AndrewC

I was reading in the LX in flight magazine that all non-Schengen Euro flights will from the end of March depart from the B pier bus gates! at Zurich airport

I have also seen the work they're doing in GVA and they seem to be building immigration booths in the tunnel between the main terminal and the satellites, which would imply that non-Schengen flights will be departing from the satellites from the end of the month

Given that my most frequent routes from Switzerland are non-Schengen (UK, Russia) I can imagine that I will be taking an awful lot of car shuttles as a HON in the future!

If Swiss will continue to provide private car transfers for HONs arriving at bus positions then I suppose I don't really care, but it will be pretty inconvenient for the rest of their passengers.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Roger

This document http://www.zurich-airport.com/dokume...engen_area.pdf
refers to E gates as well as B bus gates: 'Passport controls will only be required for passengers entering the non-Schengen zones (Gates E and bus gates B22 - 29) or arriving from non-Schengen countries.'

See also http://www.zurich-airport.com/dokume...n_Schengen.pdf :

'Dock A and the entire area known as Airside Center will be defined as the Schengen zone, while Dock E will be used for handling non-Schengen passengers. In addition, Dock B will undergo alterations and be reopened for flight operations. It is to be divided into a Schengen zone on the upper level, and a non-Schengen zone on the lower level. During the conversion phase, the existing bus gates B22 to B29 will be used as non-Schengen zones. New bus gates B01 to B10 will be opened to compensate for the loss of capacity in the Schengen zone.'

I'm told that all ZRH-UK flights will depart from E. I won't like the trek or the toytown railway, but it least it shows consistency.

airoli

No, as others have stated it will either be the bus gates or the E gates (jetbridge). I'd expect LX flights to mostly use E gates, probably with the exception of non-Schengen flights operated by Avros (LCY comes to mind). If you search for Schengen in this forum, you will find other threads with detailed info on the implementation at ZRH.

Rambuster

LX just sent me this for their "core customers":
http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/various/...20Flyer_EN.pdf

Fendant

Thanks for the post Rambuster, if you are a ZRH "Insider" this will help. Concerning the underground train the airport guys realized finally that the capacity of the toy train is not enough ( anybody who arrives between 06:00 am and 08:00 am at E Dock can certainly contribute a war story to this ).

They are now planning to add additional cars to the trains, which are already under construction somewhere in Eastern Switzerland. ( At least we do not get more of the original American OTIS junk) However in order to add the cars they have to dig a deep hole into the tunnel to insert them onto the tracks!

The new Schengen/Non-Schengen regime looks complicated in ZRH, but as soon as the dust settles and the whining stops I am convinced our daily/weekly routine will speed up connecting or boarding.

It is still better and easier to connect in ZRH than in FRAnkensteins Hell.

Roger

Or London HellRow ...

Roger

Thanks for this.

It seems that the ZRH E gates will only be used for intercontinental flights. I understood that ZRH-UK flights were going out of E. Has that been changed? I don't fancy the bus transfers from B. Who do they think they are? FRA?

Oh, yes. There was something else. ZRH to non-Schengen: 'passport checkpoint eliminated' but next line: 'passport check required'. So the checkpoint will be eliminated but not the check. I suppose it means something in Swiss.

airoli

Thank you Rambuster. I am also surprised to see that all short-haul, non-Schengen flights will apparently be using bus gates. This was not my information, and promises nothing good for flights to the UK.

It's bad wording to describe a two-step process. What will happen is this:

1) At the site of today's passport check (if you come from landside), there will no longer be a police officer, but an airport employee merely checking if you have a valid boarding pass. Then he lets you airside.
2) If you then proceed to the Non-Schengen area, you will have to stop once again, this time at a new booth manned by a police officer, who will look at your passport.

It's really similar to the Non-Schengen paths at many EU airports. And equally tedious.

What I am thinking is this: Given that my identity is not verified at 1), what stops me from going airside with somebody else's boarding pass, buying a bunch of duty free items, and walking right out again through baggage claim?

Roger

Thanks, airoli.
Nothing, I guess. This has been discussed before for LHR (probably in the BA forum) where the suggestion was to buy a refundable ticket to an EU destination, buy airside and go back landside, then cancel the ticket. I wouldn't condone this, of course. Your solution is easier.

The point about LHR is that most purchases include VAT when flying to EU destinations and don't incur duty, so the prices offer a discount against high street prices. This even includes some liquor, but excludes most liquor and tobacco as well as flights to non-EU destinations. I guess this wouldn't apply at ZRH.

asimha

I like the small paragraph on GVA

Changes at Geneva Airport
The passport check for travellers moving within the Schengen Zone will also be eliminated at Geneva as of 29 March, thereby simplifying your travel within the Schengen Zone. Further infrastructural modifications are in progress and will be completed by autumn 2009. These include the centralised security checkpoint for travellers whose journey begins at Geneva. In future, a Priority Lane will ensure that Frequent Travellers, Business and First Class customers can clear the checkpoints more swiftly. This will give you more time to spend at the lounge or shopping for duty-free goods prior to boarding.

AndrewC

Believe me it will be a nightmare. Hence the title for my original post

I suppose that an additional passport check is neither here nor there, but to relegate many of the airlines most profitable European routes (DME, LHR) to bus gates is not a good way to treat customers

And the guide to Schengen for HON customers that they just sent out basically said don't bother going to the F lounge if you have less than an hour between flights. So what do I do for my frequent LHR-ZRH-DME flights?

At least they're not going to ruin GVA until the autumn

silversurfer

Change to BA direct flights? Just kidding

ym1

Any information how it will work with the FCL, right now you go down to security check, than by car to E direct to the gates area, what will be now with the Passport control if you have connection from SCHENGEN (or start in Zurich) to International flight??

airoli

AFAIK there will be an extra passport check desk at the bottom of the elevator taking you down from the FCL to the tarmac level. This will be used for both immigration and emmigration (i.e. for car "deliveries" and pick-ups).

behuman

Why blame ZRH (where they are doing their best) if some countries in Europe have so perfect immigration services and controls they do not bother to join the Schengen space.

Even Switzerland not being member of the EU we have been more pragmatic than the UK and opted for joining the Schengen space by popular vote (54,6 %).

It's the UK who needs to adjust! And for Russia being Europe and short haul there may be some argument....