag, the check-in agent wished me a good flight and I was on my way. It was now 19:30 and I decided to see whether they would let me check out the First Class Lounge a night early. The first hurdle was the boarding pass check, and I nearly didn't make it through but I promised the person checking that I will leave the secure area immediately if the FCL refused me entry. So, she eventually let me through after a brief period of consideration.

Then it was quite simple to find the lounge - just needed to follow the signs for "Swiss First Lounge". Once I reached the reception, I presented my boarding pass and asked whether, since I arrived on a connection, I might be able to access the lounge even though I am departing tomorrow. Like the boarding pass checker, the receptionist had to think about it for a while, and then eventually said "I'm not sure whether you should really be allowed access, but the lounge is quite empty anyway so please come in". Woohoo!

I should note at this point that the lounge on top of my "to-do" list is the First Class Terminal at FRA, simply because it is such a great concept and I really want to experience the sort of seamless check-in and lounge experience that you could only imagine for a luxurious private jet terminal. However, I also heard excellent things about the Swiss FCL at ZRH and couldn't wait to try it out for myself. First Class Terminal will have to wait, for now...






Follow the signs for the Swiss First Lounge...



Staircase (or you can use the nearby lifts)



Reception desks