SWISS will be opening a new terminal of sorts at its Zurich Airport (ZRH) hub, which will be available exclusively to premium passengers. This seems like it has the potential to be pretty cool, though I guess we’ll see what the execution is like.
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SWISS gets creative with Zurich Airport construction project
Zurich Airport Dock A is undergoing a massive redevelopment project. This part of the terminal has 33 gates (17 connected to jet bridges, and 16 remote gates), and is the largest part of the airport, used for Schengen flights.
This terminal first opened back in 1986, and hasn’t undergone a full makeover since then. The expectation is that this project will only be complete by 2033.
While the long term implications of this are exciting, this is posing major issues for SWISS in the coming years, given that this is the carrier’s primary hub. With some other airport construction projects, you might see a new terminal built, and then an old terminal closed down, but instead, the entire terminal will be updated while remaining in operation.
The expectation is that SWISS will have to close much of its lounges for an extended period of time due to this project. Fortunately the Lufthansa Group carrier has a solution, as reported by aeroTELEGRAPH.
Specifically, SWISS plans to open a new terminal of sorts, next to the existing terminal, which will be used for premium passengers, and should open in 2027. While this is sort of a temporary solution, the reality is that this isn’t really that short term, since this project won’t be completed until 2033.
As SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger describes this, “I find it difficult to talk about temporary solutions, it is a complete product generation.” So the expectation is that the premium terminal will have its own dedicated premium check-in, security, and lounges, with separate lounge facilities for SWISS First, SWISS Senator, and SWISS Business.
Since the terminal won’t be connected to the main terminal, passengers will then be driven to the plane (first class passengers and HON Circle members would get a limousine, while others would get a premium bus).
Will this facility be an upgrade or a downgrade?
When I first read about this, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt is of course the first thing that came to mind. It sounds like SWISS is planning something similar, but on a much larger scale, and more out of necessity than because the airline wants to introduce something luxurious.
If this premium terminal in Zurich is well executed, it could be a net positive, and could be a reason to fly with the airline. Now, the logistics might be complicated at times. Being driven to the plane is nice if you get a limousine, while a shared bus is sometimes less pleasant, since you may end up onboard for 20 minutes, until all business class passengers arrive. Furthermore, I imagine the logistics here could be quite complicated for connecting passengers.
I guess we’ll see how much SWISS is willing to spend on this space, because I could also see it being a budget setup. After all, I know Lufthansa Group is way over budget on its premium investments (particularly at Lufthansa), and I wonder if Carsten Spohr will sign off on spending a huge amount of money on this facility.
A period of roughly six years is also a challenging amount of time. It’s long enough that this can’t just be viewed as a short term solution. But without it being a permanent feature, I could also see the airline trying to cut corners a bit. I guess it’s reassuring that Fehlinger describes this as a “complete product generation.” Hopefully that means no corners will be cut.
Bottom line
SWISS plans to open a premium terminal at Zurich Airport. The airport’s Dock A is undergoing a massive redevelopment, which will last all the way through 2033. This will greatly impact SWISS’ Schengen operations, so the airline is coming up with a creative solution.
In 2027 we’ll see the opening of a new terminal exclusively for premium travelers, with special check-in, security, and lounges, and transfers to the terminal. It remains to be seen just how well executed this facility is, though I’m certainly looking forward to learning more!
What do you make of SWISS building a premium terminal in Zurich?
Another day at the LH Group… announcements are made for things which will - or will not - happen in 7 years…. Bringing all connecting passengers to an outside new terminal by bus is not an improvement (winters are cold in ZRH when you land at 6 am and need to walk on the tarmac).
If this means closing the First class lounges at both terminals A and E and replacing them with only...
Another day at the LH Group… announcements are made for things which will - or will not - happen in 7 years…. Bringing all connecting passengers to an outside new terminal by bus is not an improvement (winters are cold in ZRH when you land at 6 am and need to walk on the tarmac).
If this means closing the First class lounges at both terminals A and E and replacing them with only one lounge, let’s hope it will be an improvement. My fear is that these new lounges will be huge and less cosy and personal that the current one.
Obviously, who can tell what will happen 7 years later ?
Bus to the plane. Sounds like Doha.
Just a comment from Europe ! I've always found food on Swiss ( biz class long haul ) disappointing and most of the FAs detached and service robotic. Austrian are superior in every respect apart from their lounges in Vienna ( great staff but dated and limited facilities )
A big reason to fly LX is Zurich airport. Super efficient to get through. I honnestly only go to the E lounges or the arrival lounge, the A lounges are pretty crappy and over capacity regularly (like all business lounges). The F lounge in A is nothing special, so they could easily improve it by adding the views. Had 4 long haul segments with LX in January (J/F) and everything was perfect. The 330 is...
A big reason to fly LX is Zurich airport. Super efficient to get through. I honnestly only go to the E lounges or the arrival lounge, the A lounges are pretty crappy and over capacity regularly (like all business lounges). The F lounge in A is nothing special, so they could easily improve it by adding the views. Had 4 long haul segments with LX in January (J/F) and everything was perfect. The 330 is dated for sure, but as a package I still preffer to go through Zurich.
The alpine lounge is less crowded and more welcoming than the main facilities in A. I have yet to visit the lounge in E- is that the one with the large whisky bar?
I always forget about the Alpine lounge. But again, I mostly go to the E lounges since 95% of the time I am long haul. Its really two worlds if you ask me, short haul is not the best at Zurich. Idk what securty line John123 is talking about, but I've never seen any lines to speak of. I go through zurich about 10-12 times a year. The passport control lines for temrinal E have been getting longer latetly. Would be faster with an EU passport.
Zurich has a pleasant design but it's not reliable and security lines are super long... Staff is also not very friendly there.
- 43 percent of SWISS flights arrived more than 15 minutes late — the third-worst result of the 20 airlines examined.
- Zurich is in the fourth place in terms of cancellations and delays, affecting 2.37 percent of the air traffic.
I had 20 hours lay over at zurich AP in nov 2024. And it was night time. And it was disaster for me. Staff around were very little helpful with limited english speaking. But it is beautiful place but not far everyone to enjoy.
I fly almost exclusively business class (Senator here) and Swiss lounges in A/B Schengen area are quite a disappointment, even after the renovation. Long-haul I avoid flying Swiss or Lufthansa because the service is not worth the money I am paying (Soft product is rarely on the proper level, hard product we all know how it is...).
The proportion of arrogant Flight Attendants at Swiss and LH is far greater than at any other...
I fly almost exclusively business class (Senator here) and Swiss lounges in A/B Schengen area are quite a disappointment, even after the renovation. Long-haul I avoid flying Swiss or Lufthansa because the service is not worth the money I am paying (Soft product is rarely on the proper level, hard product we all know how it is...).
The proportion of arrogant Flight Attendants at Swiss and LH is far greater than at any other airline I have flown with. Austrian is fortunately an exception to this.
It is nice to read about the new terminal and planned services, but I am not sure what to expect. Or better, I keep my expectations low.
I was surprised the other day to discover that the smallish lounge in D had better food options than the main Senator one in A (the latter didn't offer any cheese at all!).
I fly often between the US and ZRH, mostly on LX, and mostly on the Airbus A330-300. The cabins are dated, the quality of the food and its presentation, particularly on the US originating part of the itinerary is not good. The service on board is hit and miss though most often pleasant and efficient, if at times a bit cold. Swiss is supposed to be the premium airline of the LH Group and it...
I fly often between the US and ZRH, mostly on LX, and mostly on the Airbus A330-300. The cabins are dated, the quality of the food and its presentation, particularly on the US originating part of the itinerary is not good. The service on board is hit and miss though most often pleasant and efficient, if at times a bit cold. Swiss is supposed to be the premium airline of the LH Group and it doesn't really live up to that. The Swiss Lounges at ZRH are actually quite good, though some of the staff can be rude, notably in the Arrivals Lounge.
The Allegris product is a complicated mess. I recently flew on one of the very few LH aircraft that feature it. It is going to look dated very quickly and is over-engineered and not very stylish.
Swiss is not a bad airline, but it isn't a great one either. I hope the needed enhancements and expansion of the A concourse isn't too disruptive. While it is needed, ZRH is such a fantastic airport all around, I can't imagine it being complicated by endless construction.
I flew out of ZRH in August, and I agree, the entire airport is quite good. It's really pleasant, it's literally right on the train line, and is generally laid out quite well. Terminal E was pretty nice I thought. I also agree that the airline itself is quite mediocre.
My only issue with my trip was it took over an hour to clear the exit immigration before going to the terminal with flights that...
I flew out of ZRH in August, and I agree, the entire airport is quite good. It's really pleasant, it's literally right on the train line, and is generally laid out quite well. Terminal E was pretty nice I thought. I also agree that the airline itself is quite mediocre.
My only issue with my trip was it took over an hour to clear the exit immigration before going to the terminal with flights that left the Schengen Area. Which in an of itself isn't great, but people of course were cutting it too close, causing huge numbers of people to start freaking out that they were going to miss their flight. Security was half trying to control the situation, and was screaming at everyone, but wasn't really doing a good job of it so people were cutting in line everywhere, yelling at each other, etc.
Anyway, it was more of an issue of Swiss Border Control not having enough employees, and not controlling the situation that was there. I wasn't really stressed because I had plenty of time, but I was stressed because I thought there was going to be a riot, and the security seemed to be making the situation worse and not better.
If this somehow allows Business Class passengers to process their immigration somewhere else, that's a huge win in my book.
This will be excellent. Way better than what any skyteam carrier would ever be able to do
I flew Swiss in business between Zurich and Paris about a year ago when Delta canceled my flight from Zurich. They re-booked me on Swiss and then Air France from Paris. While I was thoroughly impressed with Swiss's standard for a very short flight, the business-class lounge in Zurich was pretty disappointing.
SKG has this from the A3 lounge. Separate boarding out of the lounge for each flight.