Trip report: Flying SWISS from Tokyo Narita to Zurich

DALLAS — For the past few years, the closure of Russian airspace has troubled civil aviation in Asia and Europe. Flights that crossed Siberia until February 2022 have been forced to take alternative paths, impacting airlines’ dynamics. 

At over 14 hours long, today’s flight from Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Zurich (ZRH) on board SWISS' (LX) flagship, the Boeing 777-300ER, is no exception.

Welcome to NRT.  Along with Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita is the gateway to the Japanese capital. The Lufthansa group operates flights from its hubs in Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, and Zurich to the largest city in the world. 

While Lufthansa (LH) serves Tokyo Haneda from its hubs with the Boeing 747-8i and the A350, LX, and Austrian operate their Boeing 777s to Narita. Located East of the capital, the airport is accessible via public transport from virtually anywhere in Tokyo in around one hour.

The airport features three terminals and a large shopping area between the South and North wings of Terminal One. Star Alliance and SkyTeam operate here, while oneworld uses Terminal Two, and low-cost carriers use Terminal Three.

SWISS flies a fleet of over 85 aircraft, all Airbus except for its Boeing 777 fleet, which consists of 12 units. The Triple Sevens are in a four-class configuration with eight first-class suites, 62 business class seats over two cabins, 24 premium economy seats, and 226 economy class seats.

Check-in, Boarding

After a night at Narita’s capsule hotel, I woke up early to check out the panoramic terrace. From here, I headed to the business class check-in, which was located in the south wing of Terminal One. I was one of the first passengers to complete the check-in, which took only a few minutes.

Interestingly, LX first-class passengers are the only ones allowed to use ANA’s (NH) dedicated first-class check-in. The priority security and passport controls took a few minutes. I was then left with a choice of lounges. LX passengers can access the two NH facilities and the United lounge. I opted to check the NH Lounge first, next to the Suite Lounge. The area has ten showers, an extensive buffet, a noodles bar, and plenty of seating space.

It was early morning, and the sunlight was shining bright. However, the lounge’s views were limited by the closed curtains facing the taxiway and gates. 

Despite the early hours in the morning, I decided to have NH’s signature curry and Asahi beer for breakfast. This was followed by a delicious bowl of noodles and finally, some more curry. I then proceeded to book a shower slot at the concierge.

Showers can be booked on the spot. After receiving a confirmation message, I headed to the dedicated area in this beautiful lounge. The shower room has all the amenities needed, including towels, shaving kits, and a Dyson hairdryer. After a refreshing experience, I headed to the gate to board my longest-ever flight.

SWISS operates the connection six times weekly with its AeroSHARK-equipped Boeing 777-300ER. The special film reduces fuel consumption by up to 1%. Despite the added mass, this special technology saves around 500 tonnes of fuel annually from each aircraft.

Our aircraft today is HB-JNA, an 8.9-year-old Boeing 777 and the first to join the airline’s fleet. Some readers may remember that the aircraft wore the special “Faces of Swiss” livery between January 2016 and February 2017.

We boarded on time through door 2L. The cabin manager greeted me and showed me to my seat, 17A. The cabin is arranged in a 2-2-1, 1-2-2 configuration, with one “throne” for each row. 

These seats offer improved privacy and storage and can be booked for an extra fee. Similarly to my inbound flight, the cabin was 100% full.

In-flight Service

At my seat, I found the Victorinox amenity kit, blanket, pillow, slippers, bottle of water, and headphones. Before takeoff, a welcome drink, the menu, and a hot towel were offered. We pushed back on time and headed to RWY 34L.

During take-off and climb, we could see some beautiful vortices developing on the aircraft’s wing shed by the nacelle strakes. We turned right and slowly climbed. Flight LX161 takes around 13:50 hours on overage, taking the North Pole route due to the closure of the Russian airspace.

Another aperitif of mixed nuts and a drink of choice was soon served. The lunch service was slightly delayed due to some turbulence on the way.

As this resumed, I opted for the shrimp cocktail entrée, followed by the beef tenderloin, vegetables, and mushroom sauce. While the first was a pleasant surprise, the main course had room for improvement.

The lunch was concluded with a chocolate and hazelnut dessert, espresso, and port wine. The wine selection was impressive, with bottles from France, Switzerland, and Germany.

As the cabin was cleaned, I explored more of my seat, which does not have direct aisle access. This wasn’t a problem since this was a day flight, and most passengers were awake for the whole flight. 

A decently sized partition between the two seats houses the tray table, two reading lights, and headphones. The touchscreen IFE can also be controlled via a remote in the seat armrest.

Two panels control the seat’s position next to the remote. These include pre-defined settings for dining, sleeping, and take-off/landing. 

Passengers can also adjust the seat's firmness, a feature I have never seen before. Under the IFE screen, there is a large storage compartment for personal belongings such as passports and wallets.

The seat has two windows facing the beautiful GE90 engine and wing. The warm wooden colors and palette really feel premium and well taken care of. 

Reading material is stored in front, and it includes a beautiful brochure of Breitling’s Navitimer limited edition, created in collaboration with SWISS and available for purchase on board.

I then checked the amenity kit in detail. It is nicely packed in a Victorinox aluminum box and contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, socks, earplugs, and lip balm. The lavatories stock more products and lotions.

The IFE included a nice selection of international movies, games, and music. Given the length of the flight, I ended up watching four movies. I then decided to recline to try to sleep a few hours. 

The lie-flat bed mode was large enough to stretch my legs more than I expected, and I could rest for almost three hours on this day's flight.

I woke up in the darkness as we crossed the North Pole. From here, a long sunrise would accompany us for most of the flight, gifting us some beautiful views of Greenland. I spent some quality time between personal video games and those included in the IFE, such as trivia and mahjong, before starting yet another movie on this long flight. 

Thankfully, Wi-Fi was available for free chats on WhatsApp to all passengers, irrespective of travel class. This worked brilliantly even in the most remote regions we visited, allowing me to keep in touch with my family and friends and even send pictures.

Snacks and drinks, including ice cream, were available throughout the whole flight. As we flew between Scotland and Denmark, a light meal was served. I chose the pasta option served with a fruit platter.

Approach, Landing

We flew past Amsterdam and the Dutch coastline before entering the Belgian airspace as the sun finally set for good. Switzerland was covered in clouds. We landed on RWY 14 on time and quickly taxied to our gate at the E satellite.

I left this flight significantly more relaxed than anticipated. Despite the almost 14 hours in the air, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. 

The economy-class cabin was incomplete, meaning people could stretch more on this journey globally. During the extended lunch service, the cabin crew did an impeccable job, taking care of an entire business-class cabin.

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