Zurich Airport

Not Verified | Zurich decided that everyone needed to actually use the Ziploc baggies to put all of their liquids in. However, there seem to be some confusion about what constitutes a liquid. In this case, they determined that chapstick, and stick deodorant were liquids. Not a big deal really to me. However, they were to a certain TSA who searched my bag because I didn't put those solids into a ziploc and became telling me that I should have known better. At least that's what I thought she was saying in her finest German. When I explained it. I don't speak German and I tried to ask her some questions about what constitutes a liquid so that I did it right. Next time she became hostile and angry. I will avoid the Zurich Airport whenever possible. I don't ever want to go to that situation again. If they won't even let you ask a simple question so that you can do it right. How do they expect you to do it correctly? Questions are not threats.

Not Verified | This is my second time transferring through Zurich and despite how beautiful it is, it's one of the most "user-unfriendly" airports I've ever experienced. I'm a veteran traveler, having done extensive international travel for many years, and I just can't find any logic in anything about this airport. Oh, and my home airport is JFK. As poorly designed as JFK is, I find that Zurich is even worse in terms of usability. First, the signage is totally incomprehensible. In trying to find the Swiss Air business class lounge in terminal E (more on that later), the signs seemed to contradict one another and never actually led me to any lounge. I asked numerous staff members and received a long series of conflicting responses ranging from telling me that the lounge was closed, there is no lounge in terminal E, or that I needed to use the lounge in a different terminal. I eventually opted to go to another terminal to use the lounge there. Despite what I was told by various staff members, I still needed to go through both security and passport control simply to move from one terminal to another. And the lounge in the other terminal was mediocre at best. I'm now on my return trip and upon transiting through Zurich, I nearly had my duty free purchase confiscated even though it was purchased after security in my origin airport of Tel Aviv, which is well known to have some of the strictest security measures in place in the world. I had purchased some Halva as a gift for a friend and it was somehow flagged in Zurich as being liquid (it's not). Upon explaining to security what it was, they finally let me pass through with it. Oh, and by the way, Zurich airport sells pocket knives in duty free in terminal E. Can someone please tell me how a box of Halva is more of a threat than a pocket knife? Upon going through security, I experienced the signage issues yet again. I eventually made my way to the Swiss Air business class lounge. Despite being a beautiful looking lounge, it's completely impractical. The food is inedible and I had to trek out of the lounge and purchase food in the terminal to be able to eat during my 8 hour layover. The nap room was completely unusable due to the design of the beds. When I tried to lay in the bed for a nap, it tipped over and crashed to the floor, waking the other passengers and nearly throwing me to the floor. I instead opted to nap in a chair in the lounge. I had such high hopes for Zurich and the Swiss Air business class lounge. I'll be doing my best to avoid this airport and lounge to the best of my ability in the future.

✅ Trip Verified | Oh, the airport is wonderful! Clean and built with the most expensive materials. Designed Swiss sobriety. With an attempt to make you smile (sound of cows in the train tunnel... so funny). Full of luxury goods shops. But now: you are not in your prime youth and no longer a marathon (or even 800 meters) athlete. And so far you have never requested assistance because you just don't need it (still walking 18 holes for a game of golf and scuba diving regularly). You carry a hand luggage (without wheels). You have one hour to connect to your long haul connecting flight but the Swiss flight that flew you in was 30 minutes late. Your flight docks at the last dock or so of terminal D and you have to reach terminal A for the next flight over the continents. No trolley for your hand luggage (or what you would have bought in expensive shops would they have been open and would you have had time) and no travelator. The loudspeaker is screaming your name in the empty airport. You reach the plane sweating like a marathon runner, make the remark to the cabin chief who smiles at you and answers "Sir, this is a small airport" .. is it really that small? What kind of review does that deserve? Zurich was completely redone a few years ago (for such an infrastructure) at very high cost to Swiss tax payers in order to host Lufthansa acquired Swissair after its disaster and to the detriment of the international Geneva city and her airport. Still, it is so customer unfriendly and so arrogant.

✅ Trip Verified | A very cold austere airport that does nothing to endear you. A total lack of duty free and hardly a single shop. The prices in the tiny "duty free" area are a joke. It is not duty free and more like regular retail in EC countries. Signage is totally lacking when you get off the plane from LHR. There were no directions as to where we were supposed to go. The Swiss business lounge in terminal E is very poor indeed. We actually left without eating or drinking. The food meets a complete makeover.

✅ Trip Verified | Being a Star Alliance Senator Member, I use Frankfurt or Zurich Airport to transit for my onward trips travelling from Valencia, Spain. However, after my last trip Valencia - London Heathrow via Zurich left a bad taste and I will avoid transiting through Zurich airport if I have to transit specially through the Gate D. I am a Spanish Citizen but of Indian origin. Looking at me standing in the EU Passport queue she said in a loud and arrogant voice "This is line only for the EU Passport". I had the passports in my hand and showed her from her and she kept quiet. This was not correct as she shouldn't assume based on the physical appearance the nationality of a person. Then she asked stupid questions as to why I was going to London. It was none of her business. I am neither a swiss citizen nor was I travelling on a visit visa to the UK. I am holding an EU passport and have a visa free facility to travel to the UK. When I told her we were going to attend a wedding, she came out with another stupid question, asking suspiciously whether we celebrated weddings on the weekends. What an arrogant and ignorant lady. I could have gone directly to London from Valencia using Ryanair or Easyjet, but chose Swiss Air, paying almost double to be treated so shabbily by the arrogant immigration ladies, what a waste. People are travelling for fun in good moods, but these depressed immigration officers will surely dampen your spirits and make you think why you chose this airport. Never Again Swiss. Educate them and train them to treat passengers with dignity.

Not Verified | This is the second time in 3 month I choose Zurich airport for transfer and this might be the last time. While I understand that anyone can have a bad experience but it seems that this airport lacks any normal organization. No organisation, 2 immigration officer for 2 full planes. Long waiting everywhere, zero organization in boarding. Also do not understand that when obviously short of staff no automation in immigration process. The management would be wise to travel to other country and see what a little organization can achieve in efficiency.

✅ Trip Verified | Saturday, mid-morning, terminal 1, Swiss flight - A baggage drop-off counter for home-printed baggage labels is in use, with assistance. Time it took to check baggage: 3 minutes, incl a chat with the friendly Swissport staff. No line at all. Security check (economy class line) ca. 7 minutes. All staff was easy-going and friendly here. Plenty of time for coffee airside. A brief check (no line) at Schengen passport control. Our flight was leaving slightly late but no reason was given, maybe baggage loading with staff shortage. Airport is very clean. Coffee shops in the boarding pier were expensive, as is everything in this airport, but our overall impression was first-rate. Some airlines, excluding the ones going to the US (what else?) offer this fast bag drop off option. If you cannot print your labels at home you can use machines in the terminal.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst airport in Europe for international transit, avoid like the plague. Traveling from Rome to Miami via Zürich with Swiss was a pleasant onboard experience but transferring in Zurich is shockingly painful. Imagine terrible third world airport multiply by 10 and that is Zürich when transferring internationally. Ridiculously long queues to passport control which is served by a single escalator despite thousands transiting at the same time. Overcrowded trains connecting to Terminal E that you get onto and out of on the same side exacerbating the crowd hysterics. Inappropriately staffed additional passport control queues that do not respect or enforce priority lines for first and business. All flights have to depart late or leave hundreds behind because of the congestion. Poorly designed facilities that are wholly inadequate to handle the passenger volume ensuring everyone a taste of disorganized chaos. This was the last thing I expected at a Swiss airport, what all went so horribly wrong?

✅ Trip Verified | Our experience was overall ok, but I think this is only because it wasn't busy. Getting there was easy on the train from Zurich central. When we arrived, we were able to use the showers at customer services. The worker was agreeable and had good language diversity. The showers were clean and provided with nice hair & body products. The water was hot and No time constraints were imposed. From there, it went downhill ... 2 drinks and a yoghurt was nearly 30 francs ($45 AUD), on the ridiculous side really We went to check in and got told by security there was no access to Check-in 1 and to go to Check in 3 (2 floors below) When we hot there, this is baggage drop off only. The attendant was quite nice and processes our tickets, but since we had backpacks - you need to use Check-in 1. So went back up to the 3rd level just to get a run around the multiple counters to get bag tags for backpacks. At about 6pm, the service counters dropped from about 8 to 3 ... so will let you imagine the queue from that time on. Since we weren't on a mobile network, we had to go hunting down a kiosk to access the airport WiFi. We only found 2 locations to get our access tokens, so look for the information booths to get access. Potable drinking water was impossible to find. Only 1 fountain was located throughout the terminal to fill personal bottles. Purchasing a bottle of water is nearly $10 AUD. The setup is such that a hot summer afternoon sun just bakes you in most of the available bars and for most of the airport itself, so we retreated to an obscure part of the airport to get away from the heat. Hope it's nicer in winter. Very few seating options had power up access so many people are sitting on concrete floors around the terminal. Market place was a good and probably cheapest option for dinner, but still over $60 AUD for a couple if Bratwurst and veggies (no drinks). Overall, I expected better from such a big international airport.

✅ Trip Verified | My airport experience was ok apart from being very expensive. But when boarding my flight to Dublin, I had an unpleasant passport control encounter. The officer, who had a rude and interrogative tone, insisted I should present a Visa or Residence permit for Ireland. When I protested, as I have presented a valid Croatian passport, which does not require such documents either for Switzerland or Ireland, she made a move as she is going to withhold my passport to let me know who's in charge. Eventually she let me through when I said it was a return flight, but kept insisting on a visa and residence permit! They don't seem to care that I even can't have such a document as it's only for non-eu countries! I am a frequent Europe traveler and I have never anywhere had such bad treatment from the police! I have written to the Zurich airport but they said that Zurich Cantonal Police is in charge of the passport controls. So unless there is an explanation or apology for this harassment from the police I am going to avoid Zurich airport in the future.