A seven-and-a-half-hour daytime flight from Zurich to Boston might not sound like a bucket-list experience, but SWISS's Airbus A350-900 first class is changing that calculus. The A350 is the first aircraft to fly with the airline's new SWISS Senses cabins, the Swiss-flavoured cousin of Lufthansa's Allegris first class, and one recent flight on route LX54 shows why it's now firmly in the conversation for the world's best first class product.

The cabin is tiny: just three seats. Two window suites (1A and 1K) each measure 35 inches wide, convert to a 79-inch flat bed, and come with a 32-inch 4K screen. Seat 1K is the pick of the singles since it has its own aisle. The real prize is the centre "Suite Plus" double suite, which any first class passenger can now reserve at no extra charge — a relief, since Lufthansa Group initially tried charging two full fares for it. A solo traveller gets an enormous amount of personal space, a 43-inch 4K screen (one of the largest in the sky), a huge fold-out tray table, individual seat tablets controlling mood lighting and entertainment, and — a detail Lufthansa lacks — personal air nozzles. The catch for couples: at 49 inches wide, it's two modest 24-inch seats side by side with a single shared tray table, so it's more impressive solo than as a pair.

Service and extras hold up. Expect turndown service with proper bedding, Zimmerli pyjamas, a leather amenity binder supplemented by a pick-and-mix basket of Sisley products, comfy slippers, and free uncapped Wi-Fi (other passengers pay 35 CHF, roughly $43, for full-flight access; free Starlink is coming to the fleet eventually). The ground experience is a genuine highlight too — SWISS's two Zurich first lounges, in Terminal A and Terminal E, rank among the world's best, with the latter offering a terrace, top-tier dining and bedrooms.

Here's the difficult part: redemptions. SWISS first class award space is only released through the Miles & More program and only to elite members like Senators and HON Circle members, it can't be booked online (you have to phone), and on the A350 seats tend to open up just days before departure when loads are light. On this flight, availability appeared three days out and cost 110,000 Miles & More miles plus a hefty $1,128 in taxes and surcharges. Cash fares, unsurprisingly, are eye-watering.

Who is this for? Points enthusiasts with Miles & More elite status or a generous friend who has it, and anyone weighing up whether the new European first class wave — SWISS Senses, Lufthansa Allegris — justifies the hype. The verdict from the sharp end: the hard product is genuinely excellent and the double suite is a standout, though with today's ultra-competitive first class field, it's the space and the lounges rather than any single "wow" moment that set it apart. If you're transiting Zurich on a long-haul SWISS trip anyway, it's worth knowing what sits behind that forward door — and that the centre suite is yours for the asking if the cabin is empty.

Review originally published by One Mile at a Time.