Connecting through Frankfurt

[Jack E Dawson]

We will be taking a Viking Mediterranean cruise in the Spring (April) and our flight to Venice connects in Frankfurt. The airline has schedule a 1 hour and 30 minute connection. I'm wondering if that is enough time and specifically questioning if i will have to reclaim and recheck my checked bags in Frankfurt?

[knoxclone]

your bags should be checked all the way to Venice

[-Lew-]

 

3 minutes ago, knoxclone said:

your bags should be checked all the way to Venice

 

That has not been our experience.  I believe you would have to claim and recheck your luggage, after going thru security as we were required, before onward travel.  

 

FRA is a huge disjointed airport which we try to avoid at all costs.  90 minutes could very well be cutting it too close for comfort.

[CILCIANRQTS]

Usually you do NOT have to claim and re-check bags in Frankfurt.

It is a very large and complex airport, however, so delays in landing, etc can mess you up, but if all goes well 90 minutes should work.

The airlines don’t want to have to re- book you any more than you don’t want to be re-booked, so under normal conditions the connection time should work.

 

Here’s some info that may be helpful.

 

https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/travel/transfer.detail.suffix.html/article/travel/services-a-z/easy-travel/transfer-at-fra.html

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by CILCIANRQTS
Add info

[vino100]

9 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

 

That has not been our experience.  I believe you would have to claim and recheck your luggage, after going thru security as we were required, before onward travel.  

 

FRA is a huge disjointed airport which we try to avoid at all costs.  90 minutes could very well be cutting it too close for comfort.

 

I absolutely agree with you. You get your luggage and re check it and then go through security again. This is somewhat faster than the first go around, but I would be concerned about only 90 minutes. I have done this several times and experienced this every time. 

[Heidi13]

It's been a few years since I flew through Frankfurt. We did not need to pick up our bags, as they were checked straight through, but recall going through security before heading to the business lounge.

[Homosassa]

We used Viking Air for our cruise this past July.  We were also booked through Frankfurt (Tampa to Frankfurt on Lufthansa) and then onto a Lufthansa partner flight to Florence (pre- cruise  extension).

 

We had a one hour twenty five minute layover.  Our luggage was checked through to Florence so we did not have to reclaim it, but you will need to go through immigration passport control.

 

To describe Frankfort airport as disjointed is an understatement.  Hopefully, you are in good aerobic condition because you are going to have to hustle.  Our passage through the airport was as follows :

 

Our flight landed somewhere on the outer part of the airport by maintenance hangers.( LOL -maybe in Berlin?) We needed to wait for buses to bring us to the terminal. Thankfully, we had booked an upgrade for the air fare so we  were deplaned before the economy section. You will have to use stairs down to the tarmac to the buses.

 

The bus ride was about five - ten  minutes and we were let off in a bus stop in an area designed for the transfer buses. When you get off, follow the crowd that seems to know where they are going. This will be the start of a ten minute walk at a brisk pace up and down escalators,  corridors, and through terminal areas to reach passport control.  Wait on line to get the passport stamped.

 

Then the adventure to find the connecting flight. It was more convoluted than finding passport control  and we were arrived at the gate about five minutes before boarding only to find that we needed to go back downstairs to another transfer bus. We passed the original bus stop where we were dropped off, passed the plane we had been on and drove further to our outgoing flight (I believe we were in Warsaw at that point).

 

After a wait on the tarmac for the stairs to be put in place , we finally arrived at our seats.

 

The flight was thirty minutes late taking off because of the wait for all connecting passengers to arrive at the plane. 

[SantaFe1]

This is all a bit discouraging.  We fly through Frankfurt on our way to Barcelona in April, with a 1 hour 45 minute layover.  I hope we can make it, but I did check to see that Lufthansa has 4-5 flights to Barcelona later that day if we miss our connection.  

[CILCIANRQTS]

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

This is all a bit discouraging.  We fly through Frankfurt on our way to Barcelona in April, with a 1 hour 45 minute layover.  I hope we can make it, but I did check to see that Lufthansa has 4-5 flights to Barcelona later that day if we miss our connection.  

 

1 hour and 45 minutes should be plenty, if all goes well.

 

Connecting flights
If you are passing through Frankfurt to and from non-Schengen countries, your transfer will take place entirely within the transit zone, which in most cases means you will not need to pass through a passport checkpoint (although not always.) You may or may not also have to pass through a security screening depending on your origin and/or destination, and there are occasionally random security checkpoints in the terminals.

If your connecting flight leaves from a different terminal than the one you arrive in, the Sky Line train will allow you to make the transfer while remaining in the transit zone.

Transfers between non-Schengen and Schengen countries (including Germany) will require you to go through passport control. Unlike many international airports with a single immigration area, you will find passport checkpoints in each of the concourses. However, you shouldn't need to seek one out-- just follow the signs to the gate for your connecting flight and you will pass through a checkpoint somewhere along the way.

If you are connecting to another flight with a short connection time (typically less than 45 minutes), you should be able to use the "Fast Lane" service at the passport control stations; eligible flights are shown on a display above the "Fast Lane" counter. 

After clearing passport control, you can then proceed to the gate for your connecting flight. Be sure to check the flight information displays for the latest gate number as flights are sometimes moved to other gates due to late or early arrivals. If your connecting flight is in the other terminal, use the Sky Line train. A tunnel allows you to transfer within the Schengen zones of concourses 1/A and 1/B so that you do not need to leave the secure area; use the elevators near gates A15 and B19. There is also a passageway inside the secure zone from concourse 1/B to concourse 1/C on level 3. 

If you need a boarding pass or additional assistance, check-in at your airline's transfer counter first thing after arriving.

Lufthansa advertises a guaranteed connection time of 45 minutes at FRA. However, based on experience, an hour is probably more realistic if you're staying within the transit or Schengen zones and 75 minutes if you have to cross between them. Flights from North America to FRA often arrive early, but don't count on it as any time savings gained from that strong tailwind are frequently lost due to congestion in Frankfurt's approach and landing slots.

If you have a long layover (more than a couple of hours), you might consider visiting the spectator's terrace on top of Terminal 2 where for €3 you can watch the airfield activity, or the free art galleries in each terminal. Note that these may require leaving the airside of the airport. Long layovers are also conducive to taking a quick sightseeing trip into Frankfurt-- the S-Bahn train will get you downtown in less than 15 minutes. (See information under "Arriving" above.) There is also a small transit hotel near gate Z25 where you can get some rest between flights. 

For more information about Frankfurt Airport, see their official website:

http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/

[mariavii]

We just connected through FRA to Russia (to StP, fr Moscow) on Luftansa. 

 

TL; dr:  no rechecking either way, though on the return flight we did have to go through security screening (and all the requisite passport controls in both directions).

 

Long form: We had a 2 hr. connection, of which 1 hr was eaten up by a delay departing PHL.  We were "lucky" enough to deplane at a gate, however it was one of the end gates in terminal A and we had to get to gate B30.  After an OJ-sprint through the airport and a shuttle ride, we made it to the plane and on to St. Pete.  1/2 our luggage, though, did not arrive with us.

[SantaFe1]

3 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

 

1 hour and 45 minutes should be plenty, if all goes well.

 

Connecting flights
If you are passing through Frankfurt to and from non-Schengen countries, your transfer will take place entirely within the transit zone, which in most cases means you will not need to pass through a passport checkpoint (although not always.) You may or may not also have to pass through a security screening depending on your origin and/or destination, and there are occasionally random security checkpoints in the terminals.

If your connecting flight leaves from a different terminal than the one you arrive in, the Sky Line train will allow you to make the transfer while remaining in the transit zone.

Transfers between non-Schengen and Schengen countries (including Germany) will require you to go through passport control. Unlike many international airports with a single immigration area, you will find passport checkpoints in each of the concourses. However, you shouldn't need to seek one out-- just follow the signs to the gate for your connecting flight and you will pass through a checkpoint somewhere along the way.

If you are connecting to another flight with a short connection time (typically less than 45 minutes), you should be able to use the "Fast Lane" service at the passport control stations; eligible flights are shown on a display above the "Fast Lane" counter. 

After clearing passport control, you can then proceed to the gate for your connecting flight. Be sure to check the flight information displays for the latest gate number as flights are sometimes moved to other gates due to late or early arrivals. If your connecting flight is in the other terminal, use the Sky Line train. A tunnel allows you to transfer within the Schengen zones of concourses 1/A and 1/B so that you do not need to leave the secure area; use the elevators near gates A15 and B19. There is also a passageway inside the secure zone from concourse 1/B to concourse 1/C on level 3. 

If you need a boarding pass or additional assistance, check-in at your airline's transfer counter first thing after arriving.

Lufthansa advertises a guaranteed connection time of 45 minutes at FRA. However, based on experience, an hour is probably more realistic if you're staying within the transit or Schengen zones and 75 minutes if you have to cross between them. Flights from North America to FRA often arrive early, but don't count on it as any time savings gained from that strong tailwind are frequently lost due to congestion in Frankfurt's approach and landing slots.

If you have a long layover (more than a couple of hours), you might consider visiting the spectator's terrace on top of Terminal 2 where for €3 you can watch the airfield activity, or the free art galleries in each terminal. Note that these may require leaving the airside of the airport. Long layovers are also conducive to taking a quick sightseeing trip into Frankfurt-- the S-Bahn train will get you downtown in less than 15 minutes. (See information under "Arriving" above.) There is also a small transit hotel near gate Z25 where you can get some rest between flights. 

For more information about Frankfurt Airport, see their official website:

http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/

Thank you, this is all helpful, and I’ve saved the airport link. Somewhere, and I will have to find it again, I read that they now have a sort of gps for airports that will show you the direct path from one gate to the next.  That would be a godsend!

[Homosassa]

3 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

6 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

 

 

Connecting flights

A tunnel allows you to transfer within the Schengen zones of concourses 1/A and 1/B so that you do not need to leave the secure area; use the elevators near gates A15 and B19. There is also a passageway inside the secure zone from concourse 1/B to concourse 1/C on level 3. 

 

 

Oh, yes, I remember that tunnel well.

Unfortunately, the bus dropped us off a Concourse 1A. While the instruction given say to simply follow the signs to your gate to find passport control, as I mentioned in my post above, the walk to the passport control was long. And then, finally seeing the signs for all the B gates, you hit that long tunnel (and there are no moving walkways in the tunnel to help speed one along).

 

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we had actually had some sleep on the plane and weren't chugging along on over 24 hours without sleep.

[mhb1757]

On 10/1/2019 at 11:48 AM, CILCIANRQTS said:

 

1 hour and 45 minutes should be plenty, if all goes well.

 

Connecting flights
If you are passing through Frankfurt to and from non-Schengen countries, your transfer will take place entirely within the transit zone, which in most cases means you will not need to pass through a passport checkpoint (although not always.) You may or may not also have to pass through a security screening depending on your origin and/or destination, and there are occasionally random security checkpoints in the terminals.

If your connecting flight leaves from a different terminal than the one you arrive in, the Sky Line train will allow you to make the transfer while remaining in the transit zone.

Transfers between non-Schengen and Schengen countries (including Germany) will require you to go through passport control. Unlike many international airports with a single immigration area, you will find passport checkpoints in each of the concourses. However, you shouldn't need to seek one out-- just follow the signs to the gate for your connecting flight and you will pass through a checkpoint somewhere along the way.

If you are connecting to another flight with a short connection time (typically less than 45 minutes), you should be able to use the "Fast Lane" service at the passport control stations; eligible flights are shown on a display above the "Fast Lane" counter. 

After clearing passport control, you can then proceed to the gate for your connecting flight. Be sure to check the flight information displays for the latest gate number as flights are sometimes moved to other gates due to late or early arrivals. If your connecting flight is in the other terminal, use the Sky Line train. A tunnel allows you to transfer within the Schengen zones of concourses 1/A and 1/B so that you do not need to leave the secure area; use the elevators near gates A15 and B19. There is also a passageway inside the secure zone from concourse 1/B to concourse 1/C on level 3. 

If you need a boarding pass or additional assistance, check-in at your airline's transfer counter first thing after arriving.

Lufthansa advertises a guaranteed connection time of 45 minutes at FRA. However, based on experience, an hour is probably more realistic if you're staying within the transit or Schengen zones and 75 minutes if you have to cross between them. Flights from North America to FRA often arrive early, but don't count on it as any time savings gained from that strong tailwind are frequently lost due to congestion in Frankfurt's approach and landing slots.

If you have a long layover (more than a couple of hours), you might consider visiting the spectator's terrace on top of Terminal 2 where for €3 you can watch the airfield activity, or the free art galleries in each terminal. Note that these may require leaving the airside of the airport. Long layovers are also conducive to taking a quick sightseeing trip into Frankfurt-- the S-Bahn train will get you downtown in less than 15 minutes. (See information under "Arriving" above.) There is also a small transit hotel near gate Z25 where you can get some rest between flights. 

For more information about Frankfurt Airport, see their official website:

http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/

 

 

And this, my friends, is exactly why we avoid Frankfort like the plague ! Haha.  Nothing like that early morning sprint after being compressed in an economy seat all night!! I swear we put in at least 5K one early morning dashing from "Berlin to Warsaw" (good one Homosassa)  while never leaving the Frankfort airport.  Good luck to all.

[Homosassa]

3 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

 

 

A I swear we put in at least 5K one early morning dashing from "Berlin to Warsaw" (good one Homosassa)  while never leaving the Frankfort airport.  Good luck to all.

Thank you. Hyperbole is a useful tool.

[2cruisecats]

We had "the joy" of Frankfurt airport in mid-September as it was our connecting point for Oslo. We had 2 clear hours and still barely made our connection. Glad our bags were checked through to Oslo as I'm sure we would never have made the flight if we had to claim and recheck them.  People were cranky. There was a scuffle in the passport line and police called and travellers pulled out of line. We will never transit through there again. (Of course, we said the same thing 10 years ago ....)

[molymoo]

We have connected through Frankfort coming and going several times in the last few years and honestly don't recall any issues whatsoever.  Your bags are checked through to your final destination but you will have to go through passport control ... we have never had any issues finding or getting through ... it might have more to do with the airlines you will be flying ... we generally are on the same airline and don't have to change terminals.

 

[SantaFe1]

We will be on United, changing to their partner, Lufthansa.  Are they in the same terminal?

[CILCIANRQTS]

54 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

We will be on United, changing to their partner, Lufthansa.  Are they in the same terminal?

 

Both in Terminal 1. 

 

https://www.lh-travelguide.com/ae/en/frankfurt/fra/#terminalplan-und-transit-infos-frankfurt