[sparkyflier]

Ha ha I like the MD-11 thinking. Catch them while you can, as these are being phased out it seems – the higher fuel prices escalating this.

But compared to the products considered so far (BA, VS, 9W, LX, LH and most QR = flat beds, the AF & KL offering is quite poor.

[Pierre]

Hi ,
I agree with Skywards about the step back in time with the MD-11.
I fly regularly AF on the route, and their offer is better than LH, OS, IA. The flat bed sold by QR will not change the transit/loss of time in the night. Newest aircrafts being rosted on more attractive routes(for QR & friends) than India, you then board a much older one, which makes the trip far less fancy.

[LuganoPirate]

I find it incredible KL still fly MD11’s. I know they’re used as freighters but they must be one of the very few western carriers still operating them?

I know a few contributors are saying don’t bother with a stopover Julmop, but I do it quite often travelling from Lugano/Milan to wherever. I much prefer a short hop followed by a nonstop long haul than breaking the journey mid way etc. Don’t be put off by it as its really not a hassle.

[KSHaggag]

I am a fan /supporter of both airlines and have always called Qatar the Swiss of the Middle East ,however let me throw the light on some facts ..
With Qatar you enjoy the Premium Terminal in Doha both ways but the a/c plying the Delhi route could be the oldish A332 ..also on the LHR DOH route u can end up having that a/c with a non horizontal bed seat !!!!….
Swiss is a leader in terms of refinement ,comfort ,ambience and CONSISTENCY ..the main feature of the swissness of any organization is CONSISTENCY ….you always always know in advance what to expect ..NO SURPRISES ..typically swiss !!!!….Yes ,Qatar is dubbed the 5 star airline but at Doha airport there are NO tubes ..you are whisked off the plane ina bus to the Premium Terminal and that ride can sometimes be as long as 12 min long ….the QR crew are very good but I personally noticed some sort of a decline in the food & beverage offering on the QR flights in premium lately compared to a few years ago ….

GO FOR SWISS !!!

[skywards]

@LuganoPirate, I seen a KLM MD-11 at SFO earlier this year….i’d love to fly on one again…it would be great to fly on one in economy without ptv’s…bit like Thais B747.400 service from LHR-BKK before they swapped it for their A340.600.

[KSHaggag]

The KLM M11 aircraft is a GREAT one …I just love it and just to add ..the business class cabin on that a/c used to be even better than the current one after KLM refurbished it to embedd the seats featured on the 777-300,777-200 !!!..the former M11 biz class cabin was the MOST SPACIOUS I had ever ever seen ……….impressive !..it is still GREAT !….I am happy with KLM s older aircraft e.g. 747-400 s and M11s …and would like to see them stay forever !

[julmops]

KSHaggag, I know it too well as I’m Swiss myself ! 😉
After long debate and consideration, I have decided to go with Swiss.
I haven’t booked yet but it will be done in the next week.
Many many thanks for all of your advice, I’m looking forward to flying them long-haul for the first time (I flew Swissair many many years ago though but in Y). I will keep you posted.

[KSHaggag]

Good luck Julmops !

That s great !!!..as much as I am proud of my own nationality ,as much as I would have been honored to be swiss !!….moreover ,Zurich airport is some sort of a second home to me !….Swissair ,the good old Swissair was biiiiiiig glory and it still is in the minds and souls of the whole world ..no doubt about this !….Swiss is the modern version of it ,safeguarding to some great extent all the great values that had made of Swissair the BEST AIRLINE THAT HAS EVER EXISTED EVER ….!..Please keep me posted whether on this thread in this forum or on my email <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected] my pleasure !

[LuganoPirate]

Skywards, KSH (nice to see you post again Karim) I remember when KLM used to have F In those planes (though could have been DC10) and I loved flying them. Only stopped when KLM gave up F and would not give me a top tier card, unlike Swissair who gave me a Circle card and UTA their top one – cannot remember the name though. Mind you, no miles then, just recognition and perks.

Julmops, good choice and you’ll find many ex Swissair crew still working on Swiss. Enjoy the flight and let us know how you found it.

[KSHaggag]

Thanks Lugano Pirate !!…happy to be able to post whenever I have the chance ..Yep!..that was KLM s Royal Class …also if you remember ,the KLM 747s were among the first in the industry and KLM used to advertise them as the ” World s Most Beautiful Spaceship” ..!!!They were indeed BEAUTIFUL ….they still are but many other airlines are catching up and naturally with the birth of all those GCC based airlines ,the European carriers have lost some of their dominance ,however they remain BIG SCHOOLS …

[julmops]

Hello all, as I’ve now finally booked my flights to Delhi, I thought I would give you a quick update.
After much consideration, I’ve decided to go direct and fly Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class.
Swiss prices had gone up suddenly so the price difference wasn’t a decision factor anymore …
So VS it will be. First time ever for me so I’m quite excited !
52 days and counting … Once again many thanks to all of you for your advice !!!

[Bullfrog]

Good choice … a non stop flight is always a bonus; the Heathrow Club lounge is great and the Upper Class seat, IMHO may not be the best for a reclined seat, but is a good bed even if you have to ‘flip’ the backrest’

Onboard catering .. keep a low expectation of the meal and you might be surprised.

[KSHaggag]

Hi Julmops !..wish you a fantastic flight with this great airline that is VS …..nevertheless ,let me tell you that the fare on LX has gone up coz it has been filling up ,and consequently by the time you booked the lower fare classes were already sold out ….!….I still am hopeful you give your preference to Swiss on your next longhaul trip ..please do …you will be proud of them !…

I like the Virgin brands in general ( Atlantic ,America and Australia) but am not a fan of the herringbone seats in Upper Class ..it is purely personal ..I feel dizzy to give my back to the window that s why I had deserted CX when thry did so and only got back to them when they listened to their customers who share my preference and started to embedd different arrangements in their biz class cabin ..

Enjoy Virgin with the lovely Clubhouse at LHR and save your next longhaul for Swiss ..they will be delighted to have you onboard and they will show it to you during the flight ………..they are just GREAT PEOPLE ….

[sparkyflier]

Hi Julmops and thank you for letting us know. Also Hi KSH – good to have you back on the site these days.

Julmps remember to join the Virgin Flying Club. I read, maybe on this site, that they are giving away lots of extra miles and tier points, so try and take advatage of that. I also recall from a regular poster on this suite, Le Tigre, that they now use the A330-300 on the Delhi route, which is a brand new aircraft, and has a nice long bar inside. There are Tried and Tested reviews on this product by the BT editorial team.

About the herringbone, I am also not a fan of it, like KSH, but we look forward to your thoughts on it! Will you just be in Delhi?

[julmops]

KSH, thanks very much for your comments, I will definitely consider Swiss in the future as they still very much are my home country airline, even after 12 years in the UK.
Sparkyflyer, I’ve been registering to the Flying Club previously as I’m going to Orlando with them in January (although in Eco) and I’ve registered for the offer as well so I should become Silver by the time I’ve getting to Orlando 😉
Trust me, I will read, watch and hear every single bit I can about it all before I fly and will most likely post on the forum to get more info about it when needed.
Saying that I’m excited is very much of an understatement …
Will be A346 on the way out and A333 on the way back so will be able to compare old and new UC … I will stay in Gurgaon actually but flying in and out Delhi. I used to fly to Bangalore but we’ve changed vendors recently so brand new destination for me !

[Author]

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