Thanks everybody for the compliments! I'll definitely try to post the remaining parts of the first part of the journey as quickly as possible (most of the texts have already been written, I just need to take care of the pictures).
Originally Posted by
Yahtzee
I've done a few transits in ZRH from another European city to first class flight to the US. I feel like the trip to the E gates is much more complex than it needs to be; I must be making a mistake. My next one will involve an incoming flight transit from Warsaw. Would you advise going to the A FC lounge and then getting a ride to E?
Hm, that is actually not an exactly easy question to answer, as it is usually quite heavily disputed among FT members. There are those who say that the ride from the A lounge to concourse E is quicker than taking the Heidi Train, but somehow, I cannot completely confirm that. The new A lounge is still a bit closer to concourse A than to concourse B, which means that if you're arriving at concourse B, the time to go to passport control downstairs in the Airside Center will be about the same you'll need to get to the A lounge (the entrance of which is actually quite hidden on the gallery between two stores), and the time advantage to go there from concourse A is only minimal.
I would say, there are actually only two reasons to go to the A lounge first. (1), if there are large queues at passport control, you'll be through quicker when taking the ride from the lounge, otherwise, it makes no difference (and the length of the queues at the public passport control greatly varies by the time of day you appear there). I would say the Heidi train is even a bit quicker than the car ride from the lounge, but you'll still have to walk the length of concourse E. With no or short queues at passport control, I would say it'll take about the same time whether you'll take the train or the car ride (while you can never be sure to instantly get a car ride from the lounge). (2) is about the experience. If you like to be driven around the airport and particularly through an underground tunnel at an airport in a car, it's definitely worth it. Other than that, it's not much more than an ordinary taxi ride.
I would recommend you try the car transfer next time and decide for yourself. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't bother to go to the A lounge in order to get a car ride to E if I just want to get to E as quickly as possible (and haven't, except for the one exception described in this report), but as always, YMMV.