Connection ZRH
 

U.S. on LX J to ZRH with short connect time to Germany also on LX. Will bag be forwarded to FRA - or - will I have to first collect and do customs and immigration in ZRH? Thank you in advance for your reply.

You will do immigration in ZRH. Your bag will be automatically forwarded to FRA and you will clear customs there. Also no security in ZRH coming from the US.

Thank you, also for mentioning the security. That lessens the stress to make the connection.

ZRH is actually one of the best airports to connect. No security when arriving from a 'clean' country (not like LHR), no need to take luggage thru customs on a connection (not like in the US), also relatively small and well organized.

You can (assuming your passport does allow it) always take the route via A gates (immigration into Schengen and out of Schengen again) to skip security.

It's one of those topics where FT is (rightfully!) split on whats the better path. Personally, if I travel light, and I know that security will be an easy thing to do, I'd pick security, otherwise double immigration. ZRH is a bit hit or miss regarding immigration, with the automatic gates not always working as they should, and otherwise staff being overwhelmed, while security from D to E (and other way round) rarely has any queue.

In a hurry, I'd DEFINITELY go with the direct transfer and let security handle me.

I'd not expect that most members asking here about transfer from D to E are HON members, plus I'm fairly sure if a HON is in a rush to get from D to E - and for whatever reason no direct transfer was waiting for him/her, taking the Heidi express to E and passing security there will beat time-wise the quite long trek to A lounge (through the hidden door), then scheduling a private ride over to E, waiting for that one, getting personal immigration, and then being driven over by quite some distance.

Sure, they can let the gate know that there is still a HON coming, and they'll (most probably) wait for you this way, but what if - for some reason - there isn't a car available right then, and they'll tell you that the next car is in 15min, and that they couldn't keep the aircraft waiting so long? That's a long shot scenario, but even for a HON, a walk-Heidi train-security transfer will always be faster than a immigration-long walk to lounge-wait for car-immigration-drive to E gates transfer.

Obviously, what you describe is the best transfer for a HON if you've ample time. But on a hurry? I'd say not so much.