TPA - HAM Layover

[3dogmom]

I'm looking at a flight on Lufthansa from Tampa to Hamburg. The layover is one hour in Frankfurt. Is this enough time? Would we have to clear customs in Frankfurt before arriving in Hamburg? 

 

Thanks for any information!

[scottbee]

2 hours ago, 3dogmom said:

I'm looking at a flight on Lufthansa from Tampa to Hamburg. The layover is one hour in Frankfurt. Is this enough time? Would we have to clear customs in Frankfurt before arriving in Hamburg? 

 

Thanks for any information!

 

FRA is a physically massive airport, and I would consider 1hr to be tight, considering you'll need to clear passport control.  However, there are a huge number of FRA-HAM flights per day (random day in June showed 17/day), so they'll just put you on the next one if you miss your connection.

 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour is too tight. No less than 90 minutes, although we have made shorter. Some of it depends on the arrival time...mornings are VERY busy at FRA for arriving international flights. 

[mikkelhansen]

If you don't have a Schengen-area passport, 60 minutes will be tight, especially during the morning rush (5am-9am), as mentioned above. However, since Lufthansa offers it as a valid connection, it's their responsibility to put you on another flight to HAM if you miss the originally booked flight and you have booked it as one ticket. If you book separate tickets it's your responsibility.

I suppose you're looking at the flights LH483 and LH10? Currently that connection is 75 minutes (8:45-10:00), but the schedules might change slightly throughout the year. There are flights FRA-HAM nearly every hour throughout business hours on working days, and slighter fewer flights on weekends.

Edited February 29, 2020 by mikkelhansen

[waterbug123]

Just to be 100% clear, you will clear immigration (passport control) in Frankfurt, but won't clear customs until final destination, which is Hamburg.  That said, in most European airports, customs is a non-issue.... if nothing to declare, you just walk out. 

For time needed to go through passport control, heed the information of others above.

[3dogmom]

Thank you all! Majority wins!

 

There's another flight from Tampa that has a 2 hour layover in FRA, so looks like that's the one to book.  

[scottbee]

On 2/29/2020 at 5:38 AM, waterbug123 said:

Just to be 100% clear, you will clear immigration (passport control) in Frankfurt, but won't clear customs until final destination, which is Hamburg.  That said, in most European airports, customs is a non-issue.... if nothing to declare, you just walk out. 

For time needed to go through passport control, heed the information of others above.

 

Are you sure?  While that's generally true on intra-european flights,  FRA-HAM is pure domestic, and its unlikely domestic passengers would be forced to queue through customs clearance.

 

[waterbug123]

19 hours ago, scottbee said:

 

Are you sure?  While that's generally true on intra-european flights,  FRA-HAM is pure domestic, and its unlikely domestic passengers would be forced to queue through customs clearance.

 

 

Yes, I'm sure.  The OP is traveling from TPA and when you travel from the abroad to the Schengen zone in Europe, with a connection also in the Schengen zone in Europe, immigration/passport control is done at the first stop, but there is no customs done until the final destination.  This is difference from arrival in the US, where you do both when at your first stop in the US, regardless of whether you have a connecting flight or not. 

Note though, that I also said that usually in Europe, customs is a non-issue.  You collect your bags at baggage claim, and if you have anything to declare you voluntarily report to claim them.  If you don't have anything to declare you just walk on out.   Sometimes it's a red light/green light or red door/green door thing, but the point is that there is virtually no waiting in a queue if you don't have to declare anything.

[scottbee]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Yes, I'm sure.  The OP is traveling from TPA and when you travel from the abroad to the Schengen zone in Europe, with a connection also in the Schengen zone in Europe, immigration/passport control is done at the first stop, but there is no customs done until the final destination.  This is difference from arrival in the US, where you do both when at your first stop in the US, regardless of whether you have a connecting flight or not. 

Note though, that I also said that usually in Europe, customs is a non-issue.  You collect your bags at baggage claim, and if you have anything to declare you voluntarily report to claim them.  If you don't have anything to declare you just walk on out.   Sometimes it's a red light/green light or red door/green door thing, but the point is that there is virtually no waiting in a queue if you don't have to declare anything.

 

I would completely agree with you for a USA -> Netherlands-> Germany , but this is USA->Germany->Germany.

 

In this case the final flight is purely domestic within Germany, and if people coming off the flight were subjected to Customs, you'd be forcing German citizens traveling wholly within their country to customs procedures.

 

[waterbug123]

1 hour ago, scottbee said:

 

I would completely agree with you for a USA -> Netherlands-> Germany , but this is USA->Germany->Germany.

 

In this case the final flight is purely domestic within Germany, and if people coming off the flight were subjected to Customs, you'd be forcing German citizens traveling wholly within their country to customs procedures.

 

 

You're not understanding what I'm saying (are what is factual) about customs in general within Europe.  There is no "forcing people" to queue up etc.  Customs, within the EU, is essentially a voluntary thing where you self-report if you have anything to declare.  If you don't, then "going through customs" is as simple as getting your bag and walking out to the taxi stand.  In that sense, it doesn't matter whether you're coming from elsewhere within Germany, elsewhere within the EU, or another continent.  If you do have something to declare, it would be at the final stop, in this case Hamburg, when you get your luggage.  The OP, who is presumably traveling on one ticket, won't get luggage at Frankfurt, so can't possibly go through customs there, even if s/he had something declare.  They would have to wait until they get their bags at Hamburg.

Edited March 3, 2020 by waterbug123

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, scottbee said:

 

I would completely agree with you for a USA -> Netherlands-> Germany , but this is USA->Germany->Germany.

 

In this case the final flight is purely domestic within Germany, and if people coming off the flight were subjected to Customs, you'd be forcing German citizens traveling wholly within their country to customs procedures.

 

 

You are completely ignoring the concept of the Schengen zone, where both of the situations you mention are handled the same.

 

Bags originating in the Schengen zone have a distinctive green stripe along the edge.  Thus, any official can quickly determine if a bag has come from within the zone (no customs) or from outside (customs, but the minimal "green lane/red lane" process).

 

I get the feeling you haven't gone through Schengen customs very much.

 

 

[scottbee]

4 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

You are completely ignoring the concept of the Schengen zone, where both of the situations you mention are handled the same.

 

Bags originating in the Schengen zone have a distinctive green stripe along the edge.  Thus, any official can quickly determine if a bag has come from within the zone (no customs) or from outside (customs, but the minimal "green lane/red lane" process).

 

I get the feeling you haven't gone through Schengen customs very much.

 

 

 

I've flown quite a bit Schengen to Schengen (or UK - Schengen) , but I've actually never flown DOMESTICALLY within Europe. I'm surprised it's not handled differently.

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, scottbee said:

I've flown quite a bit Schengen to Schengen (or UK - Schengen) , but I've actually never flown DOMESTICALLY within Europe. I'm surprised it's not handled differently.

 

Well, given the Schengen treaty, those "Shengen to Schengen" flights are all considered "Domestic", since customs and immigration borders were eliminated in for the signatory countries.  No difference flying between Paris and Frankfurt as to Hamburg to Frankfurt.

[waterbug123]

19 hours ago, scottbee said:

 

I've flown quite a bit Schengen to Schengen (or UK - Schengen) , but I've actually never flown DOMESTICALLY within Europe. I'm surprised it's not handled differently.

 

If you've flown Schengen to Schengen, then you HAVE flown domestically within Europe.  😉