Getting out of Zurich smoothly

[Anonymous]

Just flew out of Zurich a few days ago. It was pretty smooth, but I'd advise arriving early. They are very strict about liquids in carry-ons, there is a train past customs to the gates, and while things went smoothly it took a bit longer than I expected. It's a really nice airport so easy to spend a bit of extra time past all of that if you end up not needing it.

Also, the trains are great, but I stayed at a hotel in Kloten, which tuns out to be a cute little suburb with a square and nice restaurants - was a 5 minute cab ride from there to the terminal.

[Anonymous]

PP to add - there is no equivalent to pre-check - you will need to remove laptops, tablets, etc. for security and put all liquids in the provided ziplock bag otherwise they will pull you aside and rescreen everything - this was the biggest delay I encountered (my fault!)

[Anonymous]

We spent more time in line checking in at Zurich than in transit to our gate. The check in counter seemed understaffed and it took staff a lot longer per person to check in. Not sure what was up with Air France that day a couple of weeks ago. There were 2-3 checkpoints to get through, but lines were very swift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all, we had a horrible experience leaving London last summer (through Heathrow so not the speediest of airports of course) and we are flying out of Zurich next month. Wondering if folks have tips on flying out of Zurich back to the States? Presumably no equivalent TSA pre check or clear but are there any tips? Thanks in advance!

Airport easi(er) than Heathrow. But then didn't come back to US from there so don't know if it's a headache for those flying back directly to US.

[Anonymous]

We flew in/out of Zurich in February and had no issues. Checking luggage took a while but that was a United issue, plus skis had to be checked in to a different place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We flew in/out of Zurich in February and had no issues. Checking luggage took a while but that was a United issue, plus skis had to be checked in to a different place.

We’ve also flown out of Heathrow 4 times this year and haven’t had an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP to add - there is no equivalent to pre-check - you will need to remove laptops, tablets, etc. for security and put all liquids in the provided ziplock bag otherwise they will pull you aside and rescreen everything - this was the biggest delay I encountered (my fault!)

I realized I went thru the Zurich security with 3 individual packs of ranch dressing in my bag, but they weren't caught (daughter always travels with ranch, what can I say).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We flew in/out of Zurich in February and had no issues. Checking luggage took a while but that was a United issue, plus skis had to be checked in to a different place.

We’ve also flown out of Heathrow 4 times this year and haven’t had an issue.

Heathrow is the liquids police. That’s where I find most people discover their issues .. right in the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP to add - there is no equivalent to pre-check - you will need to remove laptops, tablets, etc. for security and put all liquids in the provided ziplock bag otherwise they will pull you aside and rescreen everything - this was the biggest delay I encountered (my fault!)

I realized I went thru the Zurich security with 3 individual packs of ranch dressing in my bag, but they weren't caught (daughter always travels with ranch, what can I say).

That is pretty funny! I'm PP who went through ZRH last weekend - the security guy told me (somewhat apologetically) they had new scanning/detection equipment that was very sensitive to liquids.

[Anonymous]

I love the Zurich airport! They manage the lines well and you can take the train directly there. The airport also is really close to the city so it doesn't take long to get there. The Swiss really are masters at this kind of thing.

[Anonymous]

Loved Heathrow. We did fast track. Also, pay a little extra and use the terminal lounge. Makes for a comfy wait. We flew out of CDG in Paris and it was easy, clean and a breeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We flew in/out of Zurich in February and had no issues. Checking luggage took a while but that was a United issue, plus skis had to be checked in to a different place.

We’ve also flown out of Heathrow 4 times this year and haven’t had an issue.

Heathrow is the liquids police. That’s where I find most people discover their issues .. right in the line.

They are piloting a new system where you don’t to remove your liquids or even need them in a baggie. We had that twice leaving from T2, but a couple weeks ago left from T5 and had to remove liquids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We flew in/out of Zurich in February and had no issues. Checking luggage took a while but that was a United issue, plus skis had to be checked in to a different place.

We’ve also flown out of Heathrow 4 times this year and haven’t had an issue.

Heathrow is the liquids police. That’s where I find most people discover their issues .. right in the line.

They are piloting a new system where you don’t to remove your liquids or even need them in a baggie. We had that twice leaving from T2, but a couple weeks ago left from T5 and had to remove liquids.

Same. We flew out of LHR in April and didn't need to remove our liquids or our electronics b/c they were piloting a new system. It was extremely smooth getting out of LHR.

I've had mixed results at CDG--sometimes very fast, other times very slow and waiting 90 minutes in lines.

[Anonymous]

Literally just flew out of Zürich today. Boarding was at 9:45, we got to the airport at 8:05. Security process was smooth and fast—got past in 15 minutes. Terminal E was a further walk than expected though. Had 15 mins to eat at the lounge and that’s it. I was fine with our timing.

The airport is 25-30 mins from main areas and public transportation super efficient.

Some tips:
-If you fly biz class and up (we did) there are priority lanes for everything
-We don’t check bags. Already checked in on our phones the day earlier and had boarding passes in Apple Wallet
-If you want to shop, def get to airport a minimum of 2 hours before boarding. Want to amble around? 2.5 hours
-If you’re flying international you’re prob going to be in Terminal E. We wasted time because we couldn’t figure out the signs to get there. Make sure you confirm departure terminal before arriving and look at the map to familiarize yourself beforehand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Literally just flew out of Zürich today. Boarding was at 9:45, we got to the airport at 8:05. Security process was smooth and fast—got past in 15 minutes. Terminal E was a further walk than expected though. Had 15 mins to eat at the lounge and that’s it. I was fine with our timing.

The airport is 25-30 mins from main areas and public transportation super efficient.

Some tips:
-If you fly biz class and up (we did) there are priority lanes for everything
-We don’t check bags. Already checked in on our phones the day earlier and had boarding passes in Apple Wallet
-If you want to shop, def get to airport a minimum of 2 hours before boarding. Want to amble around? 2.5 hours
-If you’re flying international you’re prob going to be in Terminal E. We wasted time because we couldn’t figure out the signs to get there. Make sure you confirm departure terminal before arriving and look at the map to familiarize yourself beforehand.

Oops typo. Boarding at 9:15. We got there to airport at 8:05.