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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
Swiss' flagship business class lounge has okay facilities, though one massive standout feature – the terrace overlooking the tarmac and runway. The catch is that it's (sensibly) not usually open if the weather isn't good |
4.5
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As part of my Star Alliance lounge run in London and Zurich, I visited the Swiss business class lounge by the airport’s E gates. Zurich Airport’s Dock E is entirely a non-Schengen concourse, and dedicated to many of the airport’s widebody departures, including by Swiss as well as other airlines. For example, a vast majority of Swiss’ longhaul departures leave out of Dock E, and Qatar Airways, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, etc. all fly out of there as well.
As you’d imagine, Swiss’ suite of lounges at Dock E are the airline’s flagship lounges, as they serve the airline’s highest-yield longhaul customers. However, they’re all over a decade old now, and I’d say that the business lounge in particular isn’t actually that nice on the inside. While the A lounge didn’t have enough seating and the D lounge had very whimsical seating, the actual seating here is lacking in variety, and not very comfortable – I actually prefer the facilities at the Alpine lounge. The catering isn’t special either, and I’d actually consider it to be below average for a business class hub lounge.
The catch is that there’s one redeeming quality of this lounge that will make me come early, or go out of my way to spend some time here – assuming the weather’s good.
Swiss Business Lounge E Access and Opening Hours
The Swiss business class E lounge is open from 6 AM to 10:30 PM, covering all of the airline’s departures. Zurich Airport has a strict curfew, so no flights take off or land between 11:30 PM and 6 AM.
The lounge is open to:
- all Star Alliance business class passengers (including Swiss, Lufthansa, etc.)
- Star Alliance Gold members, though they’re welcome to use the neighbouring Senator lounge
- Those who buy a Swiss lounge pass for 49 CHF (£46.45/HK$484) – premium economy passengers get a discount
Do note that you can visit this lounge even if you’re flying intra-Schengen, given that you’re exempt from a visa or have a multiple-entry visa. Border force agents are quite used to passengers coming in and out of Concourse E to use lounges, mainly because of the other facilities they offer. Concourse E is reachable by a train that takes approximately 5 minutes end-to-end (though do note that there can be a queue to get through immigration).
Swiss Business Lounge E Location
As mentioned above, the Swiss E lounge is located by the E-gates (Dock E, as the airport calls it). This is reachable by a train from the main concourse (pretty much right outside the A lounge) – pass through immigration and take the train to the E-gates, and you’ll reach the concourse.
I like Zurich Airport as whole, and find it to be easy to navigate. I also like Dock E due to how spacious it is, though it does remind me of a car park, with the incandescent lighting and bare concrete.
Zurich Airport E-Gates Area
Signage here isn’t as good as at the rest of the airport, though head approximately to the middle of the dock lengthwise, and you’ll see some stairs leading up to the Swiss business and Senator lounge.
Zurich Airport E Gates Signage to Swiss Business and Senator Lounge
Once you head upstairs and get checked in, the business class lounge is to the left, whereas the Senator lounge is to the right (past some sliding doors).
I’ve reviewed the Senator lounge before and didn’t actually have access this time, so will be reviewing the business class lounge.
Swiss Business and Senator Lounge E Entrance
Swiss Business Lounge E Seating and Atmosphere
The Swiss business class lounge is essentially a long, partitioned room, with a few different seating areas joined together by a central walkway.
The first main seating area features a mix of armchairs and sofas. It’s a good space for families or groups.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Seating
Then the main dining area is slightly further down, featuring a mix of restaurant-style seating, as well as stools that face the tarmac.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Seating
I do like that there are power ports here, though access to power ports is even better at Swiss’ newer lounges (there are no wireless charging pads here). Side note – why couldn’t the lounge just get universal power ports? It seems not the most practical to have each of the different power ports laid out, and I would’ve preferred having access to multiple universal power ports to charge up my different devices. That’s an extremely minor point, though.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Power Ports
Then lined up along either side of the lounge by the end, you’ll find individual armchairs, good for travellers who want to sit down with a quick coffee or drink for the road.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Seating
Alongside this, there are also a few other stray seating areas. For example, this seating area near the entrance faces the tarmac, and is also partitioned off from the central walkway with a slatted wooden divider.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Seating
WiFi is attained by scanning your boarding pass at a kiosk, where you’ll get a voucher to connect to the airport’s high-speed WiFi. On one hand, I would’ve appreciated an easier way to sign up which didn’t require physically going to a kiosk within the lounge. However, once you do sign up, the WiFi is a very respectable 164 Mbps down and 99.4 Mbps up (this is consistent throughout the airport, across all of Swiss’ lounges – and you can also use the network when not in a lounge).
The lounge itself isn’t really so creatively decorated, although I did find it to be big and spacious. There’s a good enough selection of seating for lounging, working, and eating, though I don’t think it competes with the world’s best hub lounges on seating variety, and also think that Swiss’ own newer lounges have a wider range of seating. For example, there aren’t any sofas to “sink” into if I really wanted to relax, whereas there are at Swiss’ other lounges.
I also can’t feel like the lounge is a bit of a Breitling showroom – while all Swiss lounges have some Breitling elements due to their partnership, this lounge has a fairly sizeable Breitling display area, which…is a space investment, to put it mildly.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Breitling Display
While the above isn’t the most glowing review of the lounge’s interior design, there’s a huge reason why I’d want to come to the lounge.
Swiss Business Lounge E Outdoor Terrace
At the Swiss business class lounge, there’s an outdoor terrace. Each of Swiss’ lounges at Dock E have their own section of the outdoor terrace, and do note that there’s also a public one at Dock E (open to anyone who can get airside). The outdoor terrace idea is awesome, and I’m a huge fan, especially as someone who loves looking at planes.
Sometimes the outdoor terrace is closed due to weather, which is fair enough. In some cases the terrace is closed due to the condensation it would otherwise cause on the lounge’s wooden floor – for example, the lounge attendant only opened up the terrace at around 6:45-7 AM, despite the lounge being open from 6 AM, and it being a beautiful day outside with no rain.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace
I asked a lounge supervisor when the terrace would be open, and he indeed came by to let me know when it did finally open up. And oh my goodness – the views during sunrise were incredible. What a treat to have this view before a morning flight out of Zurich Airport – this was certainly worth coming out of my way for.
The terrace itself doesn’t have hugely exciting furniture – there are a few chairs and tables, though wouldn’t a garden chair or olefin sofa be so cool? Also, notably, the WiFi doesn’t reach. That’s a shame, as I’d have loved to work out here with a laptop (I did indeed do so as I could tether, though not everyone may have the option).
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace
There are also some binoculars on offer. Realistically these aren’t very useful, though I like the “avgeek” touch here, including a runway map.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace Binoculars
However, the widebody planespotting here is incredible. Highlights included seeing an Edelweiss A340 (you don’t see so many of these nowadays!), a Swiss A350 in the distance, as well as just watching a sunrise backdrop as planes took off on runway 10/28. The lounge is located right around where planes rotate when taking off from runway 28, which makes for some super cool views.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace Views
I stayed on the terrace until it got a bit lighter, and I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace Views
I will say that there’s an ever-so-slight obstruction to some of the aircraft views, as the terrace balcony doesn’t stretch out all the way to the edge of the terminal. However, that’s a small price to pay, given how awesome this amenity otherwise is.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace Views
Even if you’re not an avgeek, it’s cool to get some fresh air, particularly as you can see some Swiss mountains in the distance as well. On this February morning a few people went out for a while over the course of the day, and I even made a friend, who didn’t have an aviation passion at all. (If you hate the smell of jet fuel, though, you might be better off indoors – it’s definitely not strong, though this is an airport after all, and you’re next to a runway.)
While the outdoor terrace is theoretically open for the same duration that the lounge is, expect the outdoor terrace to be closed if it’s rainy, snowy, or extremely humid. So you might want to check out the weather first before you plan to make a detour to Dock E just for the lounge.
Swiss Business Lounge E Food and Beverage
While the Swiss lounge may have my favourite amenity ever, I only found the food and beverage to be okay at best. While only breakfast was available this time, I came to this lounge for dinner in 2023, and didn’t find the evening offering to be that much better.
There’s a main food spread area with an open kitchen, and there’s an island with cold cuts as well as a few coffee machines as well. Much like at the other Swiss lounges, barista coffee and a tended bar aren’t a thing here.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread Areas
As you’d expect for a Swiss lounge, there’s an extensive range of charcuterie and cold cuts, as well as cheese. There were also some yoghurts to choose from this morning.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread
There’s also a bakery area.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread
In terms of savoury options, you’ll find chicken sausage, baked beans, rosti, bacon, and an egg station.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread
I mean, the omelette I was served wasn’t terrible, though definitely not a redeeming quality of an otherwise middling food spread.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread
There were also some sweet treats to choose from, including muffins and other cakes.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Food Spread
In terms of drinks, you’ll find a few coffee stations dotted at an island, serving as a centrepiece of sorts around the dining area.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Coffee Machines
The rest of the self-serve bar drinks can be found along the main walkway, including the same soft drinks on tap and Golden Juniper make-your-own cocktail stand featured at the airline’s other lounges.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Self-Serve Bar Area
There was also a fridge full of beer, soft drinks, and sparkling wine.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Self-Serve Bar Area
Admittedly I did really enjoy the Rimuss Rosato non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and it felt particularly fancy having a couple of glasses of this during the sunset out on the terrace. (There are no eating or drinking restrictions out on the terrace, contrary to what I’d initially thought.)
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Terrace with Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine
In terms of other times of day, a couple of years back I had this made-to-order spaetzle from the live cooking station. While tasty, I still didn’t think this was anything remarkable or worth arriving early for, and it was also the only option available from the cooking station (a cut back from many years ago, when they used to serve up a few options).
Swiss Business Lounge E Dinner Food
I wasn’t a huge fan of the food at any of the Swiss lounges I visited. While you definitely won’t go hungry or thirsty here and the food quality overall is decent, I wouldn’t prioritise eating here.
Swiss Business Lounge E Workstations
In terms of other facilities at the Swiss business class lounge E, there are six workstations nearer to the entrance of the lounge. The lounge does quite well with natural light, though if you prefer to have a more formal work setup, this is an area where you can do so. However, I don’t think that these rooms feature doors, unlike the newer lounges.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Workstations
Swiss Business Lounge E Showers
The Swiss business class and Senator lounges share three shower rooms. That’s an awfully small number of shower rooms available for an international hub lounge, and in my experience there usually is a wait for these.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Shower Area
Since I came quite early in the morning, I didn’t experience such a wait, and was assigned a room named “Laax” (a ski resort in Switzerland).
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Shower Area
The shower room was well-appointed with good ventilation. However, I remember visiting the lounge a decade ago when it first opened, and couldn’t fully divert the water from the handheld showerhead to the rainforest shower. Ten years later I had the exact same issue, so I’m wondering whether it’s an intentional design? Either way, the water pressure was acceptable even with this functionality issue, so I just ended up using the handheld showerhead as a “car wash” style secondary showerhead.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Shower Room
The shower room featured Soeder toiletries, much like the other lounges.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Soeder Toiletries
Swiss Business Lounge E Bathrooms
The bathrooms at the Swiss business class lounge E are located on the other end of the lounge from the showers, near to the back.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Bathrooms
The bathrooms themselves are nice, though I found most worth calling out that there are tarmac views here (from the sink area, not the actual bathroom cubicles, fortunately).
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Bathrooms
Swiss Business Lounge E Rest Area
Near the bathrooms, there’s also a curtained-off rest area, which is meant for those that want to rest more intentionally during their time in this lounge.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Rest Area
There are 8 day beds here. These felt a little like dentist chairs (or Cathay Pacific’s recliner-style business class – same thing), though they’re fairly good if you’d like to get some rest in a more reclined position. They also filled up over the course of the morning that I was there, so you might struggle to snag a seat here over peak hour.
Swiss Business Lounge E Zurich Rest Area
Conclusion: Swiss Business Lounge E, Zurich
The terrace at the Swiss Business Lounge E is a fantastic amenity – I had so much fun here, and enjoyed the planespotting opportunity and the ability to get some fresh air (and a stunning sunrise as well).
Frankly the rest of the lounge is good, but not great. There’s a good variety of seating, though even the airline’s newer lounges at Zurich Airport have this lounge beat, especially in terms of options to relax. The food spread is as mediocre as at the other lounges, though I like some of the drinks served here. The shower rooms and work cubicles are also nice facilities.
So I’d personally definitely recommend going out of your way to come here, though recognise I’m more of an avgeek and would enjoy an opportunity to see planes close up more than the average person. 😉
