The direct flight takes 8.5 hours by night and 9 hours by day from Zanzibar. By booking my flight with SWISS, my second flight to Tanzania was automatically with sister company Edelweiss. Travelling in this way on the wings of a Star Alliance partner, I was hoping to considerably increase my Aeroplan points balance with a view to a future trip to Asia in Business class. I was able to accumulate 4,031 round-trip points on these two economy class flights.
To find out more about my first flight, read about my experience in economy class with SWISS:
For my outbound flight, SWISS and its app offered to automatically check me in for my second flight on Eldelweiss.
For my return flight, I checked in directly from the SWISS app, without however being able to change my seats on my two Edelweiss flights. Since the two airlines are linked, the SWISS app allowed me to have my boarding passes up to date, and also to confirm the check-in of my baggage with a notification when it was on board the aircraft.
Edelweiss allows one checked bag of 23 kg with its Classic and Flex fares, and two checked bags of 32 kg each in Business Class. This is in addition to a cabin bag (8 kg) and a personal item.
I was able to go to the SWISS/Edelweiss kiosk at Zanzibar airport to drop off my backpack for check-in and make sure it got to its destination (Montreal) despite my long layover in Zurich.
The economy cabin configuration on Edelweiss’s Airbus A340-300 is 2-4-2 on either side of the aisle, with 211 seats in Economy, 76 in Economy Max and 27 in Business, for a total of 314 possible passengers. The cabin is fairly new, with subdued red lighting for most of the flight.
Each fabric-covered seat is equipped with a folding tray table, a very small storage pocket, a USB socket and a screen. On my return flight, the tray table and screen were located directly in the armrest. The headrest is slightly adjustable for comfortable seating.
On the outward journey, my seat, 39D, then on the return journey, 18B, both at the edge of the aisle. I was particularly lucky on the return journey, as my seat was at the beginning of the section, with plenty of legroom (but no room for my personal belongings).
The seat width and legroom (30 inches) are minimal, making it very difficult to use the tray table for meals without compromising comfort. I was constantly worried about spilling my drink or dipping my sweater into the sauce of my meal.
Of course, row 18 on my return flight gave me a completely different experience, with lots of room for the same price! I highly recommend trying to get such a seat for maximum comfort and a much more pleasant flight.
On these two long-haul flights, I was served several snacks and two meals, along with almost unlimited drinks. This included chips, a cookie, a hot meal, breakfast with yogurt and a sandwich, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
You can always choose between a pasta dish and a meat dish, accompanied by a hot roll, salad and dessert, all served with real utensils – a rarity in economy class! The meals were quite good and helped pass the time on this long flight.
Upon arrival at the seats, a blanket and pillow are provided. On both my outbound and return flights, I found the flight attendants to be friendly and courteous. I didn’t have any particular needs during the flight, so everything went smoothly in that regard.
On board the Airbus A340-300, each economy-class passenger has his or her own screen in the front headrest. The latest screen allows passengers to watch several films and series in good definition, the same as those offered on SWISS flights. The selection is quite varied, including both new titles and classics. Flight information, games and music are also displayed on the screen.
The easiest way to earn Aeroplan points is to sign up for one of these Aeroplan credit cards. Not only will you earn Aeroplan points as a welcome bonus, but you’ll also earn points on all purchases charged to your Aeroplan credit card.
The most popular Aeroplan credit card is the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card which currently offers the following welcome offer:
Note that you can also earn Aeroplan Points through the American Express Membership Rewards program. You can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points into Aeroplan points at a rate of 1:1. 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 10,000 Aeroplan points. Many American Express Membership Rewards credit cards are available in Canada.
In my opinion, one of the best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards is the American Express Cobalt® Card. With this credit card, you’ll earn 5 Points per dollar on groceries, convenience stores, restaurants and bars. And don’t forget the gift card trick, which also earns you 5 Points per dollar at many stores, including Amazon, SAQ, Ikea and Netflix.
Here is the welcome offer currently available for this card:
For my first time flying with Edelweiss, I experienced two quite different flights based on my seat location in the plane. Unable to change them during check-in, it was really a roll of the dice to end up in the center of the aircraft on the aisle side with limited space to move, and then, on the return, at the very front of the economy section.
On the outbound flight, I had so little space that eating a meal was a real acrobatic feat, whereas on the return I had all the space I needed and more. Fortunately, the latest entertainment system kept me busy on these flights, even though I’d already had a good start on the selection available on my previous flight with SWISS. For the service and the price of the ticket, in addition to the possibility of accumulating points Aeroplan, I would recommend flying Edelweiss while choosing your seat carefully.
Are you planning to book an itinerary that stops in Zurich? If so, take a look at our Zurich stopover guide.
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