Our Review of Zurich Airport

Our Review of Zurich Airport

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience.

In this guide, our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and may be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of Zurich Airport

PROS

Location: Zurich Airport is located about 13 kilometers, north from the central business district of Zurich which provides a good opportunity to quickly reach both the centre of the city and other regions.

Efficiency: Zurich airport is well acclaimed for its smooth run, especially in such areas as baggage processing and security screening.

Connectivity: The airport has connectivity to several domestic and international carriers hence covers majority of the routes - London, Dubai, Berlin, Vienna, New York, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Bangkok, Düsseldorf and Amsterdam.

Important Hub in Swiss:  Zurich Airport is a hub for Swiss International Air Lines.

Shopping and Dining: The shopping and dining facilities are also very appealing. Visitors can find a wide range of shops, restaurants, and cafes that suit everyone’s needs. As a respite, travelers can engage in shopping of Swiss gifts or opt to have a good meal in fine eateries before boarding a flight.

 

CONS:

Weather-Related Disruptions: Due to unpredictable weather conditions in Zurich, particularly in the winter period. One of the detrimental phenomena is snow and ice which are capable of causing delays or cancellation of flights.

Terminal Layout: Compared to other airports with a similar number of passenger traffic, the layout of terminals of Zurich Airport may not be easily understandable and convenient for the passengers, especially for those who could not familiarize with it beforehand.

Limited Non-European Connectivity: Nevertheless, the connectivity within Europe seems to be diverse at Zurich Airport although the number of routes outside of the euro-zone maybe slightly less than the other global hubs.

Security Queues: The line for security check-ups can take up a lot of time especially during rush hour and this may affect the passengers. It is advisable for travelers to be on time or even arrive early.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

There is a single passenger terminal: All the flights from Zurich airport are operated from this single passenger terminal. The facility comprises of two separate areas for Arrivals (Arrivals 1 and Arrivals 2). Passengers will find gates A, B, C and D.

Transportation to and from Zurich: There are several transport options that are available at the airport like trains, trams, buses, taxis, and car hire services.

Check-In Areas: There are three check-in areas in the airport located at level 1 before passing security control.

Family-Friendly Amenities: For families, Zurich Airport provides play areas for children, child seats for different terminal, places for breastfeeding, and special areas of check-in for families with the children.

Airport Lounges: There are several lounges located throughout the airport that provide options such as food, beverages and comfortable chairs, sofas which are usually most essential if you need time to rest before your flight.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Annual Passengers Evolution

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Zurich Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Zurich Airport (last month)