[Flight Report] LX 325 London Heathrow - Zurich

After a wonderful Christmas break in London, it's time to head back to Asia on New Year's Eve.

LX 325 London Heathrow - Zurich
31 December 2023

After 2 weeks in the UK, it was time to head home. Earlier, I had scored an interesting combination with Swiss, flying into Europe in Economy but returning back to Asia in Business. I had explained on my inbound trip report that Business was actually cheaper than Premium Economy, so it made sense to snatch up this offer.

Check-in online was a bit rickety on Swiss' website 23 hours before departure. It asked for a visa number and expiry even though my passport dosen't require one to enter Hong Kong. Nevertheless, after putting in some information, it let me through.

I was delighted to see a few throne seats available on the seat map. I had previously booked a window at the back of the J cabin. Swiss' configuration is quite odd as not all Business seats have direct aisle access. They have buddy seats and the rows in front and behind it become singles although some are closer to the window while others are right along the aisle. The reviews have criticized these aisle-facing seats as being a less private and not desirable. The best seats in the house are referred to as "throne seats", which are equidistant from both the window and the aisle and feel a lot more private. While it is free to select a seat with my ticket, the throne seats command an extra charge if pre-selected before check-in, so I was delighted to score one free.

Heathrow's Terminal 2 was quiet on New Year's Eve. There are 2 rows of check-in counters that run parallel to the entrance, so I had to look twice before being able to find Swiss' counters which are at the back row. I barely had to wait to get an agent, who was friendly and chatty, and quickly issued my 2 boarding passes. He didn't advise me where to go for a lounge but I'm quite fine to explore on my own anyway. There are plenty of Star Alliance airlines here.





Security was a breeze with almost no line. Laptops do not need to be taken out anymore as they've upgraded their security machines so it was a very quick and efficient process. Soon, I emerged air-side to find my flight has been delayed by 40 minutes to 5:40pm.





I noticed Dior has also decorated a big Christmas tree on Hong Kong's waterfront. I suppose they want a consistent marketing effort worldwide.



With quite a bit of time as it was only past 3:45pm, I headed to the Lufthansa lounge which was above the A gates and closest to the security exit. It is a huge lounge and luckily was not busy at this time of day. I read there are better Star Alliance lounges out in the B gates but worry it would be too long a walk back.



Just behind the entrance is a huge assortment of reading materials, including expensive newspapers such as the FT.





Across from the shelf is a huge conference room with more private bar desks as well as a huge table. Both were empty. The main area had 2 food sections, but the selection was quite limited with only a few hot dishes, none of which were particularly appetizing. There was a lot of bread and cheeses to choose from though. With a lot of seats and not many people, I sat close to the dining area, which felt slightly more private although the couches by the windows looked good as well.



















However, there isn't too much else to do here besides reading the free newspapers and magazines, so I hopped over to the B gates to see what Singapore Airlines has on offer. The walk over was quite long even with the moving escalators along the underground walkway but I had lots of time thanks to the delay. The gate number still hasn't shown up on the screens but being a narrowbody, I expected it would be somewhere back in A anyway.





The Singapore and Air Canada lounges are across from each other upstairs near the escalator up from the underground walkway. The interior design looked quite nice although getting in took quite some time. The attendant scanned my boarding pass with her phone and had to input a few things, taking quite a bit of time to complete. Lufthansa scanned it the old traditional way and let me through fairly quickly.











The dining area had a few more items on offer although there wasn't much hot food either. I wished they put some labels on the hot food so I didn't need to open the lid to find out. They did put a bit more effort to lay it out in a prettier fashion, and I spotted some mince pies even. The lounge is narrow here initially but opens up to a wider area further back by the window, where I saw a bunch of semi-private private cabanas - perfect for some alone time.











As I feasted on a few appetizer nibbles, I caught sight of a delay revision for my flight. Now it's 1h40 min delayed until 6:50pm. I had actually received 3 emails as the delay moved later and later. Checking how the inbound was doing, it left Zurich 2 hours late. There was a heavy rainstorm near Heathrow as I was coming into the airport, but I doubted weather was the reason because the later Zurich to London inbound flight had left on time.

I guess on the bright side, the lounge isn't a bad place to spend the extra time.





Swiss offers 2 late afternoon and early evening departures to Zurich that would comfortably connect to my Hong Kong flight at 10:40pm. I had initially booked the 5:10pm one as opposed to the 6:40pm flight so I have ample time to enjoy the flagship Swiss lounge in Zurich and to pop out to the Laderach store to buy some chocolates. This has eaten up on my buffer and could even jeopardize my lounge visit. So with that, I decided to head to the Air Canada lounge to maximize my experience while being delayed at Heathrow.

Well, the ropes were out at Air Canada's front door and I noticed it closed at 5:30pm, so I was out of luck. I walked a bit further down the terminal instead to the United lounge, which had the best reviews. After scanning my boarding pass at the manned entrance myself, I entered a huge space with quite tasteful decor and a long bar by the windows. It looked very well stocked. On the side and somewhat hidden is the buffet area. Like the other lounges, it had a limited amount of hot and cold food but there were plenty of chairs and desks to spead out and enjoy.



























A common thing I noticed in all 3 lounges is the hand sanitizer bottles all around. The United lounge wins with obvious red bottles placed in big numbers.

The shower rooms were not open but the bathrooms are all individualized and spacious.



At 6pm, anticipating a 6:40pm departure, I made the long walk back to the A gates. By now, the inbound plane for the 6:40pm Zurich flight had arrived, but not my 5:10pm plane yet. It was still behind by a few minutes. It looked less and less likely we would even leave at the delayed time of 6:50pm, as opposed to the original 5:10pm departure.

More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/lx325.htm

Tonight's journey back home to Asia did not get off on the right foot with a lengthy 1h40 delay out of Heathrow to 6:50pm. However, with my Business Class ticket, I spent the extra time exploring 3 lounges in Terminal 2.

My flight's gate number appeared on the screens just past 6pm, and I had to return back to the A gates from United's lounge out in B land. Returning back to the underground walkway, it was a brisk 10 minute walk from B to A.





This walkway is not intended for B to A movements, as all the escalators are turned in the other direction, so to get down and back up to the main gate areas, I had to find an elevator.



The 2 Swiss flights to Zurich were next to each other at gates 17 and 18. The later 6:40pm flight was already boarding by then and there was an announcement at my gate that today's delay is due to the late inbound flight.



As expected, we boarded quite late and I doubted we would make the delayed departure time (6:50pm). Settling into my bulkhead 1A seat at the front, I noted Business Class on these short flights is not so differentiated as the seat is exactly the same as Economy class, although I had the whole row of 3 seats to myself. With a good position up front, I have a better likelihood of making my connection if I need to make a run for it.







Boarding was complete at 7:04pm and at 7:07pm, the captain came out of the cockpit to make his welcome announcement. He explained the plane left Zurich massively late due to a technical problem, and he said the company is aware of our long-haul connections and they would be granted. This was a very professional touch to defuse an emerging stressful situation.

The crew came by to distribute a packaged towel and a small bottle of water.



We then pushed back a minute after, 2 hours late, and with a flight time of 1h15, my 2h40 connection in Zurich looked in danger now. I don't have time to go out to Laderach or visit the lounge anymore.





We eventually took off towards the west at 7:23pm for the short flight to Zurich, looping around and quickly disappearing into the clouds.



The crew sprang into action quickly, with a friendly gentleman coming to take our dinner orders, addressing me by name. A cold salmon dish was on offer, done in 3 different ways with a surprisingly delicious sweet cream. Staff also came by a few times to offer bread, drinks, and chocolates to make sure we were well taken care of. My green tea arrived piping hot. Impressive!









The A321neo plane looked new and the flight was smooth most of the way. I felt the descent start at 9:03pm Zurich time with 37 more minutes to go. However, as we neared Zurich, I noticed we made a long loop and the arrival time ticked up slowly. We passed over the city and continued east to loop back again to land at 9:52pm. There were plenty of fireworks being set off around the city even though midnight was still far away, with some quite close to the landing flight path.



Knowing we had connections in Zurich, the crew made an announcement for us to pay attention to the screens, and my Hong Kong flight was scheduled to leave at 10:30pm.









I suppose 40 minutes is enough for a small airport like Zurich, but I darted out the door as the first one off the plane on the dot at 10pm. We luckily parked at the E gates and the next flight also left out of here. There was a staff at the gate's counter who sat hi from behind it but otherwise we were not met by anyone from the airline to escort us to our next flights.





UK arrivals are not subject to additional security screening for our connections, which is different than my inbound flight from Hong Kong connecting to London 2 weeks ago. Hence, I was already back in the departures zone and within a few minutes, I reached gate E42 with a huge crowd waiting to board my next flight to Hong Kong. I guess there is no need for a personal escort from gate to gate after all.

This is so much better than connecting in Frankfurt!

More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/lx325-b.htm