ZRH Lounge

We arrived in Zurich at around 11 a.m. local time and were flying to Beijing again at 1 p.m. We had a little over an hour in the lounge, so we only spent a short while in the Swiss lounge and didn’t try any of the other PPS lounges. I’ve heard Primeclass is pretty good, though, so if you have time, you should check it out.

The left side of the front desk is for business-class and first-class passengers, while the right side requires frequent-flyer gold status to enter. I secretly peeked inside and it looked like the lounge on the right had a very large bar with someone mixing cocktails, which looked quite upscale.

The photo below shows the lounge’s overall layout. There are showers, as well as dedicated work and rest areas. Another highlight is the terrace, where you can enjoy the view, breathe some fresh air, and watch aircraft take off and land up close.

I forgot to take a panoramic shot of the lounge at the time, but it was already introduced in the previous article. It was the middle of the night in U.S. time, and we were actually very sleepy and not that hungry, so we just ate a little. The soup they served was still awful, but the fried fish and desserts were good. There was a chef preparing hot dishes at the counter, but it looked like he was basically just adding ham and cheese to pasta, which didn’t look very appetizing. Everything else on the menu was pre-made. The most noteworthy item was probably the ice cream; all the flavors were good, and it was also served as a snack on the flight back to Beijing.

Swiss Air LX196, Zurich-Beijing ZRH-PEK

This was our second trip into the big city. The aircraft type was exactly the same as on the previous flight, and the seat layout was identical as well. So let’s go straight to the amenity kit and the catering.

This time the amenity kit was changed to a pouch, but the contents were exactly the same, including those Happy Socks.

The catering this time looked a bit more upscale, provided by a restaurant inside the five-star Atlantis hotel, and it was two-Michelin-starred.

Maybe because it was a midday local departure, the meal was served one course at a time, with especially long intervals in between. Before each course, they came by to top up the wine and other drinks, so service was very attentive. We were just so sleepy that we really wanted to finish eating and go to sleep.

For the starter, we had originally ordered quail and kingfish, but both of us were served the same dish. Still, since it was the chef’s recommendation, it was very tasty. The fish wasn’t as good as on the previous flight, but the steak was still impressive, and that was also the chef’s recommendation. Cheese and dessert took too long, and we were simply too sleepy, so we didn’t eat them and went straight to sleep.

Breakfast also had no choices; it was fixed. The bread was really impressive and delicious. The red bowl tasted like strawberries and granola, while the other items included some eggs and potato cakes, which were also good overall.

Actually, we still had another leg in Air China business class, but we boarded fairly late and it wasn’t convenient to take photos. Breakfast was also available, with congee, pickles, steamed buns, bread, and more. But by the time we got back, we had already eaten six meals, so we really couldn’t eat anymore and didn’t order anything. Even so, they still brought tea and fruit for me, and the service was very warm.

Conclusion

This experience was better than the previous flight. The catering quality was higher, and there was also snack ice cream; the only downside was the long waits in between. Overall, I was very satisfied with the trip. Even though it was a 24-hour ordeal, being able to lie flat and sleep through it, together with the pretty decent catering, greatly reduced the fatigue of the trip home. I’m looking forward to trying Delta One Suite on a flight from China to the U.S.!