I recently had the chance to fly SWISS’ Airbus A350 first class from Zurich (ZRH) to Boston (BOS), featuring the carrier’s new SWISS Senses product. While I’ll share my full thoughts on that flight shortly, here I want to cover the ground experience in Zurich, which I consider to be excellent.
SWISS has two lounges for its first class passengers at its Zurich hub — one Schengen, one non-Schengen — and together they make for a well-rounded ground experience. I consider these to be among the best first class lounges in the world. Both lounges are excellent, and it’s a nice touch that SWISS will even drive you between them.
SWISS First Class Lounge Zurich Terminal E
The SWISS First Class Lounge Zurich Terminal E is the non-Schengen lounge, primarily for long-haul passengers. It spans 750 square meters (~8,100 square feet) with seating for 80 guests.
The lounge is broken up into two main areas — one primarily for lounging around…
…and the other being a restaurant and bar, with tables and booths.
Two features of this lounge really stand out. First, it has views of the apron, making plane spotting excellent. Better still, the lounge has a terrace with plenty of outdoor seating.
This is naturally more useful in summer — the terrace is typically closed in winter — but when open, you’ll often find special food on offer outside, ranging from ice cream to raclette. It’s a lovely atmosphere and a real contrast to the many windowless airport lounges out there.
The other standout feature is the lounge’s two bedrooms, which rank among the best bedrooms found in any airport lounge. The mattress is exceptionally soft and comfortable.
SWISS First Class Lounge Zurich Terminal A
The SWISS First Class Lounge Zurich Terminal A is the Schengen lounge, primarily for short-haul passengers. It’s 650 square meters (~7,000 square feet) with seating for 80 guests. In terms of design, this lounge feels a bit newer and sleeker, making it a slight aesthetic preference over Terminal E.
Just as in the other lounge, there’s a section dedicated to relaxing…
…and a bar and restaurant area.
The downside is that Terminal A lacks a terrace, apron views, and bedrooms. However, it has its own advantages. Smokers will appreciate the proper smoking lounge, which even offers cigars — the Terminal E lounge is fully non-smoking.
For those who need to work, Terminal A also has dedicated workstations, which the Terminal E lounge does not.
Terminal A also has a dedicated limousine service area. From here, passengers departing from a remote stand can be driven directly to their plane, and there’s a shuttle service every 10 minutes to Terminal E for those originating in Zurich who want to visit that lounge — useful since Terminal E otherwise requires taking a train, while Terminal A has a direct flow from check-in. A limousine service is also available from Terminal E, though it operates under slightly more restrictive conditions.
SWISS First Class Lounges Zurich Have Amazing Food
One thing is identical in both SWISS First Class Lounges: top-notch service, food, and drinks. In whichever lounge you’re seated, servers constantly circulate to check if you need anything.
Both lounges offer the same extensive à la carte dining selection and wine list. After the Air France La Première Lounge in Paris, this may be the best lounge dining available anywhere. The dishes would be impressive at a quality restaurant, both in taste and presentation.
For example, a three-course lunch here might start with beef carpaccio with cheese, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and olive paste…
…followed by salmon with fava beans, romesco sauce, and alpine herbs…
…and finished with the signature ovomaltine mousse dessert.
The cheese fondue is also worth highlighting — it’s on offer and absolutely delicious.
Bottom Line
SWISS First Class Lounges in Zurich are genuinely top-notch. Both are excellent, so even if you’re traveling within the Schengen zone, you’re not missing out significantly by using Terminal A instead of Terminal E — unless you specifically want access to the bedroom or terrace.
To access either lounge, you’ll need a same-day first class ticket on SWISS or Lufthansa. That’s become harder to arrange than it once was, given that SWISS has restricted first class award availability to Miles & More Senator members and above, and Lufthansa no longer releases first class award space to partner frequent flyer programs. If you can access them, though, these lounges represent some of the best pre-flight experiences in the world.
