Zurich Airport

Transited from LYS to ORD in ZRH on LX. Typical efficiency. When our small jet from Lyon to Zurich landed it was met by two buses such that those of us in the front of the cabin did not have to wait for the other passengers to disembark. Effortless passport control process. Made a 65 minute international connection easily. My only criticism were the Swiss Air departure gate staff who were generally curt and disorganized. Nevertheless Zurich remains my airport of choice in Europe.

It's a big place and be aware that the signs indicating 20 minutes to the E gates mean what they say. The E gates are a long way from check in requiring various up and down escalators and a train trip (complete with piped birdsong and cow noises!) but the signs are clear and easy to follow. Security was quick and courteous. Only small criticism is that our flight was slightly delayed and an announcement by the gate staff of the reason and the expected duration of the delay would have been appreciated. The previous flight on the route (ZRH-LCY) had been cancelled and some of the passengers from the cancelled flight were understandably starting to get irritated. The staff could have saved themselves a bit of hassle if they'd announced what was happening.

The airport was great. Clean efficient and with helpful staff. Even toilets were clean. Good connection to the city centre might be the fast train or the slightly cheaper and slower tram.

I must concur with the review about the lack of air conditioning. The airport can be quite warm. The airport has a lot of construction underway due to Switzerland joining the Schengen accord. This includes work on the train to Terminal E. We rode the train from Terminal E on arrival from ORD however when departing we had to ride a bus to the Terminal E train station then take an escalator down to the train station so we could take the escalator up to the departure level. Be aware that there's not much in Terminal E and no Swiss Lounge - except for time for clearing the pointless duplicate security for US travel don't go out there earlier than you have to. Even with the construction connecting to and from flights to Germany was quick. The lounge space for flights from gates A 1 through 10 is limited especially once you go down to the lower level. Even with the construction the airport is efficient but fewer bus gates and better air conditioning would help.

I was all set to add to the praises heaped on ZRH until I approached my gate. I was on an easyJet flight heading back to Luton and while I am used to be treated non-Shengen at various European airports when I reached Gates B23-32 I felt that I had been slammed into jail. These basement gates are also served by Swiss Int'l flights to London and Moscow for which pax are shuttled by bus. The area is dismal exacerbated by the low ceilings and minimal natural light. Seating space is limited. What made my experience so bad is that the various flights using these gates were heavily delayed by bad weather so there was a considerable crush of humanity. Matters were worsened by the fact that the Go to Gate indication on the monitor was only changed to Flight Delayed just 25 minutes before scheduled departure time and immediately after I had gone past the point of no return at security.

Probably the most clean the best logical layout and well run airport in western Europe. The bathrooms are even clean. The SBB (Swiss railway system) providing excellent integration with Zurich airport you can just about get anywhere in Europe and everywhere within Switzerland. Anyway if you have the extra time and want to treat yourself to the world's best chocolate go to Spruengli after passport control. Its not inexpensive but its certain to please even the most discriminating chocoholic.

Whilst this is certainly a reasonably good airport from the point of view of layout I wonder whether they simply forgot to install an air conditioning system. Whilst even airports in countries politely described as emerging economies manage to achieve indoor temperatures in the low twenties Zurich Airport seems to pride itself in matching the outdoor heat once ambient temperatures are above 25 degrees. In addition when a bus transfer is involved from the terminal to the plane passengers are expected to board buses standing in full sunlight with their A/C units switched off.

The model of an excellent airport: excellent public transport friendly and helpful staff good places to eat (including the superb Italian Restaurant) and even a monorail with the sound of a Swiss cow mooing as you reach your destination.

Transfer from Long Haul E terminal to B and back both times with a 45 minute connection time. Each time made the flight with time to spare. I haven't seen any airport that could do this yet just spectacular. Only downside is that the few shops in E terminal close before all the long-haul depart. They could stay open a bit longer but there really isn't much to shop for come to think of it. Excellent airport for transfer so-so for shopping.