- Introduction
- Airlines & Destinations
- Transportation
- Terminals
- Coffee & Restaurants
- Accommodation & Hotels
- Airport sevices
Introduction
Frankfurt Airport (IATA: FRA, ICAO: EDDF) (German: Flughafen Frankfurt am Main, also known as Rhein-Main-Flughafen) is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres. The airport covers an area of 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of land and features two passenger terminals with a capacity of approximately 65 million passengers per year, four runways and extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.
Frankfurt Airport is among the busiest in Europe, fourth in passenger traffic after Heathrow Airport in London, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Schiphol Airport, and the twelfth busiest airport in the world. It is also the busiest airport in Germany, even though Frankfurt is neither the capital, nor the largest city in the country. This is due to a multitude of factors, including the post-war division of Germany, the central location of Frankfurt inside the erstwhile West Germany, and its becoming a hub of the high-speed rail network, as well as Frankfurt's being the financial capital of Germany and an important trade fair location, the latter being as much a reason for and result of the airport's development.
Most importantly, however, Frankfurt has been chosen as a hub by Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, which became one of the largest airlines of the world. To this day the largest number of Lufthansa's long-haul flights originate or terminate in Frankfurt. Due to Frankfurt's importance, many other airlines also serve the airport, and almost all other Star Alliance carriers serve it as well. The majority of other major airlines, both oneworld and SkyTeam members as well as independents, have flights to Frankfurt from their hubs. There is, however, a notably low presence by Germany's number two airline, Air Berlin, which only offers a connection to their own hub at Berlin-Tegel. Most low fare airlines don't serve Frankfurt (due - among other reasons - to its comparatively high landing fees). Most chose to instead fly into Hahn and pretend it to be close to Frankfurt even though it is more than 100 km distant. However, Ryanair has changed tactics and introduced a number of flights to Frankfurt for the 2017 summer season. While Lufthansa has handed off part of its domestic and "EU-domestic" network to its no frills subsidiary Eurowings as well as some Star Alliance partners it owns or mostly owns, Lufthansa itself still flies all domestic routes not made redundant by high speed rail out of Frankfurt. In addition to that, Lufthansa uses some ICEs as "feeder flights" towards FRA as part of its air rail alliance with Deutsche Bahn.
Airlines & Destinations
Airlines
- Terminal 1:
- Lufthansa Group: Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Air Dolomiti
- other Star Alliance partners: Air Canada, Air China, Air India, All Nippon Airways, Asiana, Brussels Airlines, EgyptAir, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines.
- as an exception, Qatar Airways (oneworld) and Middle East Airlines (SkyTeam) use Terminal 1B. All other oneworld and SkyTeam members use Terminal 2
- other unaffiliated airlines, including Condor and El Al
- Terminal 2:
- oneworld partners: Air Berlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas Airways, S7 Airlines.
- SkyTeam partners: Aeroflot, Air Europa Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines
- other unaffiliated airlines, including Air Baltic, Etihad and Emirates
Note that the above can be subject to change and always mind the information given to you by the airline with your ticket and boarding pass, as well as the information provided by the airport online and via the information boards.
Departure
Terminal 1: Departure is on level 2, zones A, B, C and Z . Terminal 2: Departure is on level 2 zone D and E.
Check-in to gate
If you have difficulty walking it is recommended to request assistance to the departure lounge. It can be up to a kilometre walk to the gate but congestion due to construction sites, slows the buggy
Arrival
Most major airports have a connection to Frankfurt.
Plane to baggage collection
Not all planes dock at a gate and you will often be subjected to a bus ride between plane and terminal. If you are in a hurry, rushing off the plane does not always make things quicker, being last on the bus standing next to the door is key. Sometimes for close connecting flights you will take a different bus from the tarmac.
If you are a frequent user of Terminal 1B you can accelerate your way past passport control by applying for retina recognition. To the side of passport manual check control, where there are often long queues, there is a machine which will scan your passport and then your eyes. To register there is an office in the corner of Terminal 1 landside, section A level 2. Terminal 1Z now has automatic face recognition machines which will work with the new European passports.
On arriving at Terminal 1Z and 1B do not be surprised to have to ascend and descend many stairs, or with Terminal 1A expect a long walk. When coming into 1B you actually enter the main concourse before baggage claim. Look for the escalators heading down in the middle of hall B.
Transportation
Situated in the center of Germany the airport has good connections to the whole country as well as being a stepping stone to other parts of Europe and the world.
By train
Frankfurt airport has not one but two dedicated railway stations. There are both a regional (S-Bahn, RE) and international high-speed rail connections (ICE/IC) to the airport. Regional trains from Frankfurt and other local towns come into the Regionalbahnhof on the lowest level of Terminal 1 and are two sets of escalators to check-in. Long distance trains arrive at the international station which is connected to Terminal 1 by a walkway (5 to 10 minutes). To reach Terminal 2 take a short Skytrain (monorail) connection from Terminal 1 zone B.
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbahnhof
The Fernbahnhof (long distance station) was built after the Regionalbahnhof when traffic levels grew beyond the capacities of the latter. It is one of only two train stations in Germany only served by long distance (Intercity and ICE) trains. The station is located in a separate structure reached via a walkway two levels above arrivals in Terminal 1. The walk to the terminals is marginally longer than from the regional station, but this is balanced by the numerous direct connections to places as far away as Munich, Amsterdam or Basel.
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regionalbahnhof
The regional station (Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regionalbahnhof), with convenient connections to the city of Frankfurt and other local towns and cities, is located on the lowest level of Terminal 1. S-Bahn (fast commuter trains). To get to the city, take lines S8 or S9 in the direction of Offenbach Ost and Hanau or Mainz and Wiesbaden at the Flughafen Regionalbahnhof (regional train station) in the Underground of Terminal 1 (entrances in section A and B): interactive route planner. If your plane lands or departs from Terminal 2, count in another 15 minutes as you need to move between the terminals with either the shuttle bus or the monorail Skytrain (both are free of charge, just follow the signs). The lines S1-S6/S8/S9 travel through the cornerstone of the system, an underground tunnel (the Citytunnel) through central Frankfurt. If you want to change to long-distance trains get off at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Frankfurt Central Station) or Frankfurt Südbahnhof (Frankfurt South Station). If you want to go downtown, get off at Frankfurt Taunusanlage, Frankfurt Hauptwache or Frankfurt Konstablerwache, which are in the heart of the city. The ride from the airport to the central station takes 14 minutes. Be sure to purchase a ticket at the vending machines (only cash) in the train station before boarding the train. The adult ticket is €4.65 (Dec 2016). If you want to go to the airport via S-Bahn, take the S8 or S9 in the direction of Wiesbaden. Don't take the S1 — while it has the same general direction and leaves the central station at the same platform, it will go along the wrong side of the river Main. The line S1 does not stop at the airport.
Regional-Express trains (RE) to Mainz, Frankfurt Hbf, Frankfurt-Süd and Hanau stop at the same place as the S-Bahn to Frankfurt.
By car
The airport is located in the south-west quadrant of Frankfurter Kreuz the Autobahn intersection of the A3 and A5; the busiest motorway intersection in Europe.
Access to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are reached by separated exits of the (B)43. Drop off is possible in-front of both terminal just outside of check-in halls, simply follow the signs for the required terminal (Departure:Abflug, Arrivals:Ankunft), but note there is a 15 minute limit on waiting which is controlled and is often very difficult to find a space. There is between the first class entrance and the start of terminal 1A departure level a small entrance to a short stay parking area, first 5 minutes is free, so useful for drop-off. For parking in Terminal 1: P1 is closest to check-in (5 minutes walk) being only one floor above or below entry to the main complex. P2/3 and P5 are also close but add an extra 5 minutes waiting for elevator. Parking for Terminal 2 is conveniently under the check-in hall. P1-5 and P8 have all a female parking facility.
Although the new long distance rail station and Hilton hotel is obvious to see from the Autobahn its access is not so clear. For parking follow signs to The Squaire and take a short monorail. For drop off you need to go westbound on the 43, just after the Terminal 2 exit get in the far left lane.
There is also holiday parking south of the airport on Airportring and a number of private long-stay packing facilities in surrounding towns as suburbs of Frankfurt such as in Frankfurt-Niederrad.
Occasionally the Autobahn is clogged with traffic. A few tips for getting round the jams:
- From the North if hold-ups on the A5 or from the North-West if the A3 is blocked, take the A66 to the (B)40 direction Kelsterbach. This road will get you to the access roads, K823 Airportring, from where you can get to the terminals.
- From West if the A67/A3 is block and from the South if the A5 is blocked take the (B)486 to Mörfelden. Take Virolles-Ring, the first(last) road on the west of the village. This will get you to Airportring, but as it has to go round the runway and has a number of speed cameras on the route only use if the autobahn is a total standstill.
- From the East when the A3 is busy there is little alternative, only possibility is to head into Frankfurt and get onto the (B)43 from there.
By rental car
Most major car rental companies have offices in Terminal 1 level 0 section A and in Terminal 2 just after arrivals baggage exit.
If you are new to driving in Germany, this is a baptism of fire. The airport is conveniently situated at the cross-roads of the A3 and A5 providing you with good access to all of Germany and Central Europe.
Car return is to the airport parking: for Terminal 1 P30; for Terminal 2 P8. There is an Esso fuel station hidden on the traffic island off the B43 exit to terminal 2 and a Shell on Airportring west of Terminal 1, neither of which you will find using the normal approaches to the airport. Unfortunately there are no other fuel stations conveniently near the airport so best to refuel at the service stations on the autobahns or head into a nearby town such as Frankfurt, Rüsselsheim, Kelsterbach or Langen if you have time.
By bus
Line 61 to Frankfurt Südbahnhof (Frankfurt South Station)
Most Intercity buses in Germany serve a stop closer to the main station than the airport, but there are some airport shuttles, particularly to/from Hahn
Get around
This is a large airport to walk around both sides of border control. In both terminals landside of border control think up and down levels as well as staying on the floor you are on for shops and restaurants. There is a people mover and a bus between Terminals 1 and 2.
Terminals
Frankfurt Airport has two large main passenger terminals (1 and 2) and a much smaller dedicated First Class Terminal which is operated and exclusively used by Lufthansa. As is the case at London's Heathrow Airport, terminal operations are grouped for airlines and airline alliances rather than into domestic and international routes.
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 is the older and larger one of the two passenger terminals. The landside is 420 metres long. It has been enlarged several times and is divided into concourses A, B, C and Z and has a capacity of approximately 50 million passengers per year. Terminal 1 is functionally divided into three levels, the departures level on the upper floor with check-in counters, the arrivals level with baggage claim areas on the ground floor and, underneath, a distribution floor with access to the regional station and underground and multilevel parking. Departures and arrivals levels each have separate street approaches. A bus station is located at arrivals level. Terminal 1 has a total of 103 gates, which include 54 gates equipped with jetways (25 in Concourse A, 18 in Concourse B, 11 in Concourse C).
Pier A was extended by 500 metres in 2000, and a link between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, as well as the Hall C extension opened in 2008.
On 10 October 2012, an 800-metre-long westward expansion of Terminal 1 called Pier A-Pluswent into operation. It provides more stands for wide-body aircraft like the Airbus A380.
Terminal 1 is primarily used by Lufthansa, its associated companies (Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines) and its Star Alliance partners (e.g. Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, All Nippon Airways, Croatia Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines).
Terminal 2
Terminal 2, which has a capacity of 15 million passengers a year, was opened in 1994 and is divided into concourses D and E. A continuous concourse between Terminal 1C and 2D provides direct, but non-public access between the two terminals. It has eight gates with jetways and 34 apron stands, a total of 42 gates and is able to handle wide-body aircraft such as Korean Air's Airbus A380s.
Terminal 2 is primarily used by airlines of the oneworld (e.g. Air Berlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines) and SkyTeam alliances (e.g. Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Saudia, TAROM and Vietnam Airlines).
Passengers and visitors can change terminals with the people mover system SkyLine which has stops at Terminal 1 AZ (passengers only), Terminal 1 BC and Terminal 2 DE. The travel time between the terminals is 2 minutes with trains arriving every 2–3 minutes during the day. Additionally there is regular bus service between the terminals.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal
Lufthansa operates a small dedicated First Class Terminal near Terminal 1 with exclusive access for Lufthansa first class passengers and HON Circle frequent flyer members only. Other first class passengers must use the dedicated first class lounges within the main terminals. The facility has 200 staff and is used by about 300 passengers daily. It provides individualised security screening and customs facilities. Amenities include valet parking, a white-linen restaurant, lounge and office areas, a cigar room and bubble baths. Passengers are transported directly from the terminal to the plane by luxury car.
Coffee & Restaurants
Terminal 1
There are many possibilities both sides of border control in Terminal 1. Airside of Terminal 1 section B is has a reasonable choice (after passport control, up one set of escalators); there are numerous sandwich places on the airside of A, and though the selection on the airside of C and Z is more limited, there are still good choices. Landside of Terminal 1 there are a number of choices on level 2 and level 0. For example:
- Heberer's Traditional Bakery, Two locations: Terminal 1, Concourse A, Level 2 and Terminal 1, Concourse Z, Level 3. Hours: Concourse A location: 5:00-21:30 every day; Concourse Z location: 6:30-21:30 every day. Their slogan is "Handiwork, tradition and passion for 120 years," and this is a place that walks the walk. Their sandwiches are great - not only way better than anything you can find in many other airports, but downright delicious, made on fresh bread with excellent, fresh ingredients, albeit somewhat expensive (over €5 apiece). If your flight leaves from Concourse Z, consider passing by their Concourse A location and waiting until after passport control to patronize their Concourse Z location.
- Hermann's (Terminal 1, Concourse A, level 0). German sausages plus
- Käfer, Terminal 1, Concourse B, level 2 (Departures landside). Good place for waiter service, not so hectic as other places.
- Food court, Terminal 1, Concourse A, level 0 (Arrivals landside). Several restaurants, but most popular are the Thai restaurants, usually with a long queue. Most guests are business travellers and airport employees who are rather short on time.
- Meyer Feinkost, Terminal 1, Concourse A (next to Gates A1-A5), +49 69 69029265, e-mail: [email protected]. 05:00-22:00. Sells good, but of course pricy, warm and cold sandwiches, soups, coffee, juices and fine chocolate either to go or to eat in their small space. Exists also on the "A+ Bouldevard" as lounge.
- Deutsch, Terminal 1, Area Z, Level 3 (hidden a little behind other food stalls. Head for the windows behind the centre circle.). Don't be put off by the touristy Bavarian theme. Serves good German food.
Terminal 2
Airside of Terminal 2 has a very limited choice; best to use facilities landside, top level 4.
Accommodation & Hotels
There are three hotels within the airport complex and a fourth that is on the grounds but requires a bus transfer. Four nearby, a bit of a hike the other side of the Autobahn (best to take a taxi if you have luggage), while the neighborhoods of Frankfurt-Niederrad, Frankfurt-Süd, Kelsterbach, Neu-Isenburg, Mörfelden, Langen, Raunheim and Rüsselsheim are all within close proximity to the airport, and many hotels in these areas offer airport shuttles.
- Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center, Hugo-Eckener-Ring 15, +49 69 69770. There is another Sheraton in Frankfurt-Niederrad, so make sure which one you book.
- Hilton Airport Hotel, The Squaire, 60549 Frankfurt am Main (Long Distance train station Frankfurt Airport), +49 69-26012000, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 2 PM, check-out: noon. New hotel next to the airport and the usual perks. Small rooms but walking distance to check-in and nice restaurant. from €99.
- Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport, The Squaire, +49 69 45002500.
- InterCityHotel Frankfurt-Airport, Am Luftbrückendenkmal 1, +49 69 697099. Accessible from the airport via a bus transfer. From 60€ (booked in advance).
Other nearby hotels
- Meininger Hotel Airport, Bessie-Coleman-Straße 11, +49 69 95797965. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. Within walking distance of the airport Terminal 1 90€ in hotel, from 50€ (booked in advance), quad rooms from 60€ (booked in advance).
- Steigenberger Airport Hotel, Unterschweinstiege 16,, +49 69 69752426.
- Park Inn by Radisson Frankfurt Airport Hotel, Amelia-Mary-Earhart-Straße 10, +49 69 9002760.
- Element Frankfurt Airport, De-Saint-Exupéry-Straße 6, +49 69 365065400.
Niederrad
Many hotels billed as "Frankfurt Airport" are in the district of Frankfurt-Niederrad between the airport and city proper.
- Holiday Inn Hotel Frankfurt Airport North, Isenburger Schneise 40 (Frankfurt-Süd), +49 69-67-84-0.
- Motel One Frankfurt Airport (Niederrad), Colmarer Straße 2 (Frankfurt-Niederrad), +49 69-6605360.
- NH Frankfurt Niederrad, Lyoner Straße 5 (Frankfurt-Niederrad), +49 69-666080.
- Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel - Niederrad, Lyoner Straße 44-48 (Frankfurt-Niederrad). Do not mistake this hotel and the other Sheraton at the airport itself.
Airport services
Shopping
There are ATMs scattered around the airport, with several in the check-in and arrivals concourse.
There are a number of fashion shops, newsagents and a pharmacy in Terminal 1 landside, level 2 concentrated in area B and towards A. On level 0 is a new shopping area including a supermarket. As this is the only place possible to shop on a Sunday in the area, also a useful place for emergency purchases. There are the typical duty free and luxury shops airside of Terminal 1 in areas B and Z.
- Falke, Terminal 1, Shopping Boulevard, B, +49 69 697 06871. 06:00-21:00. The shop sells exclusive socks and high-quality underwear.
- Lufthansa WorldShop. Don't know what to do with all those miles you earned with Miles&More? Don't feel like an award ticket? You can spend your miles on travelling gear, Lufthansa-related gadgets and some other cool stuff while at the airport. You can also pay in Euros or by a combination of Euros and miles.
Internet, Comunication
Wireless Internet access is available from Telekom. You get 24 hours of free internet (renewable every 24 hours) by filling a simple form with your name and e-mail address. This information is not checked, so any combination of numbers and letters will suffice. Broadband access can be obtained from other providers (for a fee).