After my visit to the arrivals lounge I passed through customs and went to the departure hall to get boarding passes for the next two flights before going to downtown Zurich.
They have a special “Swiss First class island” in the departure hall where I went first, but there was only one agent inside and he was quite busy sorting something out for another passenger.
There were several empty desks in the main departure hall though, it was surprisingly empty this morning, so I went to one of the baggage drop counters and asked if they could issue my boarding passes.
There was a young and very friendly girl behind the baggage drop counter who said she could definitely help me. She didn’t really understand though why I came to the departure hall to get the boarding passes when I was in fact in transit at the airport, but I explained I had plenty of time and wanted to make a quick visit to Zurich.
She was even more surprised to see my ticket, in fact she was absolutely amazed to see the itinerary and all the places I had visited. Even though there was not much left of the actual ticket the receipt was still there at the back with the full itinerary, not particularly hard to read.
She said she was so envious of what I had done, but also happy I decided to make a visit to Zurich as well, albeit a very short one.
When my two boarding passes had been issued and my bags registered in the reservation she explained how to get to the railway station and wished me a nice “stay” in Zurich.
Pics
The Swiss premium check-in area in Zurich with the First class island to the right
A quick visit to Zürich
I took a local S-Bahn train from the airport to Zurich HB, it was rush hour so the train was packed. It’s very quick to get to central Zurich from the airport though, roughly 10 mins, and not very expensive either.
I used to spend a lot of time in Switzerland, I have been almost all over the country, but I had not been to Zurich for several years now so it was fun to come back and have a look around.
It is such a nice and charming little city, but unfortunately it was bloody cold this morning. Since I had just arrived from Hong Kong where it was 28 degrees I was not really properly dressed for such a cold weather and it was not at all enjoyable to walk around.
After less than two hours I decided to head to the railway station and go back to the airport.
Back at the airport I already had a boarding pass so I could go airside straight away.
Passport control was very swift, the man didn’t even look at my passport. No I’m serious, he didn’t even open it! He saw the red cover (which all EU-passports have) and waived me through.
Well I don’t really care if he looks at it or not, it saved me some time so I was happy.
The transit area is quite nice, pretty modern, but even though Switzerland is not part of the EU and I would be allowed to buy tax-free to Frankfurt the shops seemed pretty expensive.
I skipped the shopping and decided to make some lounge visits instead.
Zurich has two lounges I had access to, the Swiss lounge and the Star Alliance lounge. I started with the Star Alliance lounge.
Pics
Sunrise over Lake Zurich
Downtown Zurich
The main transit hall at Zurich Kloten airport
Star Alliance First class lounge, Zurich
The Star Alliance lounge is the world’s first common Star Alliance lounge used by all *A carriers in Zurich, even though Lufthansa is the dominant airline.
It opened a long time before Swiss became member of Star Alliance though, so now there is a second option for Star Alliance passengers.
The lounge has two sides, a business class side and a first class side. As far as I know the first class side is only open to first class passengers and LH Senator/HON Circle cardholders.
Business class passengers obviously use the business class side, and I think all other Star Golds also have to use the business class side.
I presented my boarding pass at the reception and after seeing I had a business class boarding pass and also a Star Alliance gold card (she saw the status on the BP) I was instantly allowed to enter.
Although before entering I showed her the boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and asked very nicely if I would get access to the first class side since I had arrived in first class in the morning.
After looking at it for five seconds she directed me to the left, to the first class lounge, rather than to the right. Great!!
The first class side was pretty small, a lot smaller than the business class side, but it was very empty, only two people were inside when I arrived and maybe 7-8 when I left.
They had a fairly large self-service buffet available, but at 9.30 am there was still breakfast on offer with croissants, bread rolls, yoghurt etc. I had my third breakfast for the day and a large cup of coffee, possibly the sixth one that day (I should really try to cut down on coffee!).
After finishing the breakfast I had a more proper look in the buffet area, and what do I see? Yes, a bottle of champagne nicely chilled in an ice bucket!!
At the same time a couple entered the lounge and instantly went for the champagne, so when half of the lounge was drinking champagne at 9.45 am it felt a bit less embarrassing to do it myself. I actually ended up having two glasses as the champagne was pretty good.
Well it was 5 pm in Hong Kong, so I’ll blame the time difference!!
Looking at the photo it seems like it was Saint Evremond they had on offer.
After two glasses of champagne and some lovely Swiss chocolate I left the lounge, I spent about an hour inside.
Pics
The entrance to the common Star Alliance lounge in Zurich
Inside the first class lounge
The self-service buffet area
Some alcohol, and two bottles of champagne!!
A glass of champagne, and lovely Swiss chocolates
Pretty nice view from the lounge
Swiss First class lounge, Zurich
Next I went to the Swiss lounge which is located on the first floor above the main departure hall.
Once again I showed my business class boarding pass to Frankfurt and my boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and asked very nicely if I would get access to the first class lounge as I had arrived on Swiss in first class the same morning.
The young reception girl seemed unsure and asked her colleague, but she immediately said yes. Fantastic!! So that’s my second first class lounge in Zurich!
The girl told me she would escort me to the lounge, I was soon to find out why.
The first class lounge is actually located inside the business class lounge, so you enter the business class lounge like all other passengers and enter the first class lounge through a locked door, that’s why I was escorted as she needed to open that door for me.
Inside the first class lounge we went to the reception desk where the girl confirmed with a supervisor I was indeed allowed to be there, but the answer was once again yes.
She registered my boarding pass in the computer and also checked my flight would depart on time, after that I was welcome to take a seat.
They had a self-service buffet available and also two types of champagne, a standard white one and a pink one.
Still only breakfast available in the buffet, but just after 11 am they brought a large trolley inside the lounge with some hot food.
I decided to have a look on what was on offer and one of the lounge attendants in charge of the buffet immediately approached me to explain what they had on offer.
They had two types of chicken skewers for example, one of them served with chilli sauce, quite spicy!! That’s what I had, pretty tasty!
She also asked me if I wanted anything to drink, I had not planned to drink more bubbly, but somehow she managed to convince me to have a glass anyway, I guess it wasn’t too hard after all.
There were not a lot of people in this lounge either, but that’s half the point with a first class lounge I guess.
On the whole the lounge was nice, but not spectacular. The staff was most friendly though and really made the lounge visit enjoyable. ^
Before leaving for the gate I made a brief visit to the business class lounge (well I had to pass through it anyway to leave the lounge).
The business class lounge was a lot more crowded, it almost seemed hard to find an empty seat. Inside the business lounge they also have the world’s longest attended lounge bar, which they make quite a big deal about. It is one floor above the main lounge, but it is indeed pretty long.
Pics
The entrance to the Swiss lounges in Zurich
Inside the Swiss first class lounge
The self-service buffet in the first class lounge
Yummy skewers to eat at lunch time
The main business class lounge
In the Swiss lounge they have the world’s longest attended lounge bar
And here is the bar, pretty long indeed!
Zurich-Frankfurt, flight LX 1072 operated by Swiss
Departure: 12:20
Arrival: 13:25
Aircraft: Avro ARJ100 (Aircraft change from Airbus A319)
Class: Business Class
Seat: 02F
In Zurich the security controls are located at the beginning of the piers, i.e. after the lounges and tax-free shops.
There was a separate line for first class and business class passengers which I used (they didn’t mention anything about star gold). Fortunately they did not say anything about the amenity kit from the HKG-ZRH flight I had in my bag, I was not prepared to give that one up unless being specifically asked to.
At the gate I realised we would be taken to the aircraft by a bus, and once we had reached the aircraft at the remote stand I realised there had been an aircraft change.
The flight was originally supposed to be operated by an Airbus A319, but there was now an Avroliner there instead.
Well it’s only a short flight so it doesn’t matter and I got to keep my pre-assigned seat as well, but I suppose an A319 would have been more comfortable.
The flight to Frankfurt was short, a total flight time of around 50-55 minutes, still they had a full inflight service in business class.
In business class we were offered a plate with two sandwiches and some grapes. They also had a full bar service onboard with two reds, two whites, and I think they even had champagne available (might have been sparkling wine, I didn’t see the bottle).
The two reds were a Swiss one and a French one, and the flight attendant tried to look as disappointed as possible when I chose the French one rather than the Swiss.
Well I actually had a Swiss wine from Hong Kong, and she agreed that that was a valid excuse.
Coffee and tea were also offered and finally Swiss chocolates. Overall a short but nice and enjoyable flight.
The weather was also nice during most of the flight and I got some nice views of northern Switzerland during the climb and an excellent view of downtown Frankfurt during the approach. I actually managed to recognise the Radisson hotel from the plane where I stayed in the beginning of this trip, the building has a very distinctive look.
Landing right on time in a sunny Frankfurt, but we were directed to a remote stand so once again a bus to the terminal building.
I end up in remote stands more than 50% of the time I visit Frankfurt, irrespective of aircraft type and destination/origin, it gets quite annoying after a while.
We were taken by bus to the B-pier where I had to pass through security again.
Pics
The view shortly after take-off from Zurich
Inflight service in business class to Frankfurt
Nice view of downtown Frankfurt during the approach
Lufthansa First class lounge, A-pier/Schengen area, Frankfurt
I had read on the internet that from this summer Swiss first class passengers would also have access to the Lufthansa first class facilities in Frankfurt, which means the first class terminal and the three first class lounges.
But how would they interpret this rule if I fly HKG-ZRH with Swiss in F and then ZRH-FRA-BRU in C?
I didn’t really know, in the Lufthansa forum they thought I would get access, but the only way to really find out would be to try.
I had already been to the first class terminal, nice place, but with only two hours between flights I would waste a lot of time (too much time) to just get over there.
There are three first class lounges though, one of them very conveniently located in the Schengen area of the A-pier, the escalator to get to the lounge is right opposite the Lufthansa Senator lounge.
I know Frankfurt airport almost inside out by now, so I easily found my way to the lounge after a long walk through that dreadful tunnel between the B-pier and A-pier.
I was quite excited when I arrived at the lounge to see if I would actually get in.
Upon entering the lounge I was approached by a lounge agent and I showed her my boarding pass to Brussels and my boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and said I had arrived the same morning with Swiss in first class.
The woman looked at my boarding passes and thought for a while, but eventually said I would not get access.
Well she still seemed very unsure, so I told her I had actually asked about it and had been told Swiss first class passengers do have access to the first class lounges in Frankfurt, and I did have a same-day Swiss first class boarding pass to present.
She was quiet for a few seconds, and suddenly she completely changed her mind.
She said I was indeed very right, I would get access, she told me she was still not used to this new rule about Swiss first class passengers.
I think she apologised three times, but I told her not to worry about it. Hey, she had just given me access to the LH First class lounge, I was too happy to listen to her excuses!!
The first class lounge was virtually identical to the first class terminal. The facilities are exactly the same with an extensive bar, a restaurant, plenty of sitting areas, showers etc.
The lounge obviously doesn’t have the limousine transfer though, but other than that it’s exactly the same. Since so many people want to visit the terminal it may actually be worth going to one of the lounges instead as they may be less crowded.
There were very few people inside the lounge when I arrived, not even 10 people.
I had a seat and was approached by a waiter who asked me if I wanted anything to drink. I decided to have a glass of champagne and asked him what he had on offer, he said he could recommend the pink Taittinger champagne they had, I followed his recommendation.
Together with the tasty champagne he also brought a bowl with some nice snacks, there was some Parma ham in it I think, and a few other things.
After drinking champagne and browsing through some newspapers I decided to have something proper to eat and headed over to the restaurant and had a seat at one of the tables.
The restaurant was completely empty, that’s why I could take so many photos, I have uploaded almost all of them since I thought they might be of interest. Everything is also identical to the first class terminal, so these pics complement the ones I posted in the beginning of the report.
I had some food from the very extensive self-service buffet. Plenty plenty of food was available including hot food, cold cuts, salad, sauces, many types of bread, fresh fruit, delicious desserts, and god knows what else. It’s really a lot!! I was told the buffet also changes every three weeks.
I also had a glass of red wine from the drink trolley in the restaurant, I decided to try an Italian wine with the meal.
After a delicious late lunch (or early dinner, or whatever it was) I moved back to the main lounge.
One thing I never got to try in the first class terminal was their superb selection of whiskeys. The first class lounge/terminal is a heaven for whiskey-lovers like me, there are as many as 75 types of whiskey on offer, including some very rare ones and a few vintage ones.
There was a new guy in the bar who was really friendly, so we discussed the whiskey selection a bit, he actually seemed to know quite a bit about what he had on offer at the bar.
After looking through the drink list I finally decided to try a 15-year old vintage whiskey called Knockando, not bad at all! I also asked for a cup of coffee and got a chocolate dessert from the buffet.
All too soon it was time to leave for the gate, I wished I could have stayed a bit longer in the lounge, but I still got almost two hours in there which I am very grateful for.
The Lufthansa first class facilities in Frankfurt are really fantastic! Great staff, great facilities, fantastic food and a very impressive selection of drinks! ^ ^
I hope I get the change to come back there again one day...
Pics
The entrance to the Lufthansa First class lounge in the A-pier in Frankfurt
Inside the fantastic LH First class lounge
A glass of Taittinger pink champagne and some nice cocktail snacks
One of many sitting areas in the lounge
The very extensive bar
The entrance to the cigar lounge, and the bar to the right
Nice view from the lounge
Inside the restaurant in the lounge
My table
The very extensive self-service buffet in the restaurant
Second part of the very nice buffet, and delicious desserts!
The drink trolley in the restaurant with plenty of wine
Late lunch in the restaurant, bon appetit!
Coffee, Knockando whisky, and a chocolate dessert from the buffet
Some of the 75 whiskeys available at the bar listed in the drink list
Frankfurt-Brussels, flight LH 4580 operated by Lufthansa Cityline
Departure: 15:45
Arrival: 16:40
Aircraft: Canadair CRJ-700
Class: Business Class
Seat: 05D
I left the lounge very late and almost had to run to make it to the gate in time, the gate was just at the beginning of the A-pier next to the security check.
A bus would take us to the plane parked at a remote stand, and I think I was the very last person to board the bus.
Most of the passengers were already onboard when we got to the aircraft parked close to the Lufthansa hangars in the western part of the airport.
The aircraft in use was a CRJ-700 which seemed almost fully booked. The nice thing though is that in business class the seat next to you remains empty, so you automatically get both a window seat and an aisle seat.
The flight time to Brussels was surprisingly short, only around 35 minutes, but they still offered inflight service onboard
In business class they handed out a small tray with some bread and cold cuts and a dessert, nothing remarkable, but definitely not bad either.
Drinks were also offered, but I declined more alcohol and settled with a glass of orange juice. I really had no idea how much wine and champagne I had been drinking in the past 24 hours, well probably best not to count either!!
Due to the short flight time we landed 15 minutes early in Brussels and actually parked at the main terminal building (the Schengen pier) so we could walk from the plane right into the terminal building.
It’s quite a walk from the Schengen pier to the baggage reclaim though.
Baggage delivery started fairly quickly but not even the Hon Circle/First class-tags on my bags seemed to make a big difference, but on the other hand it was a small plane with not a lot of checked luggage onboard anyway.
It was nice to see my luggage again, I realised 30 hours had passed since I checked it in at Kowloon station in Hong Kong. But what a 30 hours!!
I don't think I have ever got so much use of one small piece of paper as that boarding pass stub from the HKG-ZRH flight. It gave me access to three first class lounges in Hong Kong, two first class lounges in Zurich, and one first class lounge in Frankfurt.
Pics
The A-pier in Frankfurt, rushing to the gate as I’m running late
The business class cabin onboard the CRJ-700
Inflight service to Brussels in business class
After collecting my luggage I took a train from the airport to central Brussels.
I had a reservation at the new Radisson SAS EU hotel in Brussels, it is located 2 mins from the Bruxelles-Luxembourg station and not too far from the EU institutions.
I had actually used some Eurobonus points for the stay, so it was completely free with breakfast included as well.
I was pretty tired when I arrived though, and I actually fell asleep at 7 pm with both the TV and all the lights in my room turned on, I must have been completely exhausted after over 30 hours of travelling.
But if you ask me if it was worth the long layover in Zurich and the extra transfer in Frankfurt, I would say ABSOLUTELY!!