Review: Swiss Senator Lounge Zurich Airport Terminal E

This business lounge review details the Swiss Senator Lounge at Zurich Airport Terminal E.

Zurich Airport

Of all European airports, Zurich might very well be one of the easiest and most pleasant ones to transit through.

If you are flying on Swiss or another Star Alliance carrier you have the added advantage that there are some great business lounges at Zurich Airport to look forward to if you hold the right airline status or fly in business class.

As I was flying out of Zurich on Star Alliance carrier Turkish Airlines, I had the privilege to visit one of these business lounges.

zurich airport check-in desks
Check-in desks at Zurich Airport. ©Paliparan
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Shops at Zurich Airport. ©Paliparan
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Zurich Airport. ©Paliparan

Swiss Lounge Terminal E

Zurich Airport has three terminals, namely Terminal A, Terminal B (which consists of both the B gates and D gates) and Terminal E.

My Turkish Airlines flight was departing from Terminal E, which is exclusively used for non-Schengen departures.

As Terminal E is a satellite building at the other side of the apron, you have to take an underground people mover called the Skymetro to reach this part of the airport.

terminal e zurich airport
Zurich Airport Terminal E. ©Paliparan

Swiss business lounge entry requirements

Zurich Airport’s Terminal E has two Swiss business lounges located right next to each other.

Business class passengers flying Swiss or another Star Alliance carrier can visit the Swiss Business Lounge, while frequent flyers who hold Star Alliance Gold status and have a same-day flight on Swiss or another Star Alliance airline are welcome to visit the superior Senator Lounge.

As I hold Star Alliance Gold status through the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles frequent flyer programme, I could therefore visit the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E of Zurich Airport.

Lounge membership cards such as Priority Pass are not accepted at any of the Swiss lounges at Zurich Airport.

Both of the Swiss lounges in Terminal E are open daily from 6am until 10pm.

Inside the Swiss Senator Lounge

Measuring 1,100 square metres, the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E of Zurich Airport is quite big.

The Swiss Senator Lounge consists of standard seating areas, a dining area, a relax area with reclining chairs, a work area, bar and outdoor terrace.

The lounge décor is modern, but thanks to the wooden touches and lots of natural light it still has a warm and homely feel.

There are a couple of interesting design details in the lounge such as the wooden cut-outs of Switzerland’s most famous Alpine mountain peaks.

I spent quite a considerable time in the lounge from early afternoon until the evening and not at a single point during the day did it feel crowded.

Thanks to the quiet surroundings and the fact that here are power sockets at almost every seat as well as fast WiFi internet, the Swiss Senator Lounge is a great place to get some work done or to rest a bit.

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A long corridor called ‘The Boulevard’ connects the different areas of the Swiss Senator Lounge at Zurich Airport. As you can see on the left, there is an outdoor terrace running along the entire length of the lounge. ©Paliparan
newspapers magazines
Newspapers and magazines to read. ©Paliparan
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Comfortable leather chairs in one of the seating areas of the lounge. ©Paliparan
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Dining table seating inside the Swiss Senator Lounge. ©Paliparan
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Recliner chairs in the relax area of the Swiss Senator Lounge. ©Paliparan

Outdoor terrace

One of the highlights of the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E is the large outdoor terrace with sweeping views over the apron and runways of Zurich Airport.

The fabulous backdrop of the Alps must make it one of the most scenic airport viewing terraces in the entire world.

The outdoor deck runs along the entire length of the lounge, so there is plenty of place to stand or sit down.

It’s an excellent location to do some plane spotting and during my lounge visit I saw planes as diverse as a Swiss Airbus A340, United Airlines Boeing 787, Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 and an Emirates A380 at Zurich Airport among many others.

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Swiss Airbus A340 and an Edelweiss Airbus A320 at Zurich Airport as seen from the outdoor terrace of the Swiss Senator Lounge Terminal E. ©Paliparan
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View over Zurich Airport from the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E. ©Paliparan
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Swiss planes at Zurich Airport. ©Paliparan
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Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 at Zurich Airport. ©Paliparan
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Cathay close-up. ©Paliparan
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United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. ©Paliparan
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United Boeing 787 Dreamliner being pushed back from the gate while an Embraer 190 of Ukraine International Airlines is taxiing behind it. ©Paliparan
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Emirates Airbus A380. ©Paliparan
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British Airways aeroplane taking off from Zurich Airport while an Aeroflot plane is taxiing in the background. ©Paliparan
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Swiss plane taking off. ©Paliparan
korean air cargo
Korean Air cargo plane. ©Paliparan

Swiss Senator Lounge food

The Swiss Senator Lounge in Zurich Airport Terminal E has a good quality food buffet.

Another nice feature of the Swiss Senator Lounge is the open kitchen where the chefs cook food right in front of your eyes.

You can either grab one of the hot dishes freshly prepared by the chefs or opt for the food from the cold buffet.

During my visit the dishes made by the chefs were a Caesar salad with grilled chicken, minced meat macaroni, saffron rice with vegetables, fried noodles with vegetables and a vegetable quiche, as well as two different soups and French toast with stewed plums as dessert.

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The Swiss Senator Lounge has an open kitchen where chefs prepare fresh food right in front of your eyes. ©Paliparan
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The open kitchen in the Swiss Senator Lounge. ©Paliparan
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Food buffet in the Swiss lounge. ©Paliparan
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Enjoying some minced meat macaroni and a Swiss beer on the outdoor terrace of the Zurich Airport Terminal E Senator Lounge. ©Paliparan
cold buffet food
Some food from the cold buffet. ©Paliparan

Drinks

Right next to the kitchen and dining area you can also find a large drinks station in the Swiss Senator Lounge.

There is a tea and coffee counter as well as fridges with bottles of juice, water, soft drinks and several types of Swiss beer.

The coffee machine made a decent quality espresso.

You can also find a self-service counter with sparkling, white and red wine as well as mid-shelf alcoholic drinks.

However, if you are after a glass of alcohol you are better off visiting the manned bar, which is another highlight of this Swiss Senator Lounge.

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Tea and coffee station in the Swiss lounge. ©Paliparan
swiss lounge drinks
Swiss lounge drinks. ©Paliparan
drinks counter
Alcoholic drinks counter in the lounge. ©Paliparan
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Enjoying an Aperol Spritz in the lounge. ©Paliparan

Swiss Senator Lounge bar

The Zurich Airport Terminal E Swiss Senator Lounge is known for having one of the best lounge bars in the world.

Called the Whisky Club 28/10, this lounge bar is famous for its huge whisky collection, although you can also order a cocktail or other drink if you want.

All drinks are complimentary and the professional but fun-loving bartenders take great pleasure in their work.

They are especially delighted to guide you through their assortment of single malt whiskies from all over the world and will be happy to organise a little tasting.

In fact, you can choose from more than 200 brands of whisky at the bar of the Swiss Senator Lounge, so if you are a whisky lover this Zurich Airport lounge is really as good as it gets.

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The manned bar in the Swiss Senator Lounge. ©Paliparan
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The bar in the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E of Zurich Airport is famous for having more than 200 varieties of whisky. ©Paliparan
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Let’s have a little whisky tasting, starting with a 12-year-old Balvenie DoubleWood and a Cardhu single malt of 12 years old. ©Paliparan
scottish single malt whisky
Ben Nevis 10 year old and a Craigelachie 13. ©Paliparan
jura ileach
Jura and Ileach., ©Paliparan
whisky tasting
A 15 years old Speyburn single malt whisky and a Glenrothes Maker’s Cut. ©Paliparan
speyside whisky map
Discussing whisky with the barkeep, who showed a map of the Speyside on his tablet while telling a bit more about his favourites. ©Paliparan
whisky tasting
AnCnoc and Ardberg.. ©Paliparan
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A Santis Malt whisky from Switzerland and a Glenfiddich IPA cask. ©Paliparan
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Some more Swiss whiskies. I guess it shows that I was quite enjoying my afternoon tasting session! ©Paliparan

Showers

After the epic whisky tasting, a shower to get back to senses was certainly most welcome.

Fortunately there were no queues at all for the showers and the friendly lady happily handed over the keys of one of the shower rooms.

The shower rooms in the Swiss Senator Lounge are spotlessly clean and neatly appointed and have all the amenities you might need.

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Shower room at the Swiss Senator Lounge in Zurich. ©Paliparan

Flying out

After one last dram of whisky and a double espresso on the outdoor terrace, I left the Swiss Senator Lounge and headed to the gate to board my flight.

As I have reviewed the economy class product on an intra-European flight on a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 before, I won’t detail the rest of my experience any further.

Suffice to say, after all the great food and drinks in the Swiss Senator Lounge I skipped most of the on-board service on my flight!

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A last whisky and some coffee before my flight, ©Paliparan
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My Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 being pushed back from the gate. ©Paliparan
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Lining up for departure. ©Paliparan
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Departing Zurich on a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330. ©Paliparan
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Dusk is setting as I fly from Zurich to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. ©Paliparan

Conclusion

The Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E of Zurich Airport is not only the best business lounge in Switzerland, but perhaps one of the best in entire Europe.

To start, all the basics are covered as the lounge has ample seating in a quiet and relaxed environment, making it a perfect place to rest or to get some work done.

One of the main attractions of the Swiss Senator Lounge is its large outdoor viewing terrace with great views over Zurich Airport and its runways.

Another reason why the Swiss Senator Lounge in Terminal E of Zurich Airport scores high is the great selection of food and drinks.

With freshly cooked food from the open kitchen and a fantastic bar with over 200 single malt whiskies, this Swiss Senator Lounge is a great place to have a meal or drink before your flight.

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Koen

Koen works as a freelance journalist covering south-eastern Europe and is the founding father and editor-in-chief of Paliparan. As a contributor to some major Fleet Street newspapers and some lesser known publications in the Balkans, he travels thousands of miles each year for work as well as on his personal holidays. Whether it is horse riding in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, exploring the backstreets of Bogotá, or sipping a glass of moschofilero in a Greek beachside taverna, Koen loves to immerse himself into the local culture, explore new places and eat and drink himself around the world. You can follow Koen on his travels on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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2 thoughts on “Review: Swiss Senator Lounge Zurich Airport Terminal E

  • October 6, 2022 at 4:59 pm
    Permalink

    Excellent Koen. The dock E lounge looks much better than the Senator lounge at the A gates. The food offering looks similar but the A gates lounge is way over crowded and lacks natural light. It’s not helped because the D gates lounges remain closed and of course people heading there use the A gates lounge too and it’s just way too small to cope. I’ve been at ZRH four times recently and on the fourth occasion gave up on the A SEN lounge and just headed for the gate because there was space to sit and read in peace and quiet.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo
      October 15, 2022 at 4:09 pm
      Permalink

      Never visited that lounge! Crowding seems to be a real issue lately, also at other *A lounges I’ve recently visited in places like MUC, IST.. Don’t think the post-COVID travel boom and blanket status extensions helped with this!

      Reply

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