Home base ZRH
ZRH used to be my home base for 25 years.
In that time (and the years since) traffic has grown out of all recognition. Noise opponents have multiplied out of all recognition. people as far away as the Black Forest (where I have a holiday place) complain about a light whistling and are treated as seriously as the poor folk who live on short final RW 34 and after T/O RW 28.
RW 14, originally not there was built at a time when everyone had a lobbyist and the "committee" result was the inverted V runway system (14 and 16) that it is now stuck with. These runways do not cross each other. This has a knock on effect however with approach paths 14 and 16 which do cross on short final.
RW 28, crosses RW 16 only - so one intersection - quite a common feature at other airports of course.
When I started out at ZRH, holdings were unthinkable - now they are the norm. This is due to the political background - trying to keep everyone happy all of the time. The best DEP / APP rates for ages were acheived at ZRH when RW28 was closed for some months to build the tunnel to Teminal 3. Why? Because temporary measures had to be introduced, disregarding political noise considerations - direct departures and turn-outs were introduced and eveyone pulled his finger out.
Now, with one runway more, things are back to foot dragging tempo again.
De-Icing; I was once in a position where I could make an input on this subject, during the planning phase. I made a strong case for a dedicated de-icing pad short of the RW, with stereo de-icing such as is done in CPH. This is much cheaper and much more efficient than the ridiculous gantries in MUC and CDG. I offered to take the planners with me in the cockpit to CPH so they could see how well it works.
Well as usual, if you have a committee, everyone knows better and ZRH now has the mess it has. However, this could still be improved upon.
ATC: These guys, taking into account the impossible circumstances they have to work under (Noise restrictions, politics, aiport layout, terrain) do a great job. They may not always have time to be cheery on the RT but everything they do is for a good reason, which would take ages to explain each time by radio.
I once had a pretty complicated emergency in Switzerland culminating in an emergency landing at ZRH and ATC were just great.
The fog situation; this makes me smile, as just about all airfields I have used seem to be planted there where fog often forms. In the case of ZRH, there is the Neeracher Ried - a swampy nature reserve - a mile or two to the north of the field. If there is going to be fog, it will form there first. Then if there is a light north component to the W/V it drifts south and triggers any radiation fog which was thinking of forming!
The new terminal was planned and built in a fever of Swissair (remember them?) expansion and optimism. Now there is overcapacity at the airport, so the terminals have to be used as best they can.
Braking action "unreliable" is the correct reading in conditions of aquaplaning or deep wet deposit on the RW. It has been this way for years.
After a lot of time spent flying away from ZRH I flew there very often again just before retirement and I have to say things which used to run in oil seemed to be running in treacle.
The worst airport in Europe? No.
The most frustrating one to operate through/from? Very possibly.
But again - don't shoot the piano player - shoot the politicians and lawyers,
who now have the airport they deserve.
FC.