While travelling between London and Venice on my recent European trip, I opted to fly SWISS and transit through Zurich. As I mentioned in my review of the Lufthansa Senator Lounge London Heathrow, I wanted to stay within the Star Alliance network so I could use my Star Gold benefits. SWISS was the cheapest of the Lufthansa Group airlines, and Zurich was preferable anyway since 1) it was smaller and easier to navigate than Frankfurt; 2) I could have the opportunity to review at least one of the SWISS Schengen zone lounges.
During the transit, my time was spent in the SWISS Alpine Lounge. It was a lovely, compact space to kill time. The F&B offerings weren’t spectacular – like most LH Group lounges – but the rustic decor stood out compared to the more conservative and sterile feel of its sister lounges. My top tip would be to try and snag one of the ‘cabin’s by the window near the buffet, those are a great place to chill in semi-privacy and watch planes go by. Definitely one of the nicer LH Group lounges I have been to visually and ambience-wise.
Location and access
The SWISS Alpine lounge is located in Zone A of the Zurich airport, in the Schengen zone. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the easiest to find. The stairs and lift to the lounge were located in a corner, near the SWISS transfer counters and service desks. The signage wasn’t the most obvious, and one may be forgiven for thinking the only access to the lounge is via the set of curved stairs. The nearby bank of lifts also go up to the lounge, but it isn’t clearly indicated as such.
Upon going one floor up, we arrived at the lounge entrance proper. The lounge dragon scanned our boarding passes and welcomed us in. The stack of logs immediately gave an indication of the lounge’s design theme – to resemble an alpine lodge.
Although we were flying economy, I had access to the lounge by virtue of my KrisFlyer Elite Gold status (and associated Star Gold status), plus one guest travelling on the same flight. The access rules for the SWISS Alpine Lounge are a little unusual insofar as the LH Group goes. Per SWISS’ website, LH Group Business Class and Star Alliance Gold passengers are welcome. This makes the guest list a bit of mishmash of normal Business Lounge and Senator Lounge levels. It should be noted that non-LH Group Business Class passengers who are not Star Gold are not allowed entry e.g. a TAP Air Portugal Business Class passenger would not be able to access the Alpine Lounge.
I have heard some incidents of non-LH Miles & More Star Gold passengers being denied entry, but we had no such issues.
SWISS Alpine Lounge
The space and facilities
The lounge is separated into a few zones, with areas for dining, working and relaxing. The lounge was fairly empty when we got there around 3.30pm, but did start to fill up a little around 4.30pm, before the early evening rush of Schengen departures.
The dining area was to the left side of the lounge entrance. We parked ourselves at the dining area first in search of a late lunch. This area has a couple of big communal tables, plus smaller ‘cabins’, or booths by the window. We initially had to settle for the big tables, but a gentleman soon vacated a booth and we quickly snagged it.
I thought these booths were probably the best spots. They were very spacious for 2 adults, and could possibly squeeze a small family. The view out to the tarmac was great, except for the pipe outside. The dividing walls made them feel quite private, especially if near the far end wall. The booths were great for those who needed to work as well, with a bank of power sockets with 4 different types of plugs: type-B, type-C, type-F and type-G. There were also a couple of USB-A charging ports, and wireless charging pads on the window ledge as well.
On the other side of the lounge were the working and lounging zones. The lounging zones were set up like a living room in an alpine lodge. They were nice, but I imagine it might be a little awkward sharing the space if the lounge is very crowded. Certainly great for families or bigger groups travelling together.
For those who prefer a little more solitude, there’s a row of 4 individual dining tables along a short corridor that links the dining and lounging zones.
If even greater privacy is needed for work, there were 3 work cubicles. Oddly, one of the door didn’t have a door. I’m not sure if the door had been temporarily removed, or it was designed that way. The enclosed cubicles were definitely good for taking calls.
Toilets were found down a corridor between the dining area and lounge entrance. These were a more modern, white tiled design. The toilets were well maintained by the staff. There are no showers in the SWISS Alpine Lounge. For showers, one should head to the SWISS Senator or Business Lounge A instead, located nearby.
Overall, I quite liked the ambience and feel of the Alpine Lounge. It felt like a very relaxing space to be in during that mid-afternoon. The relative lack of crowd certainly helped. More non-communal seating might be useful, but I guess that would go against the lounge theme. The booths at the dining area were the most sought-after seats, and it’s not hard to see why. Spending a couple of hours ensconced in one of those booths was certainly a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
Food & beverage
The F&B offerings were spread over a few counters around the dining area. The drinks were in U-shape near the communal tables; cold food items and soups were in their own nook, and finally there was a live cooking station.
The food options were extremely limited to be honest. The only warm items were the soups and live station. On offer today at the live station were Alpine macaroni and croffles. I ordered a portion of the Alpine macaroni, which was quite tasty. The chef prepared it to order, so it took a few minutes.
The drinks selection was quite extensive, with a wide selection alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. There was also a surprisingly big number of alcohol-free “alcoholic” drinks. The wines were pretty obscure and weren’t great though.
I would definitely have liked to have seen more hot food options. In hindsight, we should have perhaps decamped to the Senator Lounge A instead to check out the offerings there. At least the live cooking station was a nice touch, and what was served up was a good standard. The drinks selection was very wide and interesting in my opinion, though it would be better with a higher standard of wines.
Conclusion
The SWISS Alpine Lounge was a pleasant place to spend time while in transit. It’s compact with a rustic decor which creates a nice ambience. The design was definitely a good break from the typical conservative style of LH Group lounges. The food variety was weak, but that’s a common problem across all LH Group lounges in my opinion. I’ll probably want to give the main Terminal A lounges a visit if I have a Schengen zone flight again, but I don’t regret spending all of this transit in the Alpine Lounge on occasion. My advice is definitely to try and snag one of the booths in the dining area, especially if travelling solo or in a pair.