Outdoor terrace in a lounge, you know that Swissair played it right by using incorporating this idea into a lounge. Afterall Zurich is a very picturesque lounge and the alpine views are amazing. Together with tarmac views and the sleek Swiss Air livery. It is a total AVgeek over here. Under the Lufthansa group, lounges for Swiss Air and in Zurich Kloten undergoes the same grouping. It follows First Class, Senator and Business Class. Technically both First Class and Senator Lounges are both first class lounge. Although First Class lounges are reserved for their own ticket holder and their own Hon Circle Members, then Senator lounges are open for Star Alliance members as well. A Second Class, First Class Lounge it is. I have heard alot of good stuff about the lounges in Zurich Kloten, especially after they are recently renovated. The Swiss Senator Lounge is located in the E Gates, for non schengen departures and one level above the main terminal.
The lounge is new and recently renovated. I was immediately impressive with how beautiful it is. Being located one level above the main terminal. It boost outstanding views of the nearby mountains and alps. Switzerland is gorgeous and I am glad that they incorporate it into their design. The drop down windows just add an abundance of natural light and beauty into the lounges. Nothing is better than having a cup of warm coffee and gazing out at this view. Immediately after getting up. There is a host are where your entrance will be verified. The Senator Lounge and Business Class Lounge are actually located just beside each other.
Lounge attendant is polite and I was welcomed in to the First Class lounge and given a wifi code. Surprising they actually use the general airport network. Again, the lounge is so bright and there is an abundance of natural light. This might just be the nicest Senator lounge in the whole of Swiss and Lufthansa group. The Frankfurt one was disappointing. The lounge is basically one whole stretch along the side of the window and terrace. Yes, there is an outdoor terrace at this lounge which I will share more on later on. There is a long walkway with some seating and a nice display of reading materials. The decor is amazing, lots of usage of warm colors and wood. Very Swiss! I love how they have the Swiss Mountains and alps carved into the decor and even the height of them. I certainly went to find the couple famous ones such as Matterhon and Jungfraujoch. Definitely the nicest part of the lounge.
On the left side is the Whisky Bar which I will share on later. Then towards the right is the bulk of the lounge. You have the entrance to the washroom over here as well which I briefly check out. It is clean and nice. Showers are located in another area and shared with the business class lounge. Sadly there is a wait and I did not manage to check that out.
You can also find a small business/working centre where there are these little cubicles that gives you more privacy. It is rather nice if you need some privacy as well as getting some work done. It look pretty comfortable for working on the go. Wifi is available and usable. There are also some with computers if you do not have your own.
I will first share on the main seating area of the lounge. It is still kinda quiet in the lounge when I was here. Seating mainly consist of the same lounge couches. They are rather classy in black. They are fine and comfortable although nothing outstanding. Outlets are available as well.
At the far end of the lounge is a little resting area and quiet zone. Here you can find some day beds which are good for lounging or perhaps a nap. There are a couple of partitions here as well which makes it a rather nice place and private. I love that they also restrict the use of phones over here.
The refreshments area is located to one side of the lounge. There is first a huge display of drinks which is rather impressive. Then you have a mini buffet lineup and on the opposite side you can also find an egg station. Here you can find restaurant style seatings as well as some high top tables.
I love the display of items especially the alcohol. There are a tons of them even at this timing when they are serving breakfast. It is a good collections and Swiss wines are on hand as well which is a nice touch.
You can also find beers, soft drinks, water and juices in the fridges. Sadly most of them are in huge bottles and not individually cans or bottles. That is a huge no no, especially for a first class lounge. The lack of individual water bottles are also a huge disappointment. Nicest selections still goes to Cathay First lounges in my opinion.
Food wise, it is a huge disappointment. Even though breakfast is on, it is way too limited. You can only find some cold cuts, ham, cheese, pastries and fruits. Then for hot items, there are porridge and an egg station! This is a airline operated first class lounge! However it looks more like a contract lounge or perhaps even worse than a contract lounge. Definitely not what I will expect for a first class airline operated lounge in its own hub. Perhaps the selection would be better in the afternoon. Well I want to keep my space for the awesome food later onboard too!
I took a walk opposite to check out the business class lounge which is almost the same in decor as well as food and drinks offerings. They have the same facilities as well. With the main exceptions of live cooking stations and the whisky bar. No difference at all besides the fact that there are more people in the business class lounge. I hate that the Lufthansa group lounge always do not differentiate much between them. It is usually only the amount of people in the lounge that is the main difference.
I spend the rest of my time at the Whisky Bar before my fight. Known as the Whisky Club 28/10. This got to be the highlight of the whole Senator Lounge. It is cosy and comfortable. There is a huge display of whisky here and they are all for you to try. Feel free to do a tasting or get a double or triple over here. From Scotland finest of Macallan to Americana and even Japanese. They have it. The bartender is a nice chap and we had a lovely chat. I had some Macallan as well as a Japanese Tokinoka blended whisky as recommended. This picture only shows like 10% of everything.
The entrance to the outdoor terrace is also here. It is mainly a deck area which is open air and facing the tarmac. Which means that you get an awesome view of the planes as well as Switzerland fresh air. What a nice idea. Perfect for grabbing some whisky and sit out there. Definitely awesome in summer and when there is warmer weather. Although there are only some benches which look rather uncomfortable. Some beanbags or daybeds might be lovely over here.
Overall a pretty nice lounge and comfortable space although nothing special. Definitely far shorts of a first class airline operated lounge standards. Drinks are good but food is way disappointing. The whisky club and terrace are the nicest part of the lounge. Hopefully one day I will be on Swiss or Lufthansa metal and get to try the First Class Lounge. It is slightly disappointing that Singapore Airlines, such a premium airline do not try to get it’s Suites passengers access to the First Class Lounge. They should do like a program with Lufthansa Group, something like the Cathay and Flagship First Dining in JFK. There are only max 6 passengers a day, I don’t think that is an impossible plan to work out and pay for. It will barely affect their earning for the station seeing that a suites ticket may easily cost 20,000SGD. Next up! The renowned SQ Suites.
Seeing The World In Steps 