This is about a round trip from my home base Zurich to Düsseldorf with Swiss.
No lounges could be visited in Zurich as all lounges there are currently closed. Even though Priority Pass stated via Twitter that the Aspire in Dock A should be open, this turned out not to be the case. But here too, they had apparently forgotten to update the sign.
Otherwise, Zurich Airport was very quiet, though smaller snacks were available to purchase as take away.
Boarding
Due to the current Corona regulations, all documents were checked once again before boarding. This took quite a while and wasn’t really well organized. Before entering Germany, you need to register via www.einreiseanmeldung.de. You should carry the printout either digitally or in paper form to avoid unnecessary waiting times or discussions.
Another peculiarity was that group boarding was skipped today. Not a big deal, but it made the whole process rather chaotic — and I won’t even get into the topic of social distancing.
Service
Today I had seat 2A (Business Class), and right upon entering you could tell how delighted the crew was to welcome guests. They were also very motivated to deliver great service on this rather short route. Wonderful. Entry registration forms were handed out again, which was a bit puzzling since we had been explicitly asked about them beforehand.
Food & Drinks
It was only a cold platter, but it was still very good. The full beverage selection was also available (unlike on the return flight).
Despite a slightly delayed departure, we landed in Düsseldorf on time.
Return Flight
I should perhaps mention that I had to visit customs. Previously, you had to show your goods to customs after the security check and have them stamped. Today, however, this customs office was unstaffed, and I was sent back and forth quite a bit. Not a major issue, but unfortunately the staff there don’t really know themselves at the moment what’s open or closed. Since there was no significant wait at the security checkpoint, it wasn’t a big problem.
Lounge
The Lufthansa Business Lounge was open here. But at the moment, it’s really just a slightly nicer waiting area with more comfortable seating.
There’s nothing to eat or drink that you’re allowed to consume inside the lounge. However, you can take sandwiches, water, coffee, and tea as take-away.
You can find a review during Corona here: /en/senator-lufthansa-lounge-dusseldorf-dus/
Boarding / Flight
Boarding had already begun (this time by groups) and I could board directly. The flight was operated by Helvetic Airlines, and the crew this time was clearly not as motivated as on the outbound flight. I had selected seat 2A.
Food / Drinks
The food on this flight was also perfectly fine — again a cold platter, which I still enjoyed. Warm bread was served alongside it.
I had to forgo a Gin Tonic here as only white and red wine as well as Champagne were available. I was told this was due to Corona. Strange, since everything was available on the outbound flight. The glass was also only filled halfway, which I found rather odd. Especially since the flight attendant was barely seen afterwards. The obligatory chocolate was served on both the outbound and return flights.
We landed in Zurich on time. Since we were at a remote stand, Business Class was brought to the terminal by a separate bus. All in all, a pleasant return flight, even though the service was quite disappointing.
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