June 7, 2023

Part 1: Lufthansa And Swiss First Class Lounges And Ground Service

If you’re looking to book a round the world flight but want that added luxury, then Lufthansa and Swiss First Class could be just for you. Lufthansa, the parent company of Swiss Airlines, is dedicated to ensuring luxury and elegance for its passengers around the world. Due to the flight paths of Lufthansa Airlines and Swiss Airlines, you’ll only find first class Swiss lounges in the following locations.

Frankfurt
Munich
Zurich
Geneva
Vienna
New York

Passengers can enjoy first class lounges pre or post-flight, usually open between 6:30 am and 10 pm. These times, however, vary for each location and lounge. While all airport lounges have their specialities and quirks, all true aviation fans will have heard of Zurich Airport Terminal E. It has previously been rated as one of the top first class lounges in the world. While we’re not dedicating this article to it, it gets quite a few mentions due to its luxurious nature.

Check Airfare Deals

Features: On Ground

The lounge, while still elegant, features a simple and clean design with accents of wood and black metals. Ideal for families or individuals planning their round the world flights and looking for that added luxury between multi-city flights.

Lounge

First impressions of the lounge are clean, exquisite and friendly. You’ll be immediately blown away at the entrance by a double sliding door that opens up to a wine humidor, which can hold up to 1,000 bottles of wine. Enjoying a glass is a great way to immerse and relax in the lounge for those taking trips on multi-city flights. To accompany this, you’re then greeted with a champagne bar featuring a variety of four different types of champagne on ice.

The lounge, while still open in its design, features a range of seating areas and configurations. These are listed below.

Main bar.
A la carte dining.
Seating area that opens up onto the viewing deck.
Couch seating featuring a TV.
Conference room.

Food And Drink

Guests in the lounge are provided with first class food and drinks. This ranges from an a la carte standard menu to a menu that best reflects each location’s local food, unlike other lounges. The Swiss lounge does not offer a buffet, only a la carte dining. The lounge also provides a small snack bar to help with that preflight hunger.

Day Room

Once you’ve eaten your way through the menu, you may like to freshen up before your flight. Swiss First Class lounges are complete with day rooms. These can be best described as a hotel room fitted with a double bed, charging points, a view of the tarmac, a shower and a toilet. The number of rooms is limited depending on the location. For example, terminal E at Zurich Airport has only two day rooms in the lounge. These operate on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be booked in advance. Guests can also use these rooms for as long or as little as they like, perfect before a long-haul flight.

While the bed is only a double, it is fitted with HÄSTENS bedding range, which can range between $25,000 to $150,000—an incredible luxury. The mattress itself is made from natural materials such as pine, flax and horsehair. The horsehair used comes from horses that are specifically bred for the purpose of their hair.

Viewing Deck

Unlike other lounges, Zurich Airport has a full viewing deck. The deck is 3,800 square feet, allowing guests to watch the aircraft’s movements. Filled with a variety of seating arrangements and benches. For those with a love of aviation, the lounge also provides a small telescope to watch planes coming in from a round the world trip land and take off.

Escort Service

Something that really stands out with Swiss is the escort service that they provide. Particularly at the Zurich airport, guests can book a limo service that will take them from one gate to another (usually around a 15-minute walk.) You’ll be driven underground for most of the ride. However, the car ride isn’t private, so if another person is heading in the same direction, you’ll be sharing the ride. Depending on the location, you may be greeted in a Porsche or Mercedes Benz. In addition to the escort service in the airport, Swiss also offers a chauffeur service from your home or hotel.

Whisky Bar

Pushing indulgence to the next level, the Zurich Airport in terminal E in the Senator Lounge (exclusive to first class passengers) is home to its 28/10 whisky bar. Named and designed from the inspiration of one out of the three airport runways. 28/10 is filled with 140 varieties of whisky choices, with other locations featuring up to 204 bottles of whisky. This is an incredibly luxurious option for those looking to indulge during their round the world trip.

Check Airfare Deals

Accessibility And Exclusivity

As assumed, gaining access to the first class lounge is quite exclusive. To have access, you must be flying Swiss First Class, Lufthansa First Class or a HON circle member. HON Circle is the top tier of the Lufthansa Miles & More program. To achieve HON circle member status, you need a minimum of 600,000 circle miles in two consecutive calendar years.

Those passengers that have a connecting flight with Swiss Airlines also have access to the lounge, provided their entire journey is booked in first class. Ideal for those booking a multi city trip.

Overall Thoughts

Swiss First Class lounge is luxurious. From the extensive wine bar to the outdoor deck, it’s hard not to be wowed by the First Class lounge. Although there aren’t disadvantages, if you are planning on visiting during your round the world trip, we highly recommend grabbing a day room while one is available.

If we’ve inspired you to indulge in luxury travel and experience the excitement of a round the world trip, get in touch with us to book a multi-city trip. Our dedicated team will help you to book a round the world trip that’s easy and stress-free.