SWISS Opening Premium Terminal With Lounges At Zurich Airport Hub

SWISS will be opening a new terminal of sorts at its Zurich Airport (ZRH) hub, which will be available exclusively to premium passengers. This seems like it has the potential to be pretty cool, though I guess we’ll see what the execution is like.

SWISS gets creative with Zurich Airport construction project

Zurich Airport Dock A is undergoing a massive redevelopment project. This part of the terminal has 33 gates (17 connected to jet bridges, and 16 remote gates), and is the largest part of the airport, used for Schengen flights.

This terminal first opened back in 1986, and hasn’t undergone a full makeover since then. The expectation is that this project will only be complete by 2033.

While the long term implications of this are exciting, this is posing major issues for SWISS in the coming years, given that this is the carrier’s primary hub. With some other airport construction projects, you might see a new terminal built, and then an old terminal closed down, but instead, the entire terminal will be updated while remaining in operation.

The expectation is that SWISS will have to close much of its lounges for an extended period of time due to this project. Fortunately the Lufthansa Group carrier has a solution, as reported by aeroTELEGRAPH.

Specifically, SWISS plans to open a new terminal of sorts, next to the existing terminal, which will be used for premium passengers, and should open in 2027. While this is sort of a temporary solution, the reality is that this isn’t really that short term, since this project won’t be completed until 2033.

As SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger describes this, “I find it difficult to talk about temporary solutions, it is a complete product generation.” So the expectation is that the premium terminal will have its own dedicated premium check-in, security, and lounges, with separate lounge facilities for SWISS First, SWISS Senator, and SWISS Business.

Since the terminal won’t be connected to the main terminal, passengers will then be driven to the plane (first class passengers and HON Circle members would get a limousine, while others would get a premium bus).

Will this facility be an upgrade or a downgrade?

When I first read about this, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt is of course the first thing that came to mind. It sounds like SWISS is planning something similar, but on a much larger scale, and more out of necessity than because the airline wants to introduce something luxurious.

If this premium terminal in Zurich is well executed, it could be a net positive, and could be a reason to fly with the airline. Now, the logistics might be complicated at times. Being driven to the plane is nice if you get a limousine, while a shared bus is sometimes less pleasant, since you may end up onboard for 20 minutes, until all business class passengers arrive. Furthermore, I imagine the logistics here could be quite complicated for connecting passengers.

I guess we’ll see how much SWISS is willing to spend on this space, because I could also see it being a budget setup. After all, I know Lufthansa Group is way over budget on its premium investments (particularly at Lufthansa), and I wonder if Carsten Spohr will sign off on spending a huge amount of money on this facility.

A period of roughly six years is also a challenging amount of time. It’s long enough that this can’t just be viewed as a short term solution. But without it being a permanent feature, I could also see the airline trying to cut corners a bit. I guess it’s reassuring that Fehlinger describes this as a “complete product generation.” Hopefully that means no corners will be cut.

Bottom line

SWISS plans to open a premium terminal at Zurich Airport. The airport’s Dock A is undergoing a massive redevelopment, which will last all the way through 2033. This will greatly impact SWISS’ Schengen operations, so the airline is coming up with a creative solution.

In 2027 we’ll see the opening of a new terminal exclusively for premium travelers, with special check-in, security, and lounges, and transfers to the terminal. It remains to be seen just how well executed this facility is, though I’m certainly looking forward to learning more!

What do you make of SWISS building a premium terminal in Zurich?