Best European Airport - Not Zurich
Zurich Airport is relatively large and complex. Taxi time after landing is usually short, but few delays can be induced by the crossing of the departure runway.
For years, the passengers of some flights were transferred by bus, but since the new “midfield” terminal is in service, this is over - except for some Jumbolinos. The new terminal is used for intercontinental flights, and the old terminal for european flights.
Plan about 15 minutes to commute from one terminal to the other, using an automatic underground called “SkyMetro”. Don’t ask. If you simply go out after arriving, expect a relatively long walk and a couple of stairs (all equipped with parallel lifts for disabled travellers).
Police control can be long, as there are only four desks. Waiting for more than 10 minutes for luggage delivery is not unusual. The good thing is that after that the train station is only 5 minutes away.
The good side when departing from Zuerich is the huge duty free shops area. It has been rebuild recently and is really luxurious. You will find cafés, watches, perfumes, chocolates, jewelery, anything you can dream of…
The bad (very bad indeed) part when departing from Zurich is that you will have to bring your shopping through extremely slow and nearly endless queues at passport control and security. If you depart from terminal A, there is a second set of passport control booths at first floor, but you won’t find any way to shorten the security checks. On bad days, this can last up to 30 minutes… don’t be late !
The waiting rooms of terminal A are not exactly top of comfort. Spending more than one hour there is not exactly a pleasure. You won’t find a power outlet for your laptop, and to only Wi-Fi network available is not for free. I prefer not mention the toilets which still have an old ’70s look (applies only to terminal A).
However these inconvenients are nothing compared to the delays that build-up in certain meteorological conditions. Zurich airport has been built on an old swamp, and fog is more than frequent in winter, but this is not the worse…
In case of strong easterly winds (hopefully not so frequent), the take-off runway direction crosses the landing runway extended path, making indenpendant operations impossible ! Needless to say, the impact on the traffic is quite dramatical !
Zurich will certainly not get my personal award of best european airport !
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