Frankfurt Airport - Air Canada/Lufthansa Flight

[reader5]

We will be travelling to Barcelona for our 12 day Mediterranean cruise in May 2006 with a plane changeover in Frankfurt, Germany. We will be taking an Air Canada flight to Frankfurt and then a Lufthansa flight to Barcelona and on the return flight from Venice to Frankfurt to Toronto Canada.

 

My TA advised that our luggage will be transferred to the Lufthansa flight from the Air Canada flight and we would only need to carry our carryon luggage. How difficult is it to find your way around the Frankfurt airport? Is the Lufthansa counter easy to find for check-in? Do we have to go through security again in Frankfurt?

 

Your responsei nfo would be appreciated.

[benchmarklearning]

Having spent many hours (days) in FKT I am a bit of an authority on the place. I love it and always schedule at least a 4 hour layover just to give time for the shops and activities (casino).

 

Easy to get around - all signs are in German and English. No need to go through security again going from AC to Lufthansa, although you will most likely have to change terminals (easy to walk from terminal to terminal - all inside).

 

Great, although expensive, shopping. I love to people watch since people from all over the world transfer there.

 

Some Lufthansa flights require you to go to the plane via bus from the gate - no big deal.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ben

[Susan-M]

You will need to go through security (I think we had two checkpoints) - but you don't have to go to the check-in counter for Lufthansa. They are partner airlines, so you will get your boarding passes in Toronto & Venice and just need to go to the terminal and gate once in Frankfurt. It's a large airport ... not difficult to find your way around (just need to look at the display screens and signs indicating where the gates are) ... and I do recall walking a long ways inside the terminal.

[reader5]

Thanks so much for your response. You have put my mind at ease!

[Globaliser]

We will be taking an Air Canada flight to Frankfurt and then a Lufthansa flight to Barcelona and on the return flight from Venice to Frankfurt to Toronto Canada.

 

My TA advised that our luggage will be transferred to the Lufthansa flight from the Air Canada flight and we would only need to carry our carryon luggage. How difficult is it to find your way around the Frankfurt airport? Is the Lufthansa counter easy to find for check-in? Do we have to go through security again in Frankfurt?

When you arrive in Frankfurt from Toronto, you should clear immigration at Frankfurt as this is the point at which you are entering the Schengen common immigration area. The Frankfurt-Barcelona flight should be "domestic" so far as immigration is concerned. However, if your bags have been through-checked (which they should be, as Air Canada and Lufthansa are both members of the Star Alliance) they will be transferred to the onward flight. Technically, you clear customs at Barcelona. Your baggage tags will indicate that you have commenced your journey outside the EU so that when you arrive at Barcelona it can easily be seen that you require customs clearance at that point.

 

Similarly, when you arrive in Frankfurt from Venice you should clear (outbound) immigration there, rather than in Venice, as the Venice-Frankfurt flight is "domestic" for immigration purposes. You will have to clear Canadian immigration and customs at Toronto.

 

I can't speak for security checks from experience, but more and more European airports are moving towards the mandated 100% security screening between flights.

Having spent many hours (days) in FKT I am a bit of an authority on the place.

Long enough to know that its three-letter IATA code is FRA? ;)

[reader5]

Thanks again for all the knowledgeable responses. These boards are so great for getting information for "novice" travellers.