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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!