Why SWISS short haul Business Class makes BA Club Europe look good

This is my review of SWISS Business Class between London Heathrow and Zurich.

Critics of British Airways Club Europe – and whilst a fairly heavy user I am not the biggest fan, mainly due to the food – have a problem.  Whilst it is possible to point to many airlines as offering a superior long-haul business class experience, there really isn’t much to offer in terms of short-haul benchmarks.

Criticism of Club Europe generally centres about value for money compared to Euro Traveller – especially if you have BA status and can pre-book an exit row seat with more leg room than CE – or with low cost carriers such as easyJet.  You don’t hear many comparisons with superior European business class products.

You would think that SWISS would be able to set an example, with their aircraft packed full of expense-funded travellers.  On my 6am departure on Tuesday (the first flight out of Terminal 2 that day) there was FIFTEEN rows of Business Class but only 62 people on the aircraft in total!  I actually thought that SWISS had removed the curtain between Business and Economy until I was getting off and noticed it was actually 2/3rd of the way down the plane.

SWISS Business Class, however, proved to be dire.

In no particular order, let’s see why:

1C stuck out into the galley

Because of the way the cabin is laid out, 1C stuck out into the galley.  Having boarded fairly early, my feet and indeed my entire body were targets for the feet and bags of everyone else boarding after me.  Not fun.

No wardrobes

Whilst rarely seen on on low-cost carriers, British Airways is retaining Club Europe wardrobes.  They won’t take many coats in the future, because all of the emergency medical equipment is being moved into the wardrobes in the current refurb, but they will remain.  SWISS has got rid of theirs.

Super thin seating

SWISS has the ultra-thin seating that British Airways is introducing which runs throughout the entire plane.  You can see the width in the picture below.  If I’m honest it wasn’t hugely uncomfortable but not ideal.

The photo makes the seat look fatter than it is, because the back panel is partly covered in the same leather as the seat.  This optical illusion does work.

No middle tray table

Like BA, the middle seat is blocked in Business.  Unlike BA, they do not have a purpose-built table to slot in the space for the benefit of passengers.

Unappetising food

This is what we were fed – a vegetarian omelette with a slice of cheese thrown on top and some mushroom sauce.  Not great.  There was no Plan B.   Amusingly, the guy next to me – who had ordered vegetarian – refused it after taking one look.

It wasn’t all bad, of course:

Boarding was efficient, albeit with only 62 passengers it wasn’t a major strain

The first couple of luggage lockers were clearly marked ‘Business Class Passengers Only’

Bottles of water were offered before take-off

SWISS still comes around the plane with chocolates before landing

What does confuse me is why SWISS bothers to pay for a full crew to stay in London overnight, plus the parking costs of the aircraft, just to depart at a time so early (6am) that it only has a token passenger loading.  Tuesday is generally one of the busier days of the week too.

Conclusion

If there is a solution to the problem of European short-haul Business Class, SWISS has not found it.  Given a straight choice between British Airways and SWISS I would take BA although, as I will cover separately, the Lufthansa lounge in Terminal 2 isn’t bad.

If you’re wondering whether SWISS long-haul is any better, that review will also follow in a few days.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.