Swiss International Airlines - Advice on Trip: LAX-NCE on Swiss Air

Planning a trip from LA to NCE between August 16th and 29th, 2010. My travel agent has booked me on:

LX041 from LAX to Zurich, and then LX560 from Zurich to NCE - my flight arrives in Zurich at 15:45 and the flight to NCE leaves at 17:00..my question is do I have enough time for the connection?

Also, I have the same problem for the return flight: Flight LX563 from NCE land in Zurich at 12:00PM and my flight to LAX (LX040) leaves at 13:10.

anyone has had experience with these flights? I am especially concerned with the short connection time..

As this thread is about LX I'll move it to the LX subforum.

Take care!

totti
M&M moderator

Planning a trip from LA to NCE between August 16th and 29th, 2010. My travel agent has booked me on:

LX041 from LAX to Zurich, and then LX560 from Zurich to NCE - my flight arrives in Zurich at 15:45 and the flight to NCE leaves at 17:00..my question is do I have enough time for the connection?

Also, I have the same problem for the return flight: Flight LX563 from NCE land in Zurich at 12:00PM and my flight to LAX (LX040) leaves at 13:10.

anyone has had experience with these flights? I am especially concerned with the short connection time..
Don't worry to much about the connection time. 70 minutes, 75 minutes respectively will be enough time. If you are on one PNR there is no need to worry anyway because if you won't make the connection LX will take care of things. But again, 1h+ should be fine. Apart from this I can't comment on your flight as I have never flown ZRH-LAX vv.

that is plenty of time for Zurich.

Don't worry to much about the connection time. 70 minutes, 75 minutes respectively will be enough time. If you are on one PNR there is no need to worry anyway because if you won't make the connection LX will take care of things. But again, 1h+ should be fine. Apart from this I can't comment on your flight as I have never flown ZRH-LAX vv.

I am on one PNR - my concern also involves the possibility of flight delays, but I guess I just have to hope that doesn't happen :)

I am on one PNR - my concern also involves the possibility of flight delays, but I guess I just have to hope that doesn't happen :)
If you are on one PNR LX is well aware that you have a connection flight and they'll try their best (also in their own interest) that you can make your connection. Even if you are 15-30 minutes late the connection is still absolutely doable.

LX40/LX41 are rarely delayed. The plane sits at LAX for almost 3 hours before returning to Europe, so there is room for making up small delays.

70 minutes in ZRH are more than enough to connect. Your LAX flight will arrive at the E gates from where you will take an underground train to the A/B gates. You clear immigration (entry into the Schengen area) and then go to the A gates for you NCE flight. Customs control is done at NCE (you probably will only have to pass through and nobody will ask you nothing). The process in ZRH is usually very fast (not many extra-Schengen arrivals at that time of the day).

On the return you do the same thing albeit starting from the A gates and going to the E gates. Immigration/departure control is done before getting on the train.

Should you miss any connection LX still has a later flight to NCE on the outbound and will rebook you on alternative services on the inbound.

I totally agree with the others – the itinerary should be perfectly ok! have been on LX40/41 several times before and also saw the NCE flight on the information screens about connecting flights quite often. if the outbound flight from LAX is delayed severely they will rebook you on another connecting flight before check-in and you get a boarding pass for the new flight too.

happy travels!