SEAT TAKEN

Having enjoyed an exceptional flight in business class on Swiss’s Zurich-Singapore route in seat 4A – often referred to as one of the “throne seats” – I abandoned my favourite carrier (Malaysia Airlines) and booked Swiss again for a Hong Kong-Zurich flight on May 5.

I made the reservation some nine months before and it was confirmed and paid for, and I had selected seat 4A again. I was perfectly happy and really looking forward to the journey.

About four weeks before I was due to travel, I discovered that I had been moved to seat 6D. I had not been contacted or given an explanation, or given a chance to select a different seat – as 6D is by the galley/curtain, it is probably the worst business class seat on the plane.

Contacting Swiss in Sydney got me nowhere, except to be told that even though 4A and other single seats were still available, there was no way I could be allocated one as they were all held back for VIP and premium passengers.

And so I boarded and moved to 6D – a very cramped seat on the new B777 – and had to sleep next to a total stranger. It seemed to me, by the more-than-friendly contact between crew and passengers up front, that they were probably Swiss crew returning to Zurich. The flight was crowded, the food average, service okay but nothing special. Swiss just lost a customer and my favourite airline is still looking good. Kevin Jackson, Perth

SWISS REPLIES:

It is always our intention to provide our business class guests with the greatest quality service. We sincerely regret that Mr Jackson’s journey was not as pleasant as he expected. With the introduction of our new B777, there has been an extraordinary interest in those wishing to sample our new flagship aircraft. The throne seats are highly prized for the extraordinary space and discretion they provide.

Our Miles and More Hon Circle members and Senators have guaranteed advance reservation of these seats. Should it be possible, we will make them available on a first-come basis to all business class guests. However, we can never guarantee that changes will not take place.

We will, of course, inform affected guests of any changes and advise as necessary. Nevertheless, we will make every effort to accommodate the individual requests of our business class guests as often as possible.