No Schengen Lounge in ZRH [A] August 27 to Spring 2018
#62
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,442
I'll try it tomorrow morning and let you know.
#63
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, LX SEN, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 456
I'm trying it this evening. I'll have a peek inside the Aspire lounge to see if it's as overcrowded as I think it might be (since SEN lounge was already overcrowded most of the time).
About the gate E lounge, visiting the whisky bar sounds enticing. But it's also risky, what if you get unlucky and on your way back happen to reach passport control just after a bunch of planes returning from holidays has landed and the line is 15+ minutes long? That, and I realized I don't even have my passport with me. Would they let me enter and exit with just my EU identity card?
#64
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,442
I'm trying it this evening. I'll have a peek inside the Aspire lounge to see if it's as overcrowded as I think it might be (since SEN lounge was already overcrowded most of the time).
About the gate E lounge, visiting the whisky bar sounds enticing. But it's also risky, what if you get unlucky and on your way back happen to reach passport control just after a bunch of planes returning from holidays has landed and the line is 15+ minutes long? That, and I realized I don't even have my passport with me. Would they let me enter and exit with just my EU identity card?
About the gate E lounge, visiting the whisky bar sounds enticing. But it's also risky, what if you get unlucky and on your way back happen to reach passport control just after a bunch of planes returning from holidays has landed and the line is 15+ minutes long? That, and I realized I don't even have my passport with me. Would they let me enter and exit with just my EU identity card?
I'd say if you leave the E lounge 45min before departure from an A Gate you should be fine. More if you want to board early
I wonder how many people will take the trek to E (and fill the lounges there even more - especially the FTL/C side in E is very full already in peak hours)
#65
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,440
Yes, an identity card is fine. And CH / EFTA / EU can use the dedicated channels which should be faster (they're faster, but sometimes it's not enforced)
I'd say if you leave the E lounge 45min before departure from an A Gate you should be fine. More if you want to board early
I wonder how many people will take the trek to E (and fill the lounges there even more - especially the FTL/C side in E is very full already in peak hours)
I'd say if you leave the E lounge 45min before departure from an A Gate you should be fine. More if you want to board early
I wonder how many people will take the trek to E (and fill the lounges there even more - especially the FTL/C side in E is very full already in peak hours)
I usually aim to leave the lounge in E 40 minutes before boarding of an A departure and actually leave about 25-30 minutes before boarding. It has always worked.
#66
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, LX SEN, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 456
I guess I will try my luck with the E lounge if I manage to sneak out of work early today. If I leave a safety buffer of leaving 30 minutes before boarding I should still get 30 minutes or so in the SEN lounge, enough for a whisky or two. Have you ever run into passport control lines that took longer than a few minutes?
#67
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,440
I guess I will try my luck with the E lounge if I manage to sneak out of work early today. If I leave a safety buffer of leaving 30 minutes before boarding I should still get 30 minutes or so in the SEN lounge, enough for a whisky or two. Have you ever run into passport control lines that took longer than a few minutes?
Some people say they have, but I haven't. Often catching a 17xx or 21xx o'clock flight. The SEN lounge in E starts to empty out very early in the afternoon and there is virtually nobody there until early evening.
Ask bartenders Steven or Stephan for a whisky recommendation, don't know which of the two has the afternoon shift today.
Edit: Please let us know how it went!
Last edited by worldclubber; Sep 1, 2017 at 9:38 am
#68
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, LX SEN, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 456
I'm here now. All smooth so far. And despite it being Friday at 18XX the E SEN lounge is practically empty. My flight is slightly delayed, but I'll still use a safety buffer of 30 minutes before boarding. Which means I'm returning in a few minutes.
At the whisky bar is someone named Prempai, not Steve.
At the whisky bar is someone named Prempai, not Steve.
Last edited by BlueNordicSky; Sep 1, 2017 at 10:20 am Reason: Added whisky bar attendant name
#69
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, LX SEN, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 456
So this was my first try at using lounge E for Schengen flights. From the time I left the lounge to getting to my A gate was 15 minutes. Area E seemed dead (this was around 18 hours), and there was zero line in the passport control. It seems like coming from gates E back to inside Schengen, you actually use a different half of the shuttle train, and the passport control is also a different section. Can anyone confirm this? I didn't see a single person other than me going this way back. Arrivals go through a slightly different route it seems.
#70
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,442
Just tried the voucher at the NZZ cafe. It will basically buy you one of the small sandwiches or croissant, plus coffee or soft drink (or beer/wine, but its 6.50am ) - Aspire lounge is, according to other pax asking for the voucher, terribly full. Didnt bother to check it myself..
#71
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY Platinum Lumo, LX Senator, SK Life-time Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 282
Observations from today: I was flying short haul Business class from ZRH. At the check-in desk, the agent proactively told about the lounge situation, but provided incorrect information. She claimed that the only options for me are the business lounges at D/E gates. I had registered the flight to M&M FT and her opinion did not change when i showed my Star Gold Card (SAS). The next stop was the stand in front of the A Lounge complex. The information there was more accurate, they sent me to the Aspire lounge. I went to check the Aspire, looked really packed and as I had some extra time, decided to opt for Senator Lounge at the E gates.
Conclusion: at least in the beginning, the information from the Swiss representatives is incorrect/confusing.
At the end, all worked out fine and had a nice whisky sample at the Senator E lounge. I timed the return from the Senator E to Gate A55: 13 minutes (about 2 minutes waiting time for the train, no waiting at the passport control, relaxed walking speed).
Conclusion: at least in the beginning, the information from the Swiss representatives is incorrect/confusing.
At the end, all worked out fine and had a nice whisky sample at the Senator E lounge. I timed the return from the Senator E to Gate A55: 13 minutes (about 2 minutes waiting time for the train, no waiting at the passport control, relaxed walking speed).
#72
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ZRH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Global, Miles and More SEN,
Posts: 338
Swiss Zurich A lounge closed till April
Hi FT,
Does anyone know what is planned for the A lounge in Zurich? I arrived today and it is closed till April 2018. They seem to be offering other lounges or coupons for food/drink. Sorry if this is posted already. I did search.
Thanks!
Begemot
Does anyone know what is planned for the A lounge in Zurich? I arrived today and it is closed till April 2018. They seem to be offering other lounges or coupons for food/drink. Sorry if this is posted already. I did search.
Thanks!
Begemot
Last edited by begemot; Sep 3, 2017 at 12:55 pm
#73
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,897
Does anyone have any comments about using the Dnata Skyview lounge with their Priority Pass access rather than going out to E?
#75
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,286
Had an LH flight out of the A gates today. As I wanted to pick up some magazines, I went to the D SEN lounge. Zero wait at border check in both directions, and zero questions either (they did not ask for my boarding pass). A few extra footsteps but not too bad. Lounge was not busy around mid-day.