Review: Aspire First Class Lounge – Zurich

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• Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Trip – Introduction
• Connecting At Zurich Airport – A Quick Look
• Review: Aspire First Class Lounge – Zurich
• Review: Cathay Pacific 777-300ER First Class
• Review: Cathay Pacific Arrivals Lounge – Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Airport Express, Free Hotel Shuttles & Kowloon Check-In
• Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Harbour View King Room (Part 1)
• Review: Hyatt Regency Hong Kong – Harbour View King Room (Part 2)
• Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge – Hong Kong
• Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class
• Review: Hugo Junkers Lounge Düsseldorf

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None of the OneWorld airlines have their own lounge at Zurich Airport’s E-gates so the lounge you’re directed to if you’re flying with Cathay Pacific is the Aspire Lounge. The lounge is divided into a regular Aspire Lounge (available to OneWorld Business Class flyers, Emeralds/Sapphires and those with Priority Pass memberships) and a First Class Aspire lounge which is open to OneWorld Emeralds and First Class passengers.

Location

The Aspire Lounge is on the top level of the E-gates building and is accessed via stairs or elevators that you’ll find about half way down the concourse.

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

I nearly missed the signs so, if you’re looking for the lounge, you’ll find the stairs next to the Starbucks:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The Aspire First Class Lounge – Zurich Airport

The main entrance to the lounge is immediately on your left if you use the stairs or on your right if you use the elevator….

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…and the sign outside makes it pretty apparent that it’s the lounge for most of the airlines that use the E-gates:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

That’s a long list of airlines!

At the reception desk I handed over my invitation that I’d been given by Cathay Pacific and, with the main lounge to the right, I was escorted through a door on the left into the First Class lounge:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The Aspire agent who escorted me in immediately offered me a drink of my choice but, as I could see the lounge was pretty empty, I declined and chose to have a quick look around first.

Essentially the lounge is a rectangle with a small alcove leading off it at one end and with a large magazine station dividing it into two areas (one half the size of the other).

As you walk through the door of the First Class lounge the small alcove is to the right and houses some armchairs, lamps and a flatscreen TV:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

To the left is the magazine station that divides the lounge into two:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The smaller of the two lounge areas is filled with 5 individual seating units which each offer an armchair, a table and little bit of privacy:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The front part of this section offers a few more armchairs with side tables…..

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…..and is up against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lounge which overlook the airport apron:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

If you need power for your electronics this is the part of the lounge to be as, outside of this area, power-ports are scarce.

The power-ports on offer at each seat comprise 2 USB ports and 3 European-style power ports….

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

….so be aware that you may need a travel adapter.

The main and bigger part of the lounge is directly ahead of you when you walk in and is primarily set up for dining.

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

At the far end of the lounge is a food and drink area….

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…..which, while I was there, offered a selection of starters:

• Samosas
• Satay Sticks
• Eggplant caviar with pita bread
• Grison meat with “summerly honey melon” – a Swiss dish
• Smoked or Graved Salmon
• Shrimp cocktail
• Humus with pita bread
• Guacamole
• Spicy Pineapple
• Sweet & Sour sauce

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

And desserts:

• Assorted cakes and pastries
• Chocolate mouse
• Cheese plate

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Alongside the food were a selection of beers and soft drinks…..

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…and a coffee maker:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

While on the shelf above the food was a selection of spirits:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

There also was a second drink station in this part of the lounge……

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…positioned between one set of dining tables….

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…and a sofa and two armchairs:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

This drinks station had more of the same spirits as I saw above the food but it also housed the wine and champagne:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

At this point of my tour a lounge attendant came up to me and mentioned that, in addition to the starter & dessert buffet, there was also a hot dish on offer – “Venison with two types of potatoes”.

More out of interest than hunger I said I’d try it out – I really just wanted to see what “two types of potatoes” would look like.

I elected to sit a one of the dining tables that looked out over the airport apron:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

There were set simply but elegantly…..

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

….and with nibbles in the middle:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The venison took around 15 minutes to arrive and, despite all evidence offered up by this photo…..

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

…was very well cooked and really tasty.

It was while I was having my meal that I noticed one of the coolest things about this part of Zurich Airport – the balcony.

All the way around the top level of the E-gates is a balcony that passengers are allowed to go out on to and which, outside the Aspire First Class lounge, had tables and chairs:

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

Once out on the balcony (the door is right in the middle of the lounge windows so you can’t miss it) you’re out in the open air and there is absolutely nothing between you and the aircraft – no netting, no perspex/glass….nothing.

It’s fantastic!

After the last 15 years of paranoia at just about every airport I’ve visited here was an airport like I remembered from my childhood – open and accessible.

Aspire First Class Lounge at Zurich Airport

The balcony is divided up into segments so you can’t walk all the way around – you can see one of the barriers in the photo above – but you can access some of the other segments from other parts of the building.

The regular Aspire lounge next door had access to its very own section of the balcony as did the Emirates lounge a little way down the concourse and this all gave the airport a really relaxing and welcoming feel – I loved it.

Bottom Line

After having experienced the Aspire Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 I can’t say I was too excited about the prospect of the Aspire First Class lounge at Zurich…but I was pleasantly surprised.

The lounge is pretty small but, in my time in there (about 2 hours), I didn’t see any more than 5 or 6 people come in so perhaps it’s the ideal size.

The lounge staff were all very pleasant, polite and helpful and, although the food and drink on offer can’t compare to an airline’s own First Class lounge, this has to be taken in context. This isn’t an airline’s First Class lounge, it’s a commercial venture and, as such I don’t think it’s bad at all.

The one negative I’d point out is that, like the Aspire lounge at Heathrow T5, the washrooms are outside the lounge itself and shared with the public at large so they’re basic and don’t have showers.

Overall, however, I’m pretty positive about this lounge. As a place to relax before a flight it’s fine and the fact that you get access to an outdoor balcony where you can sit down with a drink or some food is just the icing on the cake.