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Zurich (Zürich) Flights - Hints and Tips for Finding Discount Zurich Flights, Special Offers, Best Deals and Reputable Online Booking Sites!

If you're serious about finding a great flight deal to Zurich from US cities, Great Britain, Canada, the European Union and Australia/New Zealand (along with basic details about arriving in the city) then our flights page is a must read! As well as receiving (low-price) fare quotes via our website, we also provide impartial advice on finding the best Internet deals, with external links to reputable travel agents, online consolidators and major airlines. So read on...

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Arriving at Zurich Airport (Flughafen Zürich)

Zurich Airport (Flughafen Zürich) is situated approximately 13km (8 miles) north of Zurich. Currently in the midst of an innovative airport expansion programme - undertaken primarily for the benefit of the now defunct SwissairGroup - the airport's two terminals - A and B - have now been joined by a centrepiece Airside Center that provides a central point for passengers arriving, departing and in transit. With the addition of a recently opened Midfield Pier (Dock E which contains 27 additional gates), the airport is linked by the Skymetro, a-state-of-the-art (air-cushioned) transport system, that allows rapid transit between arrivals/departures.

As one of the world's most modern airports, Zurich Airport offers a whole host of facilities such as banks (in both arrivals and departures), tourist information, ATMs, bureaux de change, eateries, retail outlets, a post office and medical centre.

For information on travelling between the airport and downtown Zurich once you arrive, see our essentials section. You'll also find other useful information (including check-in and real-time arrival/departure information on the airport's website at: http://www.zurich-airport.com. In addition, a downloadable guide to the airport is available at: http://www.zurich-airport.com/dokumente.

From the United States

First up, Swiss offer direct services to Zurich from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York using MD-11 or Airbus 330 aircraft. Although the company rarely offer European deals of note, visiting: www.swiss.com/book-fly/ may prove worthwhile for US travellers, as the page provides various seasonal/last minute offers. Expect to pay around $750 USD for a return flight from Chicago or New York in low season, rising to $1200-$1500 USD in high season. For west-coast cities (such as Los Angeles) expect to pay an extra $100-200 over the cost of an east-coast flight.

Continental also offer non-stop services from New York/Newark Airport, with round-trip prices starting at $950 USD (in high season), while Delta offer a non-stop service from Atlanta (Delta Flight 66) for roughly the same price. Fans of American Airlines should note that, with the exception of Flight 64 from New York (JFK), all transatlantic services to Zurich are code-shares operated by Swiss. Also worth checking out are the last minute/European specials offered by each airline at: www.continental.com/specials/cospecials/default.asp, www.aa.com/apps/netSAAver/, and www.delta.com/travel/sp_offers/index.jsp.

As competition is still fierce on Atlantic crossings, consolidators such as JustFares.com continue to offer good deals on long-haul flights to Europe and Zurich. And, if you're prepared to take a direct flight instead of a non-stop one (with a short stopover in Paris, Madrid or Barcelona), you'll be able to find seasonal specials with sizeable discounts.

If you do use a consolidator, check their terms regarding refunds and cancellation penalties; see whether or not taxes and other fees are included (usually not) and make sure you're not flying with a dodgy or obscure airline. Admittedly that's less likely with a city like Zurich, but it's a good habit to get into!! Needless to say, a ticket on a scheduled flight is always preferable to one with a charter airline.

Of course, the best deals from major airlines and travel agents usually come in the form of Apex tickets, which, as well as carrying certain restrictions must be booked at least 21 days before your intended date of departure. However, last minute deals can also be great cash savers, especially if you're flexible about the carrier that you travel with, and unfussy about the timing of your flight. Including at least one Saturday night within your planned itinerary should help your cause even further.

If booking online, try to search for fares late in the evening (just after midnight) as this is the time when airlines update their databases to add special offers. If you do find a great deal, be quick though, as the number of tickets on sale is often limited (airlines invariably advertise the same deal in newspapers that morning, even though most tickets will have already been sold. This is because customers, who flock to the website, may still end up purchasing a similar ticket even though all of the reduced fares have gone).

To get an idea of the flights and fares available, a good starting point are our own flight booking pages. Other low fares to Zurich can also be found by visiting the websites of airline consolidators such as www.onetravel.com, Hotwire or web specialist's such as www.flyaow.com. Another great site we've found is www.search.com which trawls the databases of well-known sites (such as Travel Zoo, Best Fares etc) for seasonal discounts. It's certainly worth visiting if you're serious about getting a bargain!

College students and adults under 26 can pick up good deals through youth oriented travel agencies such as STA Travel. Their site provides a database of the cheapest fares available and allows you to make a choice of based on price, Airline, time etc.

For more travel agent listings see our links page. Passport, customs, general information and useful facts and figures are included in our essentials a-c section.

From Great Britain

Although Swiss aren't renowned for their discounted London to Zurich fares, it's still worth checking out the company's specials page for a list of seasonal promotions (currently they offer flights from London City and London Heathrow).

Of course, unless you prefer full-service flights, budget airlines (such as easyJet from London Luton* and Air Berlin from London Stansted) offer some excellent fares - although it's important to book well in advance for the best deals.

*Note: easyJet no longer operate services from London Gatwick to Zurich, instead the nearest routing is to Basel.

Aside from Swiss, those flying from London Heathrow will find that scheduled (non-stop) services operated by British Airways offer up some surprisingly cheap flights. That's if you're prepared to fly mid-week of course...

Elsewhere, Manchester International is served by both BA and Swiss, while for other regional airports, you'll first need a connecting flight before travelling on to Zurich (although Nottingham East Midlands Airport and Cardiff International do operate services to Geneva - 3 hours by train from Zurich).

For short stay breaks, Crystal Cities offer return flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow or Manchester, with two nights accommodation in a 3-star hotel for £250-£300 (depending on season). And, as the name suggests, Lastminute.com is well-worth checking out for combined flight/accommodation getaways. For guided tours, operators such as Titan HiTours offer a combined "Best of Switzerland" itinerary which takes in Zurich, Zermatt, Locarno, Luzern, Interlaken, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Lake Geneva from £1545.

Alternatively, by trawling through the weekend papers - the Times and Sunday Times are especially good - you'll find a wide selection of seasonal offers and last-minute deals (all through reputable travel companies). Indeed, the likes of Time Out and the London Evening Standard are also great sources to snap up bargains, especially for weekend trips.

Perhaps the best resource of all for cheap fares is the appropriately named www.cheapflights.co.uk. Not only does the site remove the hassle of contacting countless travel agents by phone, but provides direct e-mail and/or website links to companies listed in their database. The 'information' section also gives useful hints and tips on finding the best deals around. Other useful sites include www.travellersweb.ws and farebase (easy to use with highly competitive prices).

For more travel agent listings see our links page. Passport, customs, general information and useful facts and figures are included in our essentials a-c section.

From Canada

Unless you're planning to travel from Montreal, currently the only service offered by Swiss is from Toronto via Boston (a code-share with American Airlines). That said, Flight LX 89 from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Int. Airport, Montreal to Zurich (which is non-stop with a duration of 7hrs 10 minutes) is well-worth considering if you're able to find availability.

Otherwise, flights from Calgary, Toronto, Ottowa and Vancouver are via European cities such as Munich and Frankfurt. However, Air Canada do offer a non-stop service from Toronto, Pearson International (Flight 878) which takes 7hrs 55 minutes to reach Zurich. Best then to fly from Toronto, unless there's an extremely good deal about via a US or European city to Zurich.

To get an idea of the flights and fares available, a good starting point are our own flight booking pages. West coast flights from Vancouver start at around $1100 USD in the low season, rising to approx $1800 USD in high season. Similar flights from Toronto are between $800 USD and $1400 USD respectively. For students, it's also worth checking fares published on Travel CUTS, Canada's No.1 travel agency for those under 26.

For more travel agent listings see our links page. Passport, customs, general information and useful facts and figures are included in our essentials a-c section.

From the European Union

To get an idea of the flights and fares available, a good starting point are our own flight booking pages.

Low-cost Airlines - a number of low-cost operators now fly to Zurich from EU Member States. Details for specific countries are given below.

In France, Air France offers a number of daily flights from Paris (Charles De Gaulle) to Zurich with a flight time of 1hr 20mins. Flight prices are on the high side, with a return economy ticket in high season costing around €202. Naturally, Swiss offer a similar number of flights per day (6) with an identical flight duration. In addition, Helvetic operate well-priced daily flights from Marseille and Nice.

For student deals to Switzerland, contact OTU Voyages a well-known and respected travel specialist.

In Germany, Lufthansa fly direct to Zurich from Frankfurt/Main, Berlin (Tegel), Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover and Munich (Augsburg, Franz Josef Strauss). In addition, there are now also a number of low-cost flights to Zurich with Air Berlin, who operate services from Dortmund, Munich, Hamburg, Hanover, Berlin and Duesseldorf, while Germanwings fly to the city from Cologne-Bonn (CGN) and Germania Express operate services from Berlin-Tegel, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin-Tempelhof.

In the Netherlands, companies such as ATP Online offer good value fares from Amsterdam to Zurich. Alternatively, you can head straight for the website of KLM - Royal Dutch Airlines who fly direct to Zurich from Amsterdam (Schiphol Airport), while flights from Maastricht are one stop affairs (via Schipol). If you're planning to travel from Rotterdam, then a 45 minute train journey to Amsterdam is required for a direct flight out.

Elsewhere, Helvetic have a wide range of flights between Switzerland and Italy (covering Naples, Rome, Venice) while other countries served include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Spain. In addition, newcomer SkyEurope offers a flight from Bratislava in Slovakia, Air Lingus run a thrice weekly service from Dublin, while Edelweissair flies between various destinations in Spain, Italy and Greece.

For visitors from Finland, Finnair operate scheduled (direct) flights from Helsinki Vantaa, with low priced 'quick getaway' fares regularly published on the airline's website. Zurich is also well-served from various cities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden by SAS, who offer an excellent online booking site.

The websites of other national carriers are also good sources of information for routes, schedules and prices. Each can be accessed by clicking on the relevant link: Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Iberia Airlines, Olympic Airways and Portugalia Airlines.

From Australia and New Zealand

Search any of Australia's leading online booking sites and you'll find a good selection of flights to Zurich. For example, Thai Airways offers services from Sydney and Melbourne (via Bangkok), while other Australian cities are well-served by Malaysia Airlines, JAL, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

To get an idea of the flights and fares available from Australia, a good starting point is our own Dynamic Fare Finder, while Travel Com offers up a comprehensive choice from their online database, together with www.travelshop.com.au, Flight Centre and www.ticketxpress.com.au (air ticket consolidators).

For citizens of New Zealand, flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are usually routed via Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Good online booking services can be found at: www.travel.co.nz and www.travel-nz.com.

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