Monday, April 22, 2013

Heading Home for Chinese New Year: Swiss First Class Lounge

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The immigration agents didn't bat an eye when we told them we wanted to clear immigration just to visit the first class lounge. The agent manning the lounge front desk went above and beyond by allowing us to get on the van transfer from the lounge back to the departure concourse instead of having us trek back through the train. They usually only offer this to their own Swiss first class passengers and we did not qualify for this service since our next flight was on Thai.

As we made our way around the lounge looking for a seat, we weren't terribly impressed with the lounge. It was small and cramped and we couldn't find a place to seat down.
First Class Lounge Entrance


Buffet Options

Since we couldn't find some place comfortable to sit, we went straight for the showers. There was nothing special about the shower itself - no bath tub to lounge in like the ones in Lufthansa's first class lounges in Frankfurt. The highlight of the visit to the lounge was the Bulgari amenity kits that were provided.

We weren't hungry but decided to get something to eat to check out how the food was. There was nothing that excited us from the buffet line. The ala carte options were also pretty limited if compared to their friends in Frankfurt. We shared a soup and prawns followed by a walnut parfait that was elegantly presented.






Since we had some more time to kill, I hopped over to the nearby Senator lounge and stumbled onto the world's longest bar. Yes, the bar was pretty long but nothing too exciting.




At the per-determined time, we waited at the lounge entrance for the other passengers who would be sharing the van ride over to the departure concourse. We were escorted through a "private" immigration clearance and ushered to the waiting van. The van ride was definitely more enjoyable than having to trek back ourselves but it was not as exclusive as the car ride straight to the plane that Lufthansa offers from the first class terminal. Another point to Lufthansa here..

Overall, the first class ground experience offered by Swiss at their home base wasn't anything impressive special. I personally would not spend any more time extra than needed at the airport just to maximize the experience.

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