04.09.2002 - Just returned from my holidays in Scotland with Ciaoer Mike (Aspen). A handful of trave...
04.09.2002 - Just returned from my holidays in Scotland with Ciaoer Mike (Aspen). A handful of travel ops are in preparation. See ya soon.
Member since:17.02.2001
Reviews:61
Members who trust:143
Frankfurt Airport is Europe's second biggest airport and the home base of German carrier Lufthansa. Yet its ability to deal with the demands of 21st century airtravel is limited, and passengers already have to suffer today.
In total passenger figures, Frankfurt/Main Airport (or Fraport, as it is called now) is second only to London Heathrow among European airports, and ahead of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol.
FRA (the airport's three-letter-code) is divided into two terminals:
The sections A and B of the old Terminal 1 are used by Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, 1 C hosts Lufthansa partner United Airlines, rival American Airlines, and some small exotic airlines. 1 A & B have been mostly overhauled and extended by Lufthansa between 1998 and 2000, but the old-fashioned structure still shines through.
Terminal 2 was opened in 1992 and hosts all of Lufthansa's rival alliances such as Oneworld
(BA, Qantas, etc.) and the Qualiflyer Group (Swissair et al), SkyTeam (Delta, Air France, Korean) and the KLM / Northwest group.
CHECK-IN & PROCESSING
Check-In is quick and easy in both terminals, due to the vast amount of hundreds of check-in counters, situated near the terminal entrances. It is also possible to check-in at the airport's rail terminal directly upon arrival by train, or at the airport hotel and business centre.
Homecarrier Lufthansa has just opened a new priority check-in area for First and Business passengers and status card holders, which speeds up the process even more.
A delay can occur at passport control on flights outside the countries bound by the Schengen Treaty (Schengen includes most EU countries, yet not the UK, and allows travel without passport and customs controls).
TRANSIT & DIRECTIONS
Frankfurt's size is also its greatest problem. The bigger the airport, the greater the hassles for transit passengers. Unlike at Heathrow, where transit passengers are channelled through a central Transit Centre between Terminals 1 and 2, FRA's structure is decentralised. In the best case that means that you get more quickly to your connecting flight and allows a minimum transit time of 45 minutes (Heathrow = 90 minutes), but in the worst case you will get lost and miss your connection.
A people mover / magnet train has been built with stops at T 2, T 1 B/C and T 1 A, but it is only well signposted in Terminal 2. Directions in Terminal 1 are terrible: there are few indications of the fast train, and sign will direct you to the passenger tunnel between 1 A and B, although train transport would be much faster.
The minimum transit time of 45 minutes is overoptimistic. Although you may just about make it to your connection, chances are that your luggage will not, providing for an unpleasant surprise at your final destination. But you can be sure that your luggage doesn't get completely lost. Frankfurt's baggage retrieval system, called FRABRS, is the most modern in the world and has been sold to many other international airports.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Due to its location next to the A3 / A5 junction, FRA can be reached by car in 20 minutes from Frankfurt downtown, and has quick access to the rest of the country (Cologne is 90 minutes by car). During rush hour, however, the motorway junction is often jammed, and travel times can easily double.
Public transport is perfect, indeed the best of any mayor European hub. The airport has its own train terminal with direct connections to all of Germany with high-speed ICE trains. There are direct metropolitan trains to the city centre. The journey takes is 15 minutes and costs around 3 GBP. Local trains depart every 10 minutes at daytime and every 20 minutes at night.
SHOPS & FACILITIES
Frankfurt is more of a city than an airport. It has hundreds of shops, pharmacies, restaurants, and bars. There are four banks, numerous cash machines, two post offices plus one parcel service branch, one of Frankfurt's most famous discotheques (Dorian Gray), one cinema (not counting the two sex shops with cinemas), hospital, multiconfessional chapels, business and conference centre, yet only one airport hotel (Sheraton). The Sheraton Airport Hotel is rather old fashioned but currently undergoing renovation.
The problem is, however, that very few of the facilities are in the duty free area. In particular, you almost won't be able to find a single fashion shop in duty free. 90% of facilities are on the landside, so you pay full prices plus a big airport premium. Non-EU visitors can reclaim the VAT though, at the airport's three tax refund offices.
Shopping facilities are also concentrated in and around Terminal 1, the infrastructure in Terminal 2 is very limited, although very modern.
LOUNGES
As I have described in my opinion about Lufthansa German Airlines, their lounges are anything but attractive. Star Alliance passengers with a Gold Status Card (or a First Class ticket if you have the money) should instead use United Airlines' Red Carpet Club in Terminal 1 C, if time permits.
Lufthansa itself operates 3 Business Lounges and 3 Senator (First / Gold) Lounges at FRA, one of each at 1 B, 1 A (Schengen Treaty transits) and 1 A (Non-Schengen countries).
The lounges operated in Terminal 2 by British Airways, Swissair and Delta are a lot more attractive and comfortable.
GROWTH POTENTIAL & PERSPECTIVES
Due mainly to the success of Germany's thriving carrier Lufthansa, passenger figures at Fraport are constantly growing. Even though there have been various extensions throughout the last years (new T 2, extension T 1 A and T 1 C), the airport is hopelessly overcrowded, especially in Terminal 1.
Further extensions are problematic, because FRA is surrounded by motorways on two sides, and protected forests on the other two. Another limitation are the runways (FRA operates basically on 1 ½ runways), because the north and south runways are too close to each other to allow parallel operation, and the western runway can only be used for starts.
Frankfurt is also not prepared to handle the new Superjumbo, the Airbus A380 with over 550 passengers, which may one day dominate intercontinental airtravel between the big hubs.
The regional authorities are currently examining an extension plan which would bridge the northern motorway and allow for a new terminal and runway in the northwest. But due to strict regulations in Germany, this is still far from realisation.
The beneficiaries of this stalemate are Lufthansa's second hub, Munich (see my op on this one), as well as Paris and Amsterdam which may steal Frankfurt's role as the mayor continental European hub.
Copyright 2001 by Hansjörg Gebel, Witten, Germany
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Mar 10th, 2001
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (4%):
