looking to see if anyone has flown UNITED to Geneva International Airport from IAD? I have a connecting on LH to FRA. I'm guess there are LX (Swiss) lounges around. Looking to see how hard/easy it was to connect, do you have to clear customs or passport? Are the gates in the same area??

thanks for any insight

I have flown out of GVA many times, the LH and LX and all other Lounges are before security and passport control. If you have enough time and want to check out the Lounges, then you have to exit passport control and customs. The Lounges are upstair to the right side in departure area.

*G can use either lounge. My Swiss colleagues like the LX lounge better.

You will exit UA975, and clear immigration. You're now in Schengen-land.

If you're in a part of the airport without signs for connections (and I am afraid there are more than a few of those), follow the signs for baggage claim or "Sortie Geneve". Continue until you get just before the baggage claim room, and you'll see on your left an escalator tucked in the back, with a sign saying "Secteur France" on it. Take it up one level, and then stop following the signs to France.

One more level up is a Swiss Business lounge (at the end of the hall) and a Senator lounge (just up the escalator). Or you can go directly to your gate. Most LH flights leave from the A gates. Security takes typically 15 minutes.

If you screw up, don't worry. Exit customs, go up two escalators, and then depart again. You'll need to show your boarding pass. This will add 5-10 minutes.

Thanks for all the tips!

I'm coming into GVA at 8am and departing at ~6pm that evening on LX (JK codeshare). What's my best bet for getting to the LX lounge to take a shower after landing before heading out to explore GVA for a few hours? Since I will have two separate tix, I doubt that I'll be able to get my LX boarding pass before landing, and I don't imagine that I'll be able to check-in that early if I leave the secured area.

My best guess is that you should be able to get your BP in the lounge.

I recently came from a LX flight to UA, was not given the UA BP, and managed to get into the lounge without anything. (Of course, I did run into trouble when I listened to the lounge agent who said she would call the gate to make sure I didn't have an issue only to leave when she recommended, get to the gate, find out that she did not, and had my exit row seat given away. This was compounded by the Swissport staff who tried to give me a non-exit row seat in E+ and then when I complained tell me that I should be happy since I was getting it for free.)

Thx for the advice! So I should be able to check my luggage all the way through when I start in SEA and that way I will only have to clear customs and re-check my baggage, then head to the lounge, correct?

LX lounges don't have showers. Or even bathrooms.

There are pay showers near baggage claim. Swiss coins only.

You can check in early. I've checked in the night before.

Are you sure about that? According to Lufthansa's website, the SWISS Business Lounge at GVA has restrooms and showers:

I'm pretty sure, although I am usually in the Senator lounge. I've only been in the Business lounge twice since it was converted (it used to be the LH Senator Lounge, and didn't see a shower. Both are small - there's certainly no place to put a shower.

There certainly are no restrooms - one uses the quasi-public ones across from the BA lounge which are a little nicer than the typical ones in GVA. I am absolutely certain of that.

It might be that the lounges have some sort of arrangement by which you don't have to pay for an otherwise-public shower.

There is no more escalator as of yesterday....there are only stairs b/c of consruction

Yes totally certain. I'm there 3x per week.

Which escalators? I was there on Thursday and the escalator from departures to the lounges was in the process of being removed, but the other ones were still there.

flying to Geneva in upgraded business, 1K and would like to know if either lounge, Swiss Business or the senator/Gold Lounge have showers? which one is best?

Don't know about the Senator lounge, but the Swiss lounge doesn't even have a bathroom in it.