Hawkscast

I will be Swiss First Class from NBO. Has the lounge there improved? Older posts do not bode well for my experience to come there.

alani

Well there is no special "Swiss" Lounge afaik. I was there on Friday 04th Feb. It was hot, sticky and very crowded. You could barely walk so many sofas / chairs. The Lounge is definitively no reason to travel to NBO. Try to board as late as possible, security check had a long queue with just one X-Ray working .

but the new business class seat .... that was worth the trip.

regards,

alani

TRAVELSIG

Welcome to FT!
The lounge has not improved. Older posts are correct. Enjoy onboard.

Hawkscast

Hi
Thanks to both of you for your quick reply and your candor. We will keep our expectations low about the lounge and focus on the positives of the FC Swiss Air with their new 300 series.

f4freeJunior

And as of today, 07.04.13, the lounge has still not improved. 2h before departure now, still a few empty seats but the food/drink offerings are so so (mediocre). You can bring your own food; there is a microwave. The worst thing is the lighting. People allergic to aircon be alerted. No windows.
On the positive side there are a lot of Swiss newspapers and magazines (German, French and Italian) available and the internet connection is good ^.

UPDATE: 1h before departure, every seat is taken now.

Corporate Solutions

Since the fire, does Swiss air have a lounge in Nairobi?
I have a 7 hour layover and hoping there is at least wi-fi. I don't want to leave the airport.

I would appreciate your response.

Wombelero

Last time I was there (approx 1 year ago) the lounge was crap. Wifi not working, some dirty old worn out couches, limited selection of anything and filled with people that do not control their children. I spent 5 seconds there and found a nice coffee place somewhere nearby. 7 hours in that airport? Have fun...
W

PS: Maybe you can organize a local driver that drives you somewhere? There are nice places nearby, but don't go into the city, you will stay in traffic for 7 hours probably

Corporate Solutions

I would be happy with any lounge, even if its as bad as your last experience, Wombelero. I've heard conflicting stories in Nairobi. One said the fire didn't destroy the lounge while another said it did.

Nick_USA

If the fire had destroyed the lounge it would be an improvement.

I found the lounge hot, overcrowded, the food mediocre and the toilets ..... well we shall leave it at that.

Corporate Solutions

Update:

Easily the worst airport experience I've ever had. Chaotic mess. Picture a bus terminal in a third world country and you have an exact picture of the Nairobi transit area. No exaggeration. Listen, I get that a fire destroyed the airport and am not expecting high-end stuff here, but that was ridiculous. Swiss Air should at least try to accommodate those who spent a great deal of money on 1st and business class tickets. I didn't even see a Swiss Air rep until I boarded the plane.

I really like Swiss, but am truly pissed. No excuse for them at all. There were sectioned off areas that could have been used as a temporary lounge or respite for their customers. Wi-fi.....are you friggin' kidding me. I would have settled for a square of the floor that didn't have cockroaches crawling everywhere and away from another stinky, nasty bare foot.

verve

Well, you can't say the previous posters didn't warn you....

Corporate Solutions

I knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Just felt the FT community should receive an update and warning. Traveling Europe for the next 3 weeks. A welcomed contrast.

RTW1

Typical firstworld reaction..... You're travelling to Africa and to an airport that had a major fire. Do you really think LX with one flight a day is in a position to get anything done there?

Get real, and be glad you got on the plane in time. The ground handling is something LX has little to no control over. And in case you didn't know, the lounge that was there before was crap too....and this is one of the better airports in Africa.

advancepsy

Thanks for the update Corporate. Indeed, all of NBO is sadly in need of a facelift, and it is in the process of getting one (new concourse and parking ramp). It took them nearly two years just to redo the old Kenya Airways lounge. It is somewhat ironic (and perhaps prophetic) that Nairobi's int'l airport is named after their first president ... who had a fear of flying.

JohnMacWW

Any updates on Nairobi and Swiss Lounge status? I am flying in tomorrow (Saturday) and back out next Saturday night.

I am being picked up by a driver and host so not to worried about arrival but I think I am going to be dropped off Saturday early evening and have 4-5 hours to kill (though it sounded (sounds?)) like I should arrange something else for that evening.