NewbieRunner

The lounge looks nice and very empty! ^

BTW is this Swiss A332 C cabin?
http://sadlowski.galeria24.pl/Travel...SC_1330-01.jpg
Seats look comfortable though they are not considered as good as those on A343.

f4freeJunior

source: businesstraveller.com/

WHERE IS IT? The official entrance to the first class lounge is situated close to the transit desk after passport control, in front of the security check for the gates in Terminal A. First class passengers can also access the facility through the business class lounge (which also houses what is reputedly the longest lounge bar in the world). From the first lounge it takes five to ten minutes to reach the gates, not including security.

WHO CAN USE IT? Swiss and Lufthansa first class passengers, Miles and More members with HON Circle status and first class passengers who are flying Swiss as an operating carrier. The lounge is open from 6am to 9.30pm.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS There is a separate service desk and reception with an entrance either side leading into the lounge. Opposite is the business class lounge, which is currently undergoing renovations and is expected to be ready by June 7, in time for the Euro 2008 football championships. The quiet, airy first lounge has neutral décor and felt very relaxed, with views over runway 28 and Terminal E through floor-to-ceiling windows.

LOUNGE FACILITIES There are two main seating areas in the 650-sqm lounge, which features Jurassic limestone throughout and is fitted with low black-leather armchairs designed by Jasper Morrison (panels attached to the chairs have ethernet ports for internet access, but passengers should bring their own cable as reception doesn’t have many spares). Jars of peanuts and gummy bears top each coffee table, and there are two modest self-service refreshment bars offering wine, Tattinger brut rosé champagne, fruit, desserts, savoury snacks and Swiss chocolate. (Similar offerings to those in the business class lounge.)

At one end there is a TV section and library and at the other, two VIP rooms which need to be booked at reception. For passengers preferring to eat before their flight, there is a 12-seat fine-dining restaurant (plus six seats at the bar) offering free Swiss and international à la carte cuisine with one starter, main course and dessert designed by the in-flight chef. (The menu mirrors what is available on the plane.) Flights are not called from the lounge, but departure boards are positioned at various points around the facility.

There are two meeting rooms with a capacity of six to eight people, bookable upon arrival at reception. There is wired and wireless internet access throughout, but wifi can only be accessed with a 30-minute voucher from the desk, which means when it runs out you have to ask for another one. There are three internet stations inside cabins – you can either use the laptops provided or hook your own up – and a good selection of newspapers is available.

WASHROOM FACILITIES There is one shower each for men and women, with towels and Bulgari toiletries, and a small day room where passengers can sleep and freshen up, (this too must be booked at reception). The day room also has a shower with towels and Bulgari products, a bed with pillow and blankets, and drinks can be delivered on request.

OTHER SERVICES Swiss is offering first class and HON member passengers a limousine service to open stands and Terminal E. Passengers also have access to the “longest lounge bar in the world”, located upstairs via the business class lounge.

VERDICT A comfortable and functional offering with aesthetically pleasing design, and provided it is not too busy, passengers should find everything they need.

Matthew_DC

Later this year I'll be transiting ZRH with a 5 hour layover. Arriving LX F from JFK, connecting to TG F. I see lots of lounge possibilities discussed, but is there a consensus on the best ones to focus on to pass the time? I guess LX F (if available for someone only arriving on LX but continuing on TG) and a look at the long bar alounge nd the *G/LH lounge? That's it?

Could possibly route via MUC, but have never used LX F so thought I would give it a try. Is it same/better/worse than LH and are the lounges in ZRH comparable to MUC FCL?

Thanks for any info.

Rudi

with your F boarding pass from your LX F flight JFK-ZRH (arriving in terminal E) you have access to the swiss F lounge in terminal 1 (take the same shuttle train from E to baggage claim as all passengers with final destination ZRH) buth don't go through immigration.

Access and location of that swiss F-lounge: read the previous post please.

TG will than again leave from terminal E (you have to go through security again @ terminal E, and there you can use the Bellevue lounge, which is a 'generic' business class lounge only).

martian

Hi all. I have silver status with UA - nothing more, so that won't get me into a lounge. But is it possible to pay and wait there for my 8 hour connections between two Swiss flights? If so, does anyone know what it will cost?

Cheers :-:

oliver2002

You can buy access to a few lounges in ZRH. More details here:

http://www.fhr-net.co.uk/lounges/zur...e_bellevue.asp

manthos

Why waste all 8 hours in a lounge?

Zurich is just a few minutes away by train. You can go sightseeing, shopping, strolling, even bathing in the lake if it is hot! It is such a pleasant city to walk and relax, especially on a sunny day near the lake.

Even outside the lounges, Zurich airport offers many quiet spots where u can sit for free. Some have wifi (at a charge).

Manthos

Firewind

Don't miss Zurich! The train leaves every few minutes and takes ~15 minutes, if that, to get right into the heart of Zurich. The "underground city" (they don't call it that, but it is) under the central train station is interesting. Then, you're a couple of blocks from the river, as well as shopping and restaurants, and it's a 25 minute stroll down the river to the lake. Ferries leave from there to take you around Zurichsee, or just over to one of the towns along it, and back. The commuter rails leave the central station every few minutes to run around the lake. You can take the little train up the mountain behind Zurich to look down over the city, the lake and far off mountains. You can take the train through farm country bounded by dramatic mountains (not the alps) over to the ancient town of Chur. It's less than an hour.

Finally, if the weather's crummy, you can spend at least a couple of hours shopping and eating underneath the airport and the central train station. One last tip (although many wouldn't want to take it): I have never seen tickets checked on the train between the airport and the central station. There just isn't time.

The only problem with all this is that you won't get enough of Switzerland.

Rudi

Don't take that risk.

Chances to be caught are about 10% - and if caught on a local (S-) train (where you are supposed to stamp your ticket yourself before boarding), you are fined SFr 80 (plus the ticket price) and if you don't pay on the spot, you loose considerable time at the main station (where you will be inquired).

rorschi

I think the risk for being caught in an S-Bahn at Zurich is much higher than only 10%. And additionally to the fine, they record your personal data, and in case of recurrence within two years you can be charged for this...

BTW, there is no need to stamp a ticket which is bought at a ticket-machine, as there is a time of expiration of the validity indicated. This applies also for most tickets bought at the counter (just ask).

I strongly disadvice to travel on a train without a ticket. It's not only unfair, it's also risky for being caught. And train tickets aren't that expensive and are easy to buy...

AirBuffalo

I've been checked exactly once in @ 30 trips to/from the airport over the last year. It was on an S-bahn train. I think you're correct about the intercity (IC) and interregio (IR) trains, though (same route, different category of train).

Besides, if you're on the IC or IR, you can purchase the ticket directly from the ticket checker on the train (5 franc fee or something) so there's little incentive to actually buy the ticket!

I also agree that it's very cool and easy to spend a couple of hours in the city ...

thumbs up for the bellevue lounge, too. It won "lounge of the year - europe" by the Priority Pass program last year.

rorschi

True, the fee is 5 CHF + the "national fare".

This "national fare" (tarif 600) is valid on SBB-trains only, but not on any other public transportation in and around Zurich. If you buy your ticket at the station (either at the counter or from a machine), it's a ticket of the "Zürcher verkehrsverbund" (integrated transport system), which is cheaper and allows you to take any public-transportation at ZRH (trams, busses, even some ships).

And if you want to buy the ticket onboard, you must be sure that your train is an IC or IR (or EC, ICE, ICN) and not an S-Bahn. Be aware: The trainsets can be the very same. If you buy your ticket at the station, you don't have to care which category your train is.

I don't see any problem by buying a ticket - even if it takes too long and you miss a train, you can easily take the next one - you must rarely wait more than 10 minutes...

Hennessy

There are just two problems with the bellevue lounge:

1. if you're connecting to the US, you cannot access the bellevue lounge or you have to go twice through security.
2. there are no showers.

Showers can be found at the allegra arrival lounge, where you can also buy an access. Two problems:

1. it is after immigration, if you need visa for Switzerland, it can get difficult - if not impossible - to access it.
2. it closes at 1pm.

However, if immigration is no problem and you arrive in the morning, you could go to the allegra lounge, take breakfast, shower and when the lounge closes, you could still go downtown Zurich for a town visit.

FlyerGoldII

We went to the LX departure lounge in ZRH a couple of weeks ago. It was nice enough - but the food selection was limited (for example, compared to the SQ lounge in Singapore, or even on this trip to the LH Senators lounge in Munich).

However, I noticed signs for a Star Alliance lounge, as well. Why 2 such lounges? Are there some guests eligible to visit one lounge, but not the other? How would you rate these 2 lounges, relative to each other?

rorschi

LX has a biz- and a F-lounge (and a separate SEN-lounge opening soon) at terminal A.

Except the "longest bar", which is quite nice and where smoking is allowed, the LX-biz-lounge is often overcrowded and a pretty noisy place with a very limited food-selection. It's rather a common waiting hall with free drinks.

The LX-biz-lounge is open for all *G-members, FTL and C-Class-passengers departing the same day with a *-Boarding pass.

The Star Alliance lounge is located at Terminal B in a remote section of the airport and is an absolute insider tip. It's run by Lufthansa and has two sections: A SEN-Lounge with a very decent food-selection and a Biz-Lounge, both rarely overcrowded, both with a nice view to the tarmac and to the runway 16/34.

The Lufthansa-access-rules apply, so a SEN can also enter when flying with another airline or after arrival (e.g. when the LX-arrival-lounge is closed).

It's not yet known if the LH-lounge will remain when the airport will be reconverted into Schengen / Non-schengen-areas...