With AirBaltic from Switzerland to Schiphol | Trip report

On behalf of the Swiss airline, airBaltic operated an early flight in the early evening of Saturday 24 February from Zurich to Amsterdam. Switzerland is still experiencing capacity problems this winter and is leasing a number of aircraft, including pilots and cabin crew. This concerns an Airbus A220-300, an aircraft also in the Swissair fleet. The wet lease between the two companies, which recently entered into a code-sharing agreement, is necessary due to issues with the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines and increased demand. Time to fly along.

Beautiful

Tastes vary, but many consider the Airbus a beautiful aircraft. This is true of many Canadian designs, because the A220 is of course an aircraft from the Bombardier stable, which has been acquired by Airbus. The A220 looks like a kind of “Mini-Dreamliner”. It is even more beautiful than its Brazilian counterpart. The aircraft is equipped with 145 seats in a two- or three-seater configuration, including eight business class seats. The aircraft on duty was YL-AAU, equipped with a '100' special aircraft.^H Airbus A220 poster. The device is 4.3 years old.

beauty

We checked in online at our holiday website. The train ride from Pontresina in Graubünden to Zurich Kloten Airport was stunningly beautiful. Not least because of the recent half-metre of snowfall. One of the advantages of the Swiss airport is the comfortable atmosphere compared to Schiphol Airport. The baggage tag was printed and the bag dropped off at Terminal 3 went smoothly. Staff were present everywhere to help if needed. We were able to store our luggage early, so there was plenty of time to do some shopping or discover things from the upper floors of the P6 parking garage.

Time period

YL-AAU arrived from Rome at Gate A85 at 4:32 p.m. This means that the turnaround time is one hour. The ascent began at just after five o'clock. As the third group, we were some of the last to board the plane and took seats in seats 15D and F. Seat 15E remained empty, but otherwise the plane was largely full. At 5.25pm ​​the 'boarding complete' sounded. The small screens above your head are eye-catching. The beige chairs are thin but fit well. This also applies to legroom. The seats are equipped with two nets for bottled drinks, a fold-out table and a hook for hanging items. Of course, there was a box for my AirBaltic security card, the Swiss Air shopping magazine, and the menu.

file

The pushback began at 5:37 p.m. This was followed by a taxi ride to the head of runway 28. There was a slight traffic jam, but the Airbus took off at 5:51 p.m. The Latvian crew soon began distributing a chilled Swiss bottle of non-carbonated Valser Still water. If the name is to be believed, the water comes from an Alpine spring at an altitude of 1,815 metres. The route headed first west and then northwest to Luxembourg, Brussels and the Netherlands. The full moon traveled for a while. We flew at a speed of approximately 800 kilometers per hour and at an average altitude of 9140 metres. The outside temperature was minus 52 degrees Celsius. There was almost no turbulence during the flight.

chocolate

At 6.25pm, the cabin crew came with food that had to be paid for. Afterwards, everyone received a free piece of high-quality Swiss chocolate. I still find it a shame that no complimentary sandwich or snack is offered on a flight with a premium airline and national carrier. Waste collection took place at a quarter past seven, followed by landing on Polderbahn twenty minutes later. After seventeen minutes of taxi driving, we arrived at Gate B27. After more than half an hour, the first luggage arrived on the belt. After another ten minutes we saw our bags again.

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