Following my adventure on the new Swiss A220 (which was grounded shortly after), I decided that, from Zurich to Dusseldorf, I’d try the older A320. This would be a short flight but would give me a good taste of their ‘domestic’ European product.

You can check out a video of the trip here:

Boarding

Boarding was quite standard, with ‘business’ passengers lining up first and then the rest of the economy cabin. What was strange though was that I was the only passenger at the back of the plane, with many rows around me empty. The rest of the economy passengers sat right up against the business divider with hungry eyes looking back towards me (I’m sure once we took off many people filtered backward).

A quick mention; once we took off it instantly became apparent just how loud the A320 aircraft is compared to the A220. Onboard my previous leg I hadn't really noticed the quiet hum of the engines, but on this A320 the noise was very apparent.

The seat

The economy cabin is layered out in a standard 3-3 configuration (with business class simply being the same seats but with the middle economy seat blocked out). There is 31 inches of legroom for each seat (which is only three less than business class) but I found this to be plenty for the short flight.

The seat used the same leather finish as the A220 so there was consistency across products, but I found the actual comfort of the seat to be slightly lacking compared to the A220. I believe this was due to the seat being 'harder' than the A220 with less flex and not supporting my back as much. On the flip side, the seat was much taller and actually held the middle of my head back and didn't just hit my neck.

The food

Similar to my last experience on Swiss, halfway through the short flight I was served a beverage and a sandwich. Seeming to learn from their mistakes, they served a cheese sandwich onboard that was devoid of ham or flavor. The meal was rather tasteless and the bread cold. Sometimes I wish I’d become a detective instead of a flight reviewer, if only to track down where all these generic and disgusting sandwiches are made.

But seemingly to noticing my displeasure, the crew handed out real Swiss Chocolate to every passenger. I managed to get two and boy, does it live up its reputation.

Bottom line

Swiss A320 is a perfectly acceptable product and if they beat a low-cost-carrier on price, they should be considered. However, it is lacking in food, seat comfort, and exceptional service. Without the flagship Airbus A220 aircraft, Swiss fails to excel in any exceptional way and just feels like a generic European carrier.

What do you think? Will you be flying on Swiss A320? Let us know in the comments.