Frankfurt transfer

[world~citizen]

An LHR inter-terminal connection is well-known to be far worse than a FRA intra-terminal connection.

 

As I say, I would prefer to have the option of a tight connection, and to turn it down if it doesn't suit me, than not to have the option at all. Sometimes, having the option of a tight connection is very important. If you make it "illegal", my option goes away.

 

And so speak many, many passengers - especially business passengers.

 

Leisure passengers can book longer connections if they want, at their own choice.

 

I understand.

 

Your experience with Frankfurt is...limited. LHR is not a Schengen airport so you don't have to go through immigration before you proceed to your onward connection gate. FRA is a Schengen airport. If you have been through LHR security recently, imagine a similar delay at FRA passport control. :eek:

 

I like the freedom and liberty argument, except that with freedom comes responsibility - and darn it, there is a role for government and regulatory agencies. So Lufthansa is free to set an unrealistic connection time, and you are free to like it, but the general travelling public trusts that they don't have to second guess their travel itineraries in order to avoid a vacation disaster or a business meeting foul-up.

 

Globaliser, we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

[Globaliser]

So Lufthansa is free to set an unrealistic connection time ...

No, because if LH actually sets a wholly unrealistic connection time, it will cost them shedloads of money every day. They are not going to do that. The consequence of being unrealistic is a big hole in the airline's pocket.

 

So I ask again: Do you have the stats? What percentage of people on 60-minute connections don't make it?

 

I'd wager a bit of money that the stats show that the vast majority of people on 60-minute connections do not misconnect, and therefore get the benefit of a short connection time. And, therefore, that Lufthansa is not being unrealistic.

[world~citizen]

So I ask again: Do you have the stats? What percentage of people on 60-minute connections don't make it?

 

 

No, but I have experience (with FRA). You have neither. :cool:

 

Smooth sailing...

[eldercruser]

I will try to send back my anecdotal experience after I transfer from United (on a flight with a LH code share number) to a Lufthansa flight in FRA this coming Friday morning. At least we have two hours to do it, but I will time it anyway.

[Globaliser]

No, but I have experience (with FRA).

Fine, rant away to your heart's content.

[world~citizen]

Fine, rant away to your heart's content.

 

Unfair call. A one hour transfer is very, very problematic in FRA, and at the very least it is a good idea for people en-route to cruises to be aware of it. This is especially true if they are continuing to a cruise departing the same day.

 

Also, if you arrive at the B gates in terminal 1 and you have to go to the high numbered A gates in terminal 1, a one hour transfer is truly unrealistic.

 

As to the rant comment, I leave it to members who read this thread to evaluate that comment.

 

Smooth sailing to you. :)

[world~citizen]

I will try to send back my anecdotal experience after I transfer from United (on a flight with a LH code share number) to a Lufthansa flight in FRA this coming Friday morning. At least we have two hours to do it, but I will time it anyway.

 

By all means, and please note the gates you arrive at and the gates of your ongoing flight.

 

With two hours, you should have no problems with your connection unless your inbound is over an hour late.

 

Smooth sailing...

[Globaliser]

A one hour transfer is very, very problematic in FRA, and at the very least it is a good idea for people en-route to cruises to be aware of it. This is especially true if they are continuing to a cruise departing the same day.

That is perfectly fair comment. People should be aware of this, so that if they prefer to they can choose to book a longer transfer time - as with any other connection at any airport.

 

But don't call for it to be made illegal, at least without being able to demonstrate that many people actually miss the connection - because sometimes some of us depend on being able to book close connections in some situations, even if we would sometimes also choose not to book that connection.

[world~citizen]

That is perfectly fair comment. People should be aware of this, so that if they prefer to they can choose to book a longer transfer time - as with any other connection at any airport.

 

But don't call for it to be made illegal, at least without being able to demonstrate that many people actually miss the connection - because sometimes some of us depend on being able to book close connections in some situations, even if we would sometimes also choose not to book that connection.

 

No, I see your point.

 

However we have been flying these connections for 6 years now, and have conversed at length with airport personnel, travel agents and air line reps. Except for management, consensus of opinion reflects our experience. Only now, new gate changes set many transfer passengers on an even more improbable if not impossible task.

 

I am corresponding with appropriate authorities. Now this won't be anything that they haven't heard before. However, if at the very least they eliminate the worst of the transfers, as described above, some good will have been done.

 

Smooth sailing...:)

[travelfirst]

We booked cruise air with Lufthansa through our travel agent.

 

After our cruise we fly from Lisbon to Frankfurt to Vancouver, BC.

We arrive in Frankfurt at 11am and our flight to Vancouver leaves at 1210.

 

Will we have enough time?

 

The last time we flew out of Frankfurt the husband of one of my friends was there and we followed him.

 

Does anyone have instructions of how to get from one gate to the other in an hour?

[FlyerTalker]

Let's see....you've been there before, but have no memories of what you did. According to world citizen, you are in trouble with a connection like this. According to globaliser, you should be in decent shape. Make a judgment on whose opinion you believe to be more valid.

 

Or, you could look at recent gates for those flights, look at the FRA map from their website, and extrapolate what your situation will be. Or, just show up in FRA with an airport map, look at the information screens and go from one to the other.

[world~citizen]

We booked cruise air with Lufthansa through our travel agent.

 

After our cruise we fly from Lisbon to Frankfurt to Vancouver, BC.

We arrive in Frankfurt at 11am and our flight to Vancouver leaves at 1210.

 

Will we have enough time?

 

The last time we flew out of Frankfurt the husband of one of my friends was there and we followed him.

 

Does anyone have instructions of how to get from one gate to the other in an hour?

 

Well, as I have said, an hour is not my favourite connection time in Frankfurt. The good news is you are coming in from a Schengen airport and you will not have to go through immigration in FRA. That is a major relief. If your inbound flight is on-time you are in the best situation.

 

Directions would depend on from where you arrive and where you depart. Sometimes you don't get your departure gate until 45 minutes before departure.

 

Smooth sailing....and when you get back, please share your experience with us.:)

[Globaliser]

According to world citizen, you are in trouble with a connection like this. According to globaliser, you should be in decent shape. Make a judgment on whose opinion you believe to be more valid.

I just want to clarify that there are times when I wouldn't be happy with a 60-minute connection of this kind at FRA. world~citizen has many good points about the fact that it's a tight connection and that some people clearly do have problems when they are booked on such a tight connection. This is the same with a tight but legal connection at any airport anywhere in the world.

 

Where world~citizen and I disagree is on the solution: world~citizen would, I think, like to make it "illegal" so that it is impossible to book this. I would prefer to have it available, because a close connection is sometimes very useful and I think it likely that most passengers will make it - but passengers may also want to think about deliberately booking a less close connection if they want more assurance that they are going to make it.

[suni]

We have 80 minutes on our return through Frankfurt. I am now very concerned when reading this thread.

 

On the outbound, we have 60 minutes to connect in Munich, I have heard Munich is a breeze....any thoughts?

[travelfirst]

We are not going until November but I will let you know what happens.

 

I just remember arriving in that airport two years ago after that long flight and having to find the gate to fly to Amsterdam for our River Cruise.

It seemed like we walked for miles to get there.

 

We will be on our way home when we have the one hour connection so we could stay if we miss our flight, as least we wouldn't miss the cruise.

 

Would Lufthansa put us on the next available flight or would we have to contact our travel agent?

[6rugrats]

If you miss your connecting flight, see a Lufthansa agent and/or call them- don't waste your time with your TA!

[world~citizen]

We have 80 minutes on our return through Frankfurt. I am now very concerned when reading this thread.

 

On the outbound, we have 60 minutes to connect in Munich, I have heard Munich is a breeze....any thoughts?

 

Munich is much better than FRA. If you arrive in Frankfurt from a Schengen country, it is the best case scenario.

[world~citizen]

I just want to clarify that there are times when I wouldn't be happy with a 60-minute connection of this kind at FRA. world~citizen has many good points about the fact that it's a tight connection and that some people clearly do have problems when they are booked on such a tight connection. This is the same with a tight but legal connection at any airport anywhere in the world.

 

Where world~citizen and I disagree is on the solution: world~citizen would, I think, like to make it "illegal" so that it is impossible to book this. I would prefer to have it available, because a close connection is sometimes very useful and I think it likely that most passengers will make it - but passengers may also want to think about deliberately booking a less close connection if they want more assurance that they are going to make it.

 

Globalizer has a point when he says if someone understands they have a tight connection but wants to go for it anyway, who am I to become a quasi-dictator (my metaphor) on people and say the 1 hour connection should be eliminated, thus depriving them of that opportunity. :eek:

 

Sunday last was the final straw for me. We had a one hour connection on an overseas flight, missed it and for us it was business as usual. We saw two families connecting up to a flight to Venice to meet their cruise ship, and they were in a much different situation.

 

As long as it is a legal connection travel agents or booking engines will book it and casual travellers will be inconvenienced, because they are not aware of the issues at FRA. Cruise vacation experiences will suffer.

 

So what is the answer? I am outlining the problem and communicating it to FRA and Lufthansa, but it is nothing they haven't heard. If in the end they make some effort accommodate the "amazing race" connections with shorter distances between gates or more efficient passport control or more staff in security areas, then it will have been worth it.

 

Still, a caution to cruisers: tell your TA's you need more time at FRA than one hour for your connection.

[Shorex]

Still, a caution to cruisers: tell your TA's you need more time at FRA than one hour for your connection.

 

Ay, there's the rub. With cruise air, one is at the mercy of consolidator tickets. Or pay more for deviant, sorry, deviation, and pick your flights and layovers. Or just book your own air, overall the best decision most (but not all) of the time.

[eldercruser]

On Friday we transferred in Frankfurt from a United flight to a Lufthansa flight. Originally we had over two hours to make the connection. Our United flight was approximately 50 minutes late for a variety of reasons. Our aircraft parked on a hardstand away from the terminal, which meant takinf a bus to Terminal B. That process took about 15 minutes alone. Our connecting flight was in Terminal A so through the Passport Control line - about ten minutes then to the Terminal A security line - about another 15 minutes then a ten minute walk to our gate. Add a few minutes for a needed restroom stop and it took us just under an hour from aircraft parking time to outbound gate arrival. Our aircraft was boarding when we arrived.

 

On Lufthansa´s behalf I will say they had a special bus as we deplaned to take passengers directly to three flights that had very tight connections. I am not sure how they dealt with the passport issue.

 

My recommendation - give yourself a couple of hours to make a connection in Frankfurt.

[world~citizen]

On Friday we transferred in Frankfurt from a United flight to a Lufthansa flight. Originally we had over two hours to make the connection. Our United flight was approximately 50 minutes late for a variety of reasons. Our aircraft parked on a hardstand away from the terminal, which meant takinf a bus to Terminal B. That process took about 15 minutes alone. Our connecting flight was in Terminal A so through the Passport Control line - about ten minutes then to the Terminal A security line - about another 15 minutes then a ten minute walk to our gate. Add a few minutes for a needed restroom stop and it took us just under an hour from aircraft parking time to outbound gate arrival. Our aircraft was boarding when we arrived.

 

On Lufthansa´s behalf I will say they had a special bus as we deplaned to take passengers directly to three flights that had very tight connections. I am not sure how they dealt with the passport issue.

 

My recommendation - give yourself a couple of hours to make a connection in Frankfurt.

 

I would think that reasonable. Sounds like you made it though.

 

Thanks for the report.:)

[iancal]

We too like Frankfurt, but then again anything would be better than Heathrow. We have never had an issue in Frankfurt, as as other posters have said, we have typically taken a max. of 20-30 minutes to change. Having said that, we always allow 1 1/2 -2 hours in case of a delayed arrival.

[Trixsea]

I purchased a ticket with 2 1/2 hour layover based on past experience. Just received notification from the airline that the layover was reduced to 1 1/2 hours. The best plans don't always turn out.:rolleyes:

[twoputt.plusone]

We have 80 minutes on our return through Frankfurt. I am now very concerned when reading this thread.

 

I'm with you! :eek: We just got our cruise-air arrangements last Friday. Our return flight is on Lufthansa departing Barcelona to Detroit via Frankfurt. Since we have a 2 1/2 hour layover, I wasn't worried about this portion of our flight in the least. I've been much more concerned about our Detroit to Barcelona via Paris flight on Air France with a 45 minute connection at CDG - to the point of strongly considering air deviation at an additional cost. Now after reading this thread, I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe I need to be concerned with the return flight as well. :(

 

2P.P1

[Trixsea]

A 45 minute connection thru CDG would have me very concerned.:eek: