manthos

If I understood it right, creber complained about the german waiters' lack of swiss-german skills. Swiss german can be quite different from "high german" or hochdeutsch.

San Gottardo

That for one and also that in the past Swissair/Swiss saw itself as a "pan-Helvetic" institution, which was expressed amongst other things by the fact that they spoke German and French, many even spoke Italian. Until some time ago, multi-linguistic skills were one of the elements of LX's PR campaigns. No longer. They now launched recruiting adverts where the minimum requirements for FAs is to speak "English and German".

Although CH is quite good in people speaking several languages, there are people in Western Switzerland who don't understand German or English comfortably. Just as there are people in the Deutschschweiz that only speak German. Now since LX tries to be the national airline to the people in Western Switzerland, too, it's not a smart move to have FAs that don't speak French.

I noticed the same thing in the call centre (HON line). During the day, when calls are answered in Basel, no problem for French. After hours, some cheap call centre takes the calls - and no more French spoken (happens to be staffed by many Germans again...).

Again, it's not a disaster, me personally I am fluent in German, it's just a matter of an overall slip in standards at LX which I observe with a lot of regret.

Volasia

I noticed that, when you call in the evening, you cannot talk to anyone in French.

On the other hand, having to talk to a waiter in German is not the end of the world... I guess if the pax has been able to buy a ticket in F or have a hon card, somehow, it means the guy is educated and is used to travel, so I'm sure he can speak German and not only Swiss German.

yapak2

The other day i was passing through ZRH and was told in the HON Lounge that LH is planning to upgrade its old current lounge in the B area to mimick the FRA and MUC FCT/FCL design, with food offerings en par with FRA and MUC. Operated by LSG. Competition in ZRH. Bizarre? For sure...but have not doubt that there is substance to this rumour. Current planning is for year end....
happy flying,
yapak2

San Gottardo

There may be some thruth to that given that the B Pier will revert to "Schengen" by year end. Thus LH will operate from there.

Let's see

Hennessy

If they implement a FCL layout in the small part, will SEN's no longer be allowed?

virtualtroy

The ZRH F lounge reviewed by Business Traveller Magazine, not that I believe this adds anything particularly useful to the first-hand accounts already posted here.

blue-sky

Are the opening hours mentioned in the article correct? 6am to 9.30pm does not make that much sense to me, when the last flights with first class leave around 10.45pm.

virtualtroy

Presumably anyone leaving on one of those later flights will by then already have been transported over to the other terminal.

tcswede

From my experience the lounge will start shutting down around 10ish as the last cars with pax are driven across to E.
They will start removing things even before that - but no fixed timing it seems.

Cheers

Thomas

see the world

I'm assuming that there is no such thing as a FCT at ZRH?

sentom

you assume correct, just a FCL no FCT

pcflyer213

the prophetic powers of FT.... ^^^

Wombelero

Any news on the new SEN- lOUNGE? I will be in ZRH tomorrow and have to kill more then one hour, so it would be nice to visit the new lounges. Otherwise I use the LH SEN lounge in Terminal B.

Thanks
Wombelero

Hennessy

The new SEN-Lounge is planned to open just before EURO 2008. I would not bet that it is already finished by now....