Introduction

It’s just gone seven on a Saturday morning and I’m sitting on a train to Zürich – bleary-eyed and with the fog in my brain rather slow to dissipate this morning. I’m trying to figure out why on earth I booked a flight from Zürich, when I could just as easily have started my journey in Basel. But I come up short. I’m sure this all made perfect sense when I booked it, but right now I just draw a blank.

Getting to the Airport

On a Saturday morning Basel‘s main railway station tends to be rather quiet. The hobos have hopefully all gone to the shelter for the night and the usual crowd of commuters will likely not show on the weekend.

I catch the 07:06 train to Zürich main station, which is operated by a German ICE train. For the time being at least. Apparently, the Swiss railways have had enough of the notoriously late German trains disrupting the Swiss network, so they‘re considering turning the trains at the border. In the meantime, I think I’ll just enjoy having the whole carriage to myself this morning.

Check-In

Once I arrive at the airport, I head straight to Terminal B. Air France uses the self-service check-in facilities at Check-in 5 on the mezzanine level, and the manned counters one floor up at Check-in 2.

The self-service process works just fine, although I find it a bit surprising that you check in on one machine that prints the baggage tag, and the have to cross the floor to the other side where you can then drop your bags off.

Surprisingly, when I head one floor up for security, the manned Air France counters are a zoo. There‘s a large crowd checking in for the Amsterdam and Paris flights. I wonder if perhaps I should point out to my fellow passengers that there‘s hardly anybody downstairs. But it‘s not my business and I‘m not going to do DNATA‘s job for them.

ZRH Club

I‘ve decided to give the ZRH Club a try, which is the lounge operated by Zürich Airport. I figure it can hardly be worse than the horrible shoebox of a lounge that Air France uses in Zürich. The only drawback, of course, is that access to the ZRH Club is by payment only. The fee is CHF50, which gives you access to the Club as well as to priority security. To enter the lounge, you scan your boarding pass. You can link your flight booking to the ZRH Club purchase, so there‘s no need to print anything extra.

The lounge is nicely furnished. It‘s also not very crowded, which is, of course, an added bonus. Without a doubt, this lounge has the best views after SWISS‘ First Class lounge in Terminal E.

Also included in the price, are several complimentary set menus that you can choose from and order with the waiter. Additional items have to be purchased. I order a cappuccino and a plate of momos with edamame. While I wait, the lounge attendant brings a whole plate of complimentary Lindt chocolate balls.

The portion is quite substantial, and the quality of the food is certainly much better than what you’d get in the lounge. The sambal served with the momos packs quite a punch. I think it’s home made.

Had I mentioned the views? I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this, I think.

Just after 09h43 the inbound from Paris turns the corner and makes its way to its stand on the A pier, which means it’s time to start collecting my belongings and slowly make my way to the gate.

Boarding

The flight is completely sold out. I’m not in any hurry, so I wait for everybody else to board first. As I approach the gate, a middle aged woman arrives at the counter and asks for a seat change because “15A really is very far back”. I have it on the tip of my tongue to point out to the lady that if she’s so concerned about where she sits, she could always have paid for a seat assignment… The gate agent is a bit more sympathetic, but tells her that the flight is sold out. She suggests asking on board if somebody might be willing to swap, which seems rather unlikely.

The Cabin & Seat

I’m seated on 4A, which is the third row on the port side of the plane. There is no 1A, as that is where there’s a large storage compartment. Like SWISS, Air France keeps the adjacent seat on the row of two empty in Business Class on the A 220-300.

The cabin and seat are aging well. There are hardly any signs of wear and tear on this aircraft. The seat pitch is good, and there are USB and USB C outlets at every seat.

The Crew & Service

At my seat when I arrive is already the usual bottle of water and the packaged towel. The crew on this flight are professional and friendly. However, with a flight time to Paris of just under one hour, there’s hardly any time for them to interact with the passengers. The Business Class cabin is also quite large, with a total of 22 passengers on board today in the forward cabin.

We depart on time. We take off from runway 28, and very quickly we’re above the fog and climbing through a startlingly bright blue sky. The change is so abrupt, it’s quite blinding. In the distance, the Alps stick out of the murky grey. What a magnificent sight!

The fog is firmly settled over the Mittelland. We continue over the Jura mountain range and into France. Ground visibility improves temporarily, but for most of the flight it’s thick as pea soup.

The Meal

The meal consists of an autumn salad with chestnuts and figs. It’s excellent and probably one of the best meals I’ve had on short-haul Business Class in a very, very long time. The combination of the citrus with the savoury flavour works well!

With that, the crew serve bread rolls to go with the cheese course. And for dessert, there’s a lovely lemon tart that is incredibly refreshing and flavorful.

To drink I have a Perrier, and the crew apologize profusely when they realise they’ve run out of proper glasses to serve it in.

Arrival in Paris

Very soon, we start the descent into Paris. Without the fog we’d have great views of the city, but it’s so thick on the ground that I can’t see anything until we’re just a few feet off the ground. We land, and make a long taxi over to Terminal 2F.

Transfer from CDG 2F to CDG 2E

My onward connection will be departing from Terminal 2E, Hall K, which is the best possible combination for a Schengen/Non-Schengen transfer at CDG 2 because it’s really only a very short distance to walk. If you’re in Hall L, it’s quite a schlepp, and for Hall M you need to catch a train. It’s 12h05 as I step off the plane. My next flight boards at 12h45.

About ZRH Club

So, I rather enjoyed my ZRH Club experience. The views over the apron are just great, and the seating is very comfortable. The catering was also very nice. There’s quite a broad selection of food to choose from, so I think everyone should be able to find something they’d enjoy. I think my only issue is the price. CHF50 is a bit steep simply for access to priority and a snack. Also, during my stay, the place was deserted. I’m not sure how I’d feel about spending CHF50 and then to find the place crowded.