Helvetic Embraer E195‑E2 Business Class for SWISS: Hamburg – Zurich

Some reviews are written to be re-tested. When I flew Helvetic Airways for SWISS from Hamburg to Zurich on the Embraer E190-E2, I came away disappointed: a worn cabin, smudged windows and, above all, visibly dirty overhead panels in Business Class (read that review). It was not the picture I expect from a flight sold under the SWISS name. So in April 2026 I booked the same route again, this time on the larger Embraer E195-E2, and I had one question in mind before I even reached the airport. This Helvetic E195-E2 Business Class review is the answer: has Helvetic cleaned up its act?

Helvetic Airways and the E195-E2

Helvetic Airways is a Swiss airline based in Zurich that flies a large part of its schedule on behalf of SWISS under a wet-lease agreement. Passengers book SWISS, receive the SWISS service concept, the SWISS catering and the SWISS onboard products, but the aircraft and crew come from Helvetic. On routes such as Hamburg to Zurich, this is common, and for most passengers it makes no difference at all, as long as the product is the same.

Great-circle distance between the airports.

Helvetic flies Embraer’s second-generation E-Jets, the E2 family. The E195-E2 is the longer sister of the E190-E2 that I reviewed last time: a modern regional jet with a two-by-two seating layout, so there is no middle seat, every passenger has either a window or an aisle, and new-generation geared turbofan engines. On paper, it is an excellent aircraft for a flight of a little over an hour. The question is always how well it is looked after.

Check-in and the Lufthansa Lounge in Hamburg

In Hamburg, SWISS passengers check in at the Lufthansa counters in Terminal 2. As a Business Class passenger I used the counter for First Class, Business Class and Star Alliance Gold members, marked with its red carpet in front of the desks.

SWISS has no lounge of its own in Hamburg, so Business Class passengers use the Lufthansa Business Lounge. I have known it for many years, and my verdict has hardly changed since my last visit. It does its job, but it does not feel premium. I had a bowl of currywurst, the Hamburg classic, with a slice of crusty bread and a cola, at one of the round white tables. That is a perfectly good snack before a short flight, and a lounge in Hamburg serving currywurst has a certain local charm. But it is not a meal that makes a Business Class ticket feel special. Three and a half points, exactly the same score as last time.

If you fly from Hamburg regularly, it is worth comparing: on my more recent SWISS A321 flight from Hamburg to Zurich, I had access to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, which is in a different league.

Boarding, Take-off and the View of Hamburg

The evening light was soft as we taxied out past the Lufthansa aircraft parked at their gates. From my window seat I had a clear view of the engine of the E195-E2, with its large fan and slim nacelle.

The take-off was smooth and the climb out of Hamburg gave a beautiful view over the green countryside of northern Germany, with fields, villages and the first yellow patches of rapeseed in bloom.

Seat and Cabin: Cleaner Overhead Panels, but Still Not Clean

Now to the question I came with. On my last flight, the passenger service units above the seats, the panels with the reading lights and air nozzles, were visibly dirty. This time I made a point of checking them, and photographed them again.

There was progress: the panels were cleaner than last time. But clean they were not. Look closely at the photo and you still see traces of dirt on the panels around the reading lights and air nozzles. The cabin as a whole made a better impression than last time, with the ambient lighting along the overhead bins glowing in SWISS red and a neatly presented seat pocket with the safety card, the SWISS Magazine and the menu. Whether the improvement comes from a different aircraft, a different cleaning team or feedback, I cannot say. But “cleaner than last time” is not the standard SWISS passengers are entitled to expect. A Business Class cabin flying under the Swiss cross should simply be clean, and on this point Helvetic still has work to do.

The seat itself, however, has not won me over. My score is the same as last time: three points. It is a standard short-haul seat in a two-by-two layout, comfortable enough for a flight of this length, but nothing about it says Business Class. On SWISS’s own Airbus aircraft, the free middle seat at least creates a sense of space; on the E2, Business Class is defined mainly by the row you sit in and by the service.

Catering: Bündnerfleisch, Swiss Cheese and a Pretzel Roll

Once again, the catering was the highlight of the flight, and once again it was pure SWISS. The tray arrived with a generous serving of Bündnerfleisch, the air-dried beef from the Grisons, topped with frisée and pea shoots, with a few slices of pear on the side. Beside it came two Swiss cheeses, a bar of hard cheese and a wedge of a second, more aromatic one, a glossy pretzel roll and a dessert in a glass jar: a creamy layer under a bright fruit compote.

To drink, I chose a cola with a slice of orange and a sparkling water with lemon, both served in proper glasses. The cutlery came rolled in a napkin with the SWISS band wishing “Enjoy your meal” in four languages. It is a cold meal, as is usual on a flight of this length, but it is well composed, generous and recognisably Swiss. I would have rated it even higher with a warm element. Four point three points, a little more than last time.

Crew and Entertainment

The crew was fine: present, attentive when needed and correct in everything they did. But there was nothing that made this service memorable, no extra word, no small gesture that turns a routine flight into a good one. Solid, not outstanding. Four points, matching my previous flight on this route. As usual on SWISS European routes and on the E2, there are no seatback screens. Bring a book or a tablet, or, on an evening flight like this one, simply look out of the window. Three and a half points for entertainment.

And that view was worth it. As we flew south, the sun sank lower and lower, turning the haze below into a sea of gold. On the descent towards Zurich, the last orange glow lay on the horizon while the wing caught the final light of the day.

Arrival in Zurich at Dusk

We touched down in Zurich just as dusk settled over the airport, with the hills on the horizon outlined against an orange sky. For a passenger heading home to Switzerland, there are few better ways to end a working day than this: a calm cabin, a good Swiss snack and the lights of Zurich coming on below.

At the gate, a SWISS Airbus A321neo stood at the neighbouring stand, its red tail with the Swiss cross silhouetted against the evening sky, the control tower of Zurich Airport to the left. A fitting picture to end a flight sold under the SWISS name.

Then and Now

Set side by side with my earlier Helvetic flight on this route, the ratings show where the progress lies:

My answer to the question I started with: Helvetic has started to clean up its act, but it is not finished. The overhead panels were cleaner, yet still not clean, and that is not good enough for a flight sold as SWISS Business Class. The SWISS catering was excellent again, and the sunset descent into Zurich made up for a lot. The seat, the Hamburg lounge and the cabin keep the score from climbing higher. Next time, I will look up again.

About the author

Roger Hohl

Roger Hohl has been at the helm of Luxvisor since 2006. From his base in Switzerland he travels to test what the luxury travel industry promises, from the seat at 40,000 feet to the last course of a tasting menu, and writes about it with an independent eye.