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ZRH - First Trip, Which Lounge?

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  • ZRH - First Trip, Which Lounge?

    I'll be on LX (in J) from Bangkok (unless downed in a hail of bullets) in a few weeks landing in ZRH around 6am with a "connecting" flight to Valencia at 12-noon.

    Is the arrivals lounge airside?

    If not then which of the lounges airside is best to get food, shower, free wi-fi and maybe have a view of Switzerland on the way through.....shower first.

    With six hours in transit, maybe I can do a tour but would prefer to place my bag and rest.

  • #2
    I'm doing a similar trip (although not from BKK). Going from OSL to FCO via ZRH in LX J with a 6 hours lay-over. This will be at the end of next week (20-24 May). Was reading up a bit on lounges et al and I am quite sure the arrivals lounge is airside. Will post again after I have done the trip.
    God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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    • #3
      I think the Arrival lounge is in the baggage reclaim area after immigration / passport control. But do correct this if wrong, Pinkfloyd, as this might be the imaginings of a caffeine-deprived traveller.

      I find the Schengen area LX SEN lounge at ZRH too dark for my taste, so if lingering, I prefer to sit in one of the cafes / restaurants facing the tarmac: huge windows, more daylight, and can be rather relaxing. F&B are pricey, though, so best to nibble first in the lounge if peckish.
      Last edited by jjpb3; 14 May 2010, 04:15 PM.
      ‘Lean into the sharp points’

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      • #4
        Will do, just a question, would you know if there is a smoking area at the LX SEN lounge (Schengen area) and is there anything substantial to eat (instead of biscuits and cakes)?
        God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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        • #5
          Reading the brief about the Swiss Senator Lounge I would have said that it's "direct access to the Smoker's Bar" means you can get a cigarette there....... either that or set yourself alight.

          jjpb3: I was looking at the floor layout and from it, it looks like the Arrivals Lounge is indeed landside but it certainly is not a clear map so hence my question.

          If i come in from Bangkok with a transit to Spain I assume i have to go through immigration before reaching the lounges? If the arrivals lounge is indeed outside immigration/security I don't want to go out and back in again. I am a bit confused about what is and what is not the Schengen area.

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          • #6
            Was just wondering if that was only at the non-Schengen lounge... But if it means I can set myself alight, I might just skip it...
            God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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            • #7
              scooby5, I agree that the map doesn't look very helpful, which is why I thought I'd chime in even with vague recollections. I seem to recall that to get to the Arrival lounge, you follow the 'Exit Zurich' signs and go through Swiss immigration. After the passport checkpoint, the lounge should be towards the left (the carousels stretch to the right towards customs and exit into Zurich). The setup is thus different compared to LHR, where the arrivals lounges are after customs. Fortunately, Pinkfloyd can confirm for us so we don't have to rely on my memory.

              If you're just transiting, then you'll be asked to look up your departing flight's gate on a flight departures board, and then follow the signs to that gate. When you do that when flying from a non-Schengen country to a Schengen destination, you are essentially being guided to passport control, since Switzerland is your point of entry into the Schengen area. After that you take escalators up to the main shopping / eating level. The Schengen SEN Lounge is one level above this.

              Pinkfloyd, smoking was allowed in the long bar in the SEN lounge. I'm not sure if they've changed that. Nice views and bartender service, but I tended to avoid it because of the smoke.
              ‘Lean into the sharp points’

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Pinkfloyd View Post
                Was just wondering if that was only at the non-Schengen lounge... But if it means I can set myself alight, I might just skip it...
                I don't know if its schengen or not, but the LX Senator lounge has a wonderful long smoking bar... I was there once when I arrived from SIN, after passport control. For departing back to SIN, the lounge after passport is useless....
                .
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                This is a computer generated message, no signature required....

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                • #9
                  The Arrivals lounge is at the baggage claim area (am in the LX SEN Lounge now) but it only opens from 6am to 1pm for some reason, did not get a chance to go in as I was there 5 minutes before closing.

                  There is a smoking long bar at the Schengen area SEN Lounge and it is pretty nice, apart from the bartender who gave me a dirty look when I asked if they had champagne (they only have sparkling wine it seems). Food wise they do have a few small dishes depending on time of day. Internet is payable at about 5 CHF per 24 hours but you can get a voucher for a free hour and I am guessing this is per visit.

                  Overall it is a pretty nice lounge and heaps better than the SEN Lounge at FRA (Schengen Area) which feels more like a bus station as you have to "fight" for seats!
                  God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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                  • #10
                    hi Pink, Glad you made it! Re internet, while free voucher is for 1 hr, nothin to stop you from askin for 2nd voucher after that, which was wat i did =P

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                    • #11
                      Yup, found that out a bit too late from the guy sitting next to me (I had to rush off for my flight)... Will do it the next time round!
                      God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by scooby5 View Post
                        jjpb3: I was looking at the floor layout and from it, it looks like the Arrivals Lounge is indeed landside but it certainly is not a clear map so hence my question.

                        If i come in from Bangkok with a transit to Spain I assume i have to go through immigration before reaching the lounges? If the arrivals lounge is indeed outside immigration/security I don't want to go out and back in again. I am a bit confused about what is and what is not the Schengen area.
                        Arrivals lounge is indeed landside but Swiss immigration is a breeze. You don't even need to fill in any arrival card. My last time, the officer took one look at my passport, looked back at me, stamped it and handed it back. Thru in 5 seconds.

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                        • #13
                          Thanks guys...... something to think about.

                          Thanks too about the internet tip...... 6hrs without it is tricky, I know this already from the SEN lounges in Frankfurt. I can't even pay there because of credit card issues or something so there's nothing to do except watch some movies or stand-up on my laptop.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by scooby5 View Post
                            Thanks guys...... something to think about.

                            Thanks too about the internet tip...... 6hrs without it is tricky, I know this already from the SEN lounges in Frankfurt. I can't even pay there because of credit card issues or something so there's nothing to do except watch some movies or stand-up on my laptop.
                            If you really need internet access head over to the Sheraton (Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers, Conference Center). They have wifi in the lobby.

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