Aspire have two lounges available in Zurich. One if youโre travelling within the Schengen Area, and another if youโre travelling outside. Prior to flying with Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, we had the opportunity to try out the Aspire Zurich lounge located by the E Gates.
Location and Access
If youโre travelling on a flight within the Schengen Area, youโll be able to use the Aspire โTerminal Centreโย Zurich lounge. If not, youโll be able to head over to the E Gates and use the Aspire lounge there instead.
In order to get to the lounge you need to clear security, head through passport control and then take the train over to the E Gates. The train journey is about 4 or 5 minutes long and leaves fairly frequently.
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We were able to gain access as oneworld Sapphire members flying with Cathay Pacific. If you booked online with the lounge directly, itโd be โฌ32.99. Priority Pass and DragonPass members can also gain access. If you donโt have access to one of these, you can sign up for a free DragonPass and gain access for ยฃ19 (approx โฌ21). Find out how here.ย
If youโre gaining access as a oneworld Sapphire or Emerald member, you are entitled to take a guest with you. Unfortunately, the agent at the desk wasnโt aware of the rules. Initially, she very abruptly refused to admit a guest, even though we had been explicitly informed by Cathay Pacific that a guest was able to use the lounge during check-in. Luckily a colleague stepped in and confirmed that it was possible and we were all admitted.
The Space
The Aspire Lounge Zurich is quite a small space. It essentially comprises of one room, which includes various seating areas as well as a buffet space. Thereโs also an outdoor seating area with great views of the airport.
The interior is pretty basic. You wonโt find any fancy seating. Itโs best described as a functional space designed for a short wait. There are plenty of tables for dining, as well as some chairs and a few sofas.
Outside, there is a terrace which also has tables and chairs. Due to the fairly small size of the lounge, I can envisage it feeling fairly crowded during peak periods. Even though the lounge wasnโt particularly busy when we visited, it was still difficult finding somewhere comfortable to sit.
Food and Drinks
Fortunately, the food and drink offering is better than the space itself. We were visiting in the morning and there were hot food options available, albeit basic. The options were between frankfurter sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans or porridge. There were also cold options which included cheeses and ham, bread and croissants, as well as a few cereal options.
The drinks selection was fairly good. There were a couple of different red and white wines, along with a prosecco. The quality of all of these was average, but perfectly drinkable. Mid-range spirits could also be found, as well as a full selection of soft drinks.
Although the food options werenโt particularly expansive, they did the job. Considering many contract lounges donโt provide any hot food, it was better than nothing. This said, you definitely wouldnโt be able to count on eating in the lounge to maximise sleep time onboard. The food served on Cathay Pacific, even in economy, was better.
Conclusions
Zurich is an expensive city, and as youโd expect, buying anything at the airport is too. If you visit a coffee shop in the main terminal youโll pay at least โฌ5 for a coffee. If you want a sandwich, add on an extra โฌ8. This means that lounge access can be a good value option.
While I wouldnโt pay the entry fee directly charged by the Aspire Zurich lounge of โฌ32.99, I would consider paying the ยฃ19 fee which is available with a free DragonPass subscription. If you have a couple of hours in the airport, I think youโd be able to get decent value from this.
The lounge is definitely best described as basic, but beats a few hours in the main terminal.
If youโre interested, we did a bit of plane spotting during our time at the lounge. You can see it in the video below. Donโt forget to subscribe to our channel for the latest videos.
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