March 25, 2010 – With champagne in hand, the taste of white Swiss chocolate in my mouth and tunes from pet shop boys’ new album hugging my eardrums, the only thing missing was an ‘actual’ long-haul flight!

I was tired that Wednesday evening, and while other journalists were full of questions about the newly introduced Swiss Air Airbus A330-300, I was content to just chill and enjoy the ride (to and from Dar-es-Salaam).

I am not known to sit in one position for a long time, but I needed to focus on the asparagus wrapped in salmon, taste the sauerkraut, veal and cheese that were being laid out before me.

This air-hostess kept dazzling me with her super white teeth (almost as white as Nazizi’s, for real!) and flashing juices, sodas, water and bubbly in my face.

Ines Braendle, Swiss Air Country Manager for Tanzania, gestures to me to let loose one ear, and then lets me know that with their choice of almost 300 CDs, I have the option of creating my very own playlist and I can begin this entertainment process even BEFORE take-off.

Honestly, to me this is a Heaven-send! One thing I always find lacking in airplanes is free entertainment! Usually, popular choices are stuffed down everyone’s throats! So this time I was comfortable enough not to notice when we got to cruising at 469kmh… Cruising…

Marcel Biedermann, Managing Director, Head of Intercontinental Markets, for Swiss Air pointed out other attributes of the Airbus.

“It sets new standards of in flight comfort in all three seating classes. Substantially more legroom in Economy, an air-cushioned seat that can be turned into a two-metre lie-flat bed in Business and a “suite above the clouds” in First are the key features of the new cabin product,” he intimates.

Yves-Alain Yersin, Country Manager Kenya, Swiss Air added: “As only the fourth market to receive the all-new A330-300, we are marking another milestone for SWISS operations here in Kenya and this reiterates the importance of servicing passengers from the region,” commented

It comes into the market starting April 2010 and will fly between Zurich/Nairobi-Dar-Es-Salaam.