Connecting in Zurich [ZRH]
Aug 1, 2018, 9:54 pm
#826
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: BOS
Posts: 3,534
BOS-ZRH arrives at Terminal E (with a slim chance of Terminal D, which would be better for your connection, but in no likely scenario I could see it arrive at a remote stand).
If you arrive in Terminal E (most likely) you'll exit the plane and take a train to Terminal A/B, where you will clear passport control. The only thing that bothers me a bit is that at this time all the early long hauls arrive, so passport control might be busy, but busy in ZRH usually means 15 mins waiting time max. Once you cleared passport control you can proceed directly to your gate, which will most likely be in Terminal A. I'd even be comftable to grab a quick 5 minute breakfast in the lounge. If there is no exceptional waiting time at the passport control I'd say it'll take you at max 30 minutes out of the plane to the gate of your connection flight.
If you are flying F you will be picked up at your airplane and driven to Terminal A where you'll have a private passport control.
If you were to miss your connection due to late arrival of your BOS-ZRH flight or some unfortunately long lines at passport control you'll be rebooked on the next ZRH-VIE flight by Swiss. (if both flights are on one ticket that is)
But I'm pretty confident you'd make the connection. I'd be comftable doing 20 minute connections in ZRH even. LX and Swissport staff are usually very good at handling close connections.
(Just recently I made a 20 minute connection in GVA having arrived late and at a remote stand, whole process was extremely fluent)
If you arrive in Terminal E (most likely) you'll exit the plane and take a train to Terminal A/B, where you will clear passport control. The only thing that bothers me a bit is that at this time all the early long hauls arrive, so passport control might be busy, but busy in ZRH usually means 15 mins waiting time max. Once you cleared passport control you can proceed directly to your gate, which will most likely be in Terminal A. I'd even be comftable to grab a quick 5 minute breakfast in the lounge. If there is no exceptional waiting time at the passport control I'd say it'll take you at max 30 minutes out of the plane to the gate of your connection flight.
If you are flying F you will be picked up at your airplane and driven to Terminal A where you'll have a private passport control.
If you were to miss your connection due to late arrival of your BOS-ZRH flight or some unfortunately long lines at passport control you'll be rebooked on the next ZRH-VIE flight by Swiss. (if both flights are on one ticket that is)
But I'm pretty confident you'd make the connection. I'd be comftable doing 20 minute connections in ZRH even. LX and Swissport staff are usually very good at handling close connections.
(Just recently I made a 20 minute connection in GVA having arrived late and at a remote stand, whole process was extremely fluent)
Coming from BOS, you will have close to zero chance of an apron position. You will not have to clear security, but will have to go through passport control to enter the Schengen area before going to the A terminal for your VIE flight. Technically you’ll go through customs in VIE but that’s only an issue if you have goods to declare.
The BOS flight arrives with the wave of early morning arrivals, both a positive in that passport control will be fully staffed and a negative in that you won’t be the only one.
if LX sell you this connection then go for it, in all likelihood you will be fine and make it. Try to grab a seat in the front of the Y section if you can, though.
If you want to be even safer, book a flight BOS to JFK and connect to JFK-VIE direct.
The BOS flight arrives with the wave of early morning arrivals, both a positive in that passport control will be fully staffed and a negative in that you won’t be the only one.
if LX sell you this connection then go for it, in all likelihood you will be fine and make it. Try to grab a seat in the front of the Y section if you can, though.
If you want to be even safer, book a flight BOS to JFK and connect to JFK-VIE direct.
No but it's better than an afternoon meeting and arriving a day before isn't an option this time.
Aug 2, 2018, 1:20 am
#827
Moderator: SAS
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: BLL & CPH & ZRH
Programs: LX, SK EBD (*G)
Posts: 3,152
Aug 12, 2018, 3:41 pm
#829
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 12
I am booked on following flights transiting through Zurich
My question is, if the Edelweiss flight is delayed on my travel day, what should I be prepared for, in Zurich ?
- Edelweiss flight LX8017 from Denver (leaving August 31st) reaching Zurich at 11:55 AM,
- Swiss flight LX146 to New Delhi from Zurich at 12:40 PM.
My question is, if the Edelweiss flight is delayed on my travel day, what should I be prepared for, in Zurich ?
Aug 13, 2018, 1:21 am
#830
Moderator: SAS
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: BLL & CPH & ZRH
Programs: LX, SK EBD (*G)
Posts: 3,152
I am booked on following flights transiting through Zurich
My question is, if the Edelweiss flight is delayed on my travel day, what should I be prepared for, in Zurich ?
- Edelweiss flight LX8017 from Denver (leaving August 31st) reaching Zurich at 11:55 AM,
- Swiss flight LX146 to New Delhi from Zurich at 12:40 PM.
My question is, if the Edelweiss flight is delayed on my travel day, what should I be prepared for, in Zurich ?
There is no second direct flight. And you’ll neither make it to Munich or Frankfurt in time to get the Lufthansa flight. so either you’ll take one of these (there might be more similar options) or you wait one day and take the next flight, the next day. So be prepared for a long wait and potentially a lot more flying. (But you’ll get a ton of miles if you fly over SIN or HKG for example!)
Aug 13, 2018, 8:01 am
#832
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 12
Thank you Nick Art for showing the alternate routes.
Aug 13, 2018, 8:09 am
#833
Moderator: SAS
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: BLL & CPH & ZRH
Programs: LX, SK EBD (*G)
Posts: 3,152
I have an Indian passport, and I don't have a Schengen visa. In case I have to wait for the next day flights to India (New Delhi/Mumbai), will I be able to use the transit hotel ? I am traveling with a 6 month old baby, so absolutely don't want to wait in the terminal area.
Thank you Nick Art for showing the alternate routes.
Thank you Nick Art for showing the alternate routes.
While you could stay at the Transit hotel, there is always the chance that it might be fully booked (there just recently was such a case reported in thsi forum). And once that happens, you'll be locked in at the airport overnight. (the airport closes for the night so there will be nobody you could talk to). Also: for the stay during the day the lounges are the much better options than the transit hotel.
Such a short transit time with no shengen entry visa and a baby (and I assume the the whole family too?) is just a recipe for disaster.
If I were to fly this alone I'd happily take the 45min connection and potential reroute over Singapore, I know I can deal with this, but I'd never dare to have my parents take a connection that is below 1.5-2 hours for example.
What fare and booking class are you in? If I were you I'd rebook the whole thing. Over Munich for example.
Of course everything could also go perfectly fine, if I were you, however, wouldn't take this chance.
EDIT: Business Class on LH isn't as nice as on LX and EDW in my opinion, but this would be a good alternative. The only problem is that if you haven't bought the flex ticket rebooking will be really expensive if not even impossible. (Fares are around 8k oneway for C and 3.5k for Y). But with those flight you will have an easy 2 hours in MUC, even though you will need to depart Denver 2 hours earlier, you will arrive approximately a tthe same time like you would have with your LX flight.
Last edited by Nick Art; Aug 13, 2018 at 8:16 am
Aug 13, 2018, 12:08 pm
#835
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,454
Another +1
No Schengen Visa + Baby/Family + Tight connection + Unknown to ZRH.. even if familiar with the airport, a bit of delay will kill it..
Not that a tight connection is better in FRA or MUC (it's not, it's worse.. ) but I'd never think about a tight connection at ANY airport I wouldn't either have lots of connections towards my destination and/or having the ability to go landside.
No Schengen Visa + Baby/Family + Tight connection + Unknown to ZRH.. even if familiar with the airport, a bit of delay will kill it..
Not that a tight connection is better in FRA or MUC (it's not, it's worse.. ) but I'd never think about a tight connection at ANY airport I wouldn't either have lots of connections towards my destination and/or having the ability to go landside.
Aug 13, 2018, 3:02 pm
#836
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 410
+0.99
That connection is a recipe for disaster but...
You can actually be issued a short-stay schengen visa by the border police in Zurich for you and your baby, but LX has to agree to pay (they are not cheap) and the border police has to agree also (I doubt any problem having a baby). With that you can go to a hotel to rest and wait for the next flight. I know LH does this in MUC and FRA, but not always and the German border police sometimes refuses to issue it if they think there may be foul play involved.
That connection is a recipe for disaster but...
You can actually be issued a short-stay schengen visa by the border police in Zurich for you and your baby, but LX has to agree to pay (they are not cheap) and the border police has to agree also (I doubt any problem having a baby). With that you can go to a hotel to rest and wait for the next flight. I know LH does this in MUC and FRA, but not always and the German border police sometimes refuses to issue it if they think there may be foul play involved.
Aug 13, 2018, 4:00 pm
#837
Moderator: SAS
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: BLL & CPH & ZRH
Programs: LX, SK EBD (*G)
Posts: 3,152
+0.99
That connection is a recipe for disaster but...
You can actually be issued a short-stay schengen visa by the border police in Zurich for you and your baby, but LX has to agree to pay (they are not cheap) and the border police has to agree also (I doubt any problem having a baby). With that you can go to a hotel to rest and wait for the next flight. I know LH does this in MUC and FRA, but not always and the German border police sometimes refuses to issue it if they think there may be foul play involved.
That connection is a recipe for disaster but...
You can actually be issued a short-stay schengen visa by the border police in Zurich for you and your baby, but LX has to agree to pay (they are not cheap) and the border police has to agree also (I doubt any problem having a baby). With that you can go to a hotel to rest and wait for the next flight. I know LH does this in MUC and FRA, but not always and the German border police sometimes refuses to issue it if they think there may be foul play involved.
Aug 14, 2018, 3:10 pm
#838
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: HAG
Programs: Der 5* FTL
Posts: 8,038
Misconnection in transit is not listed as a valid reason, but a reasonably similar one is
- that you are a seafarer signing on or off a ship in Norwegian waters.
There are other points, like having sufficient funds to sustain the stay - I think that would be adequately covered by the duty to care of Swiss.
Aug 14, 2018, 3:21 pm
#839
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 410
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/sch...ossing-points/
Aug 14, 2018, 6:34 pm
#840
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
90 Mins enough toe make connecting flight?
I am flying from JFK ->ZRH -> HAM. There are roughly 90 mins from when landing at ZHR to my departing flight to HAM. I have an american passport and want to know what sort of transition I should expect (security/passport/immigration etc). Thank you!!