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Tag: airline review

  • SWISS AIR Business Class from Singapore to Zurich (LX177) – an honest take.

    SWISS AIR Business Class from Singapore to Zurich (LX177) – an honest take.

    I was headed to Switzerland in January to experience winter for 4 days on Swiss Air. LX177 in January 2025 was operating B777 on the 12 hour flight.

    Flying to Europe in winter is always exciting, and this January I took Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) flight LX177 from Singapore (SIN) to Zurich (ZRH). Operated by the B777, it’s a 12-hour red-eye flight that connects Southeast Asia directly to Switzerland. Here’s my honest review of the business class experience.

    Business Class Cabin & Seat

    I was seated in 7G, part of the staggered 1-2-1 layout in SWISS Business Class. The cabin design felt slightly dated compared to newer products I’ve flown on Etihad or Qatar, but still offered a decent amount of privacy.

    Overall: Comfortable for a long-haul, but don’t expect cutting-edge luxury.

    Seat comfort: The highlight for me was the footwell. Unlike Etihad or Malaysia Airlines (where I found the space too tight), SWISS’ design was more generous, allowing me to sleep sideways comfortably.

    Bedding: Each seat came with a pillow and blanket. While functional, I found the pillow too thin, and I couldn’t help but compare it with Etihad’s Armani Casa bedding, which felt more premium.

    Inflight Dining

    Dinner Service

    After takeoff, the crew began service with appetizers. I chose the chilli prawns, a cold starter. The presentation was a little underwhelming, but surprisingly, the taste won me over — fresh and slightly spicy.

    For the main course, I had steak served with vegetables and egg. Unfortunately, this was the weakest part of the meal. The texture and flavour reminded me of microwaved food, and I left most of it aside.

    Gin and Tonic
    Chili Prawn
    Steak
    Breakfast with Asian Bok Choy
    Mango Mousse Cake

    Dessert was a mango cake, which thankfully redeemed the dining experience. Sweet, light, and a nice finish to the evening service.

    Breakfast Service

    One thing I liked about SWISS is their breakfast selection system. Passengers are given a sheet to tick their preferences — a nice touch that personalises the meal. Despite the variety, I found the dishes lacking in flavour, which was a little disappointing.

    Service

    The crew were professional and efficient throughout the flight. While I felt it wasn’t as personable as Asian carriers, it was dependable — polite, on time and consistent.

    Overall Verdict

    If you’re looking for a direct, flight to Switzerland, SWISS Business Class delivers. But if you’re after indulgent luxury, you may find other Asian competitors offer more polish. Overall, felt the cabin was a tad dated and the I found the food underwhelming.

    ✈️ Planning your next trip? If you’re curious how SWISS Business Class compares with Etihad, check out my Etihad A380 Business Class Review here. Or, if you want more South Asia-bound reviews, read my Malaysia Airlines Business Class Review here .

  • Malaysia Airlines Business Class : A review of MH191, DEL to KUL.

    Malaysia Airlines Business Class : A review of MH191, DEL to KUL.

    This overnight flight is operated by the A330-300, configured with a 1-2-1 Business Class layout. Boarding was smooth and efficient, and I was warmly greeted by the cabin crew before being shown to my seat — 4D, located in the middle section of the cabin.

    Inflight Dining

    Meal service started shortly after takeoff with a pre-drinks trolley making its way through the cabin. I hada glass of champagne and a white wine. The crew were nice to let me try their white wines, I preferred Pikes wine that went well with the food.

    The first course was Malaysia Airlines’ signature satay — you get a choice between lamb, chicken, or a mix of both. I requested for mixed and surprisingly enjoyed the lamb more than expected; it was tender, perfectly cooked, and paired beautifully with the peanut sauce — spicy and nutty in just the right balance.

    Next came a light salad to cleanse the palate before the main course. I had been craving chicken tikka for days (and even before the flight searching for it) and, to my delight, Chicken Tikka Biryani was on the menu. It did not disappoint — the chicken was cooked to perfection, juicy without being overdone, and the masala, just right.

    • Chicken Lamb Satay
    • Chicken Tikka Biriyani

    Dessert was Phirni, a creamy rice pudding traditionally flavored with cardamom. I mistook it for mushroom soup and sprinkled black pepper on top, but it was still good.

    I ended the meal with a hot Teh Tarik, Malaysia’s beloved pulled milk tea. You can’t go wrong with that. Service was swift, and within two hour of takeoff, the cabin lights were dimmed to allow passengers to rest.

    Since this is a 5 hour flight, no amenity kit or slippers are provided as its relatively short.

    Cabin and Seats

    I found the seat a little thin, there was a comforter and blanket given to make your seat more comfy. The seat itself was comfortable for sitting and lounging, but when converted into a lie-flat bed, I found the footwell rather narrow, making it a little restrictive to change sleeping positions. Since this was a 5-hour overnight sector, it wasn’t a dealbreaker, but on longer flights it might become uncomfortable.

    In terms of storage space there is a sufficient but sitting at the middle section also meant lesser table area. If I were to be doing laptop work, it would have been a tad uncomfortable.

    Entertainment

    I did a scroll through the movie list and found it to not have an extensive collection of movies especially for regional languages.

    Final Thoughts

    Interestingly, this aircraft also features a small “Premium Economy” zone in rows 9 and 10. On my inbound sector, I was seated there, and I found it to be more private and exclusive than regular economy — definitely an option worth considering if you want more comfort without upgrading all the way to business.

    MH191 Business Class offers a decent value with comforting experience for red-eye flights with delicious food, and friendly service. For me, the narrow footwell, and limited movie selection will be of a consideration for long haul flights. Depending on the season, MH191 can be as affordable as ~49K INR or 562 USD one way.

    I’d say that EY’s product is slightly positioned better for those regional flights (those on the widebody jets) mainly thanks to the food option.

  • What is it like on Etihad A380 Business class Singapore to Abu Dhabi – an honest take

    Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I recommend products that I believe will add value to you, as my reader.

    From Singapore to Abu Dhabi on Etihad A380, EY499. The A380 debut in February 2025 on the AUH – SIN route as part of the strategic capacity expansion and customer experience.

    I had the chance to fly on the business class on the A380 in 2025 May and having flown on the 787-900 on the other routes, the introduction of the A380 felt like a slight boost in passenger experience as the premium cabins sit on the upper deck with a lounge.

    When you come onboard, you are greeted with hot towel and a refreshing drink – a glass of champagne or juice, served in Armani.

    Inflight Meals 🍴

    My favourite. Food. The menu gets refreshed but some of it stay on the menu. I had Arabic Mezze as my starter, Lamb Biriyani and a pudding, if you want to have an extra touch of calorie add on ice cream and a Port Tawny Wine.

    🥰Arabic Mezze, was my favourite with hummus and other dips as appetizer. Of course, otherwise you could have a simpler one such as the soup, there used to be a Tuna salad which was light and refreshing as well.

    🥰The steak sandwich makes for a yummy snack with meat that was tender and a hint of crunch from rocket

    😕Lamb Biriyani unfortunately, wasn’t that great ; Meat was a tad overcooked and the presentation was underwhelming.

    Being a glutton, I had a sweet and sour noodles 1.5 hours before landing, previously there was a Char Kway Teow on the menu and it lived up to my expectations. 🥰 Prawn noodles was fine but was skewed to more sweetness, but preferred it more than the Lamb Biriyani.

    Alcohol wise, my go to was the Bellini, White Negroni. I found old fashioned to be too strong for my liking.

    • Food list on A380 from Singapore
    • Breakfast on other routes that land in the morning
    • Arabic Mezze
    • Pudding with Ice Cream, Port Tawny Wine
    • Char Kway Teow with Hot Chocolate
    • Lamb Biriyani
    • Sweet Sour Prawn Noodles
    • Chocolate Pudding
    • Beef Sandwich on other routes

    Tip : Their hot chocolate is good, and it is also available in their economy class. Sometimes their lemon with hot water can be such a comforting drink for days when you are falling sick and needed a warm drink in your system.

    Lounge Onboard 🍸

    Given that this is a red-eye flight and occasional turbulence crossing over the Indian Ocean, the lounge was empty. It is more of a self-service bar, they do have a nice collection of drinks displayed near the seats and a TV, for those needing to catchup on the news (you got that covered).

    Wouldn’t say it was a wow factor, it was a nice touch but given the timing and duration of the flight, seems like most passengers rather catchup on their sleep than arriving tipsy as they transit to their next flight.

    Seats & Service 💺

    I got assigned a rear facing seat and I don’t fancy it (but its just a personal preference). They provide a comfy duvet, comforter, amenity kits and slippers for longer flights, while for those shorter flights you get a silky blanket instead. The comforters does provide a more plushy feel or can double up as additional cushion or bolster.

    The qualm about the seats that I have was that when reclined fully, foot well tends to narrow at the legs and can be a tad crampy. For a 7 hour flight where the effective napping time is only 3-5 hours, I won’t complain much.

    Overall

    After flying on their economy and business cabins, the business cabin is definitely a nice ride for a 7 hour flight with good alcohol and food options and crew that were attentive.

    On one of my flight from Abu Dhabi, the cabin crew was very nice. I had wine tasting session just to see which wine pairs up with my chocolate pudding cake; Ended up having the Port Tawny.

    On another occasion I was feeling under the weather and the crew were nice to provide hot water with lemon quite regularly (was a very thoughtful gesture), in the Economy cabin!

    I’m not an expert on air miles collection but if you’re looking for credit cards that might help you stack and cash out on Etihad Guest Miles or other airline loyalty programmes, check out Singsaver for their ongoing credit card deals. Personally I utilise a couple of credit cards, each for different categories for the points and usually cash them out at the end of the year/before expiry.