Frankfurt Main Airport Passenger Reviews and Frankfurt Airport Customer Opinions

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I arrived with the ICE from Cologne and thought I would have enough time to work a little before departure. But then I had to pass security in Terminal 1, which is centralized for the A-gates. It took me 27 minutes even though the line was not extremely long and they do a good job in queue management by channelling passengers to the various check lines. Also, I always feel that the air is good and it feels a little too hot - anyway not a comfortable atmosphere. This time I was lucky departing from gate A18, which is not too long of a walk. On other occasions I had Gate 42 and this took a really long walk.

Great Airport, modern, clean, lots of shopping possibilities, clear signs and friendly staff. However, very long walks and often no moving walkways.

Missed connections seem to be more common at FRA than at other airports of this size. Signage was good in some places, extremely poor in others, but other notifications are sorely lacking. I experienced a gate change with no announcement made over the PA nor at the original gate (they admitted they only indicate this in the electronic system which you must walk up to and enter you flight number or scan your boarding pass), and hence missed the boarding call. They claimed they called my name throughout the airport, but I doubt it was throughout since it is incredibly difficult to miss the loud announcements. Security staff, as previously mentioned, were anything but courteous. Long distances and multiple checkpoints make short connections nearly impossible between airlines. Free Wifi is only available if you have a mobile phone that has international roaming allowing you to receive an SMS message. Clean bathrooms and premises, decent food choices (though pricey as all airport food is), but if you're trying to make a connection then choose another airport.

I arrived early morning from Miami and I had some extra time at the airport. A terminal one is very big and walking distances may be very long. Passport control between Schengen and non-Schengen areas was a breeze as I was the only passenger in the whole area. Arrival gate was of course some Z-gate far away and I followed signs to my next flights departure gate. Quiet border control, but I had almost the same distance to walk back to Lufthansa lounge, and then back to the gate. Always look for signs carefully as they may be a shorter route, but it was a refreshing trek after a long flight.

Having had a disastrous experience on my last trip to Africa connecting through the Paris CDG airport (the security personnel were the worst that I have ever encountered), I decided to try this time the Frankfurt airport. I was very pleasantly surprised. The airport was very well labelled so it was no problem finding the terminal for my connecting flight. The security lines were quite short, the personnel manning these were very pleasant and helpful. The bathrooms were extremely clean and the food stalls had lots of interesting things to try. Frankfurt takes my vote over Paris or London for connections through Europe.

My experiences of FRA mirror those of Jan Willems, see post dated 27 Feb 2013. I travel through FRA almost monthly and while I can forgive the poor layout of the airport and expensive food, the security personnel are the worst I have seen. As Jan said of security; "horrible attitude, slow, intimidating, no consideration for travellers on tight connection. I don't expect to be treated like a celebrity but a minimum of respect and decency would not be outplayed". There is nothing I need to add to that! All other staff have been friendly and helpful, but the security personnel definitely need some training to remind them they are dealing with ordinary people going about their business, not convicts in a prison.

USA to FRA on 23 February 2013, FRA is an unholy mess. Flight landed 5 minutes early, plane then taxied for many minutes before unloading passengers onto tarmac at remote part of airport. We then boarded buses for trip to terminal, which took many more minutes. Unloaded at terminal B, had to go through full security scan then. Once through, had to navigate many corridors to find our departure gate. Everything took far too long and we missed our flight. Airport itself is worn and tired, bathrooms very small and old, limited food options past security. Everything about airport was worn and dingy.

Recent transit through Frankfurt excellent, security helpful, friendly and professional even though I needed additional screening, they provided a plastic bag so my liquids would not be confiscated, passport control fast and efficient. Duty free very expensive, but there is a cheap grocery store stocked with chocolate and other German foods at the normal prices downstairs near the rail terminal. Showers are expensive at €9 and restaurants are very costly. Overall, I don't mind Frankfurt for a connection.

Passing through FRA nearly every month, while in general just OK, security staff is just the worst I came across globally. Especially the small team checking entry from non-Schengen into Schengen close to gates B1-12 have a horrible attitude, slow, intimidating, no consideration fro travellers on tight connection. I don't expect to be treated like a celebrity but a minimum of respect and decency would not be outplayed.

I nearly missed my connection because of their passport control being understaffed. Check in was slow for some unknown reason. The airport is OK for food, drink and the usual facilities. I'd advise that you give yourself plenty of time for your flight.

Arrival by train at the long-distance train station. Check-in at the airline counters there. Within 30 mins I was at the gate. Easy, if you know your way. Remember it belongs to one of the biggest airports in the world referring to passenger traffic and most flights are handled at one terminal (1) with four piers.

Little consideration to weary travelers. No free internet anywhere, very few places to sit down and relax while waiting for flight connections. Sure, they have chairs, but nothing comfortable, certainly nothing where you can attempt to sleep. The restaurants are extremely expensive and of poor food quality.

Bizarrely designed airport that grew from an earlier, not very rationally conceived labyrinth to its present colossus of corridors - be prepared to encounter others like yourself wandering lost, out in the outback areas of the connecting hallways. Don't ask security for directions, they're just there to provide the discipline. One rushes from arrival to departure gate and finds almost an hour has gone by, and suddenly you are once again required to go through security. Once they locate your luggage, you may be able to get it in a day or two.

Had to transfer through this airport and I must say it was one of the worst I have ever transferred through! I found the layout of the airport to be like a maze and the security to be the slowest I have ever been through, there seemed to be no sense of urgency with them and it seemed to by vastly under staffed. On the same trip I transferred back through Munich which was a far better layout and well staffed.

No airbridges for British Airways so bussed off and on BA Flights when I have connected there to Qantas and SriLankan airlines recently. Long queues and appalling security staff - rude and uninterested. German efficiency - you must be joking! What is more it has not improved over the last 18 months and one wonders if the German Authorities care about what impression they are giving the world.

Long queue at baggage drop off because of lack of staff. Be ready for worse at security, again understaffed and under-equipped. Then prepare yourself for a long march to your gate to find out either that the gate just closed or that instead of the 3 available entries just 1 is open. If you arrive and want to get your baggage, be prepared for a long walk. No need to hasten, though, as it will take ages for baggage to be delivered. Count 2 hours for a speedy operation. In short: avoid Frankfurt whenever possible.

This airport has been upgraded and its improved a lot. Hot water for tea and coffee FOC. Walk way to international gates is far but there are travelators. Security is tight but fast. Rest rooms are not sufficient.

Transferring airlines is awful at this airport. I arrived from Heathrow and had 2.5 hour transit and 95% of that time was used to try and find an open transfer desk (we went to 4 desks and most were closed and then was told to go to the gate where our boarding pass would be issued contrary to the advice we were originally given. We just made it to our connecting flight. Long hikes, poor layout and no one around when we arrived to assist us for directions. Frankfurt airport should learn from Changi and Hong Kong airports.

Worst queues for check in that I have ever endured. We got our boarding passes from the self-service machine for the 10.40 Lufthansa flight to Manchester then queued for almost an hour until, at 10.10, we reached the check in counter only to be told that it was too late to get on our flight. Got switched to 16.15 flight and given 30 euros food/drink vouchers. No apology from check in staff, just a denial that they were understaffed or too slow.

There are some very negative comments posted here. Sadly, I have to agree with most of them. I passed through a couple of times in December. A lot of walking is required. I am not sure that this is because it is big terminal, it may just be that it is not logically laid out. As many have complained. The queues or security can be incredibly long and the staff seem to work very slowly. I also had some problems with the poor signs - that adds to the distance you have to walk after back tracking a few times. Finally, the LH business lounges are pretty poor. So all in all, not a very good experience and well behind what the likes of Heathrow is offering.

Plane arrived late from LHR but there might just have been time to catch my connecting flight to Warsaw Chopin had there not been long queues at security and a long distance between the gates. Not just long queues, but what must be the most badly organised security checks I've been through. Not enough trays, very slow scanning and a body search involving taking your shoes away for a few minutes by officious and disinterested staff. Must have run half a mile to the gate be told that the flight had just closed and to go to the another long queue at the Lufthansa desk to rebook. No room on the next flight so had a 3 hour wait. Chopin, LHR and Dusseldorf (which I returned through) all worked like Swiss watches by comparison.

I had a connecting flight at Frankfurt bound to SFO on Dec 9, 2012. Flight was cancelled last minute along with 350 other flights. There were no PA announcements or direction where to go and what to do for rebooking. Lines were forming everywhere, but not clear for what. After 8 hours waiting for hotel/taxi voucher some people manage to go to a hotel but for the most there was no hotel and had to stay on the line until the check ins reopen for booking at the next day at 5.30 am. This was the case for everyone, no priority for families with kids or elderly. On the next morning Dec 10th seemed as Frankfurt airport got it together. We managed to catch a flight, but I want to leave a very strong message here that If Frankfurt/Lufthansa want to stand for a premier airport/airline there is a need to review its procedures and policies. Frankfurt airport was not a safe place to be at on Dec 9th.

FRA is getting progressively worse, with really long distances to walk after being bussed to Terminal 2 from a remote stand. The terminal is dark and gloomy with long queues and little distraction in the way of shops/entertainment. Not a patch on T5 at Heathrow.

I do not understand what everyone has against FRA. I feel that the signposting is fine, security staff is friendly and cues never too long, even the staff at bars and restaurants are actually quite nice. Parking is easy just as is checking-in. Really, compared to CDG or LHR for instance, this airport is better.

Very long hikes on the airport! Came from Japan with transfer to Oslo. Missed the OSL left the lounge to late. Took about 20 mins to gate! No calls are made so pay close attention to the screens, which do not warn that the gate is closing. Avoid this airport use MUC instead, much better airport.

Although I arrived on time from Singapore, I missed my flight connection to Amsterdam because the queues at security were extremely long and slow and the person from security services didn't allow me on the available fast lane through security, although I had only 20 minutes left to boarding time. After more than 35 minutes queuing I finally made my way through security, then had to run down the long alleys with my hand luggage to show up at the gate 15 minutes before departure. But as they use buses at some of the gates to transfer you to the airplane, the buses had already left and the gate for Amsterdam was closed. Lufthansa made my day again by booking me on the next available flight 2 hours later, but Frankfurt airport didn't do a good job here: this really was unnecessary. So in case you need to travel via Frankfurt and you have the choice between connecting flights, then take your time to save yourself the hassle as the personnel might not help you.

A curate's egg of an airport, offering a mixture of the excellent and the unsatisfactory. There is a lot of trekking involved, especially in the connections between Terminal 2 and the DB railway station. This station is very handy if you're using Terminal 1, but getting to and from Terminal 2 involves a bus shuttle, for which you can wait a long time outside the building with minimal shelter. The buses used have not been well adapted for pax carrying heavy or bulky luggage. The bus journey itself takes between 5-8 minutes, according to direction of travel. Surely there's a better way.

This must be the worst airport in Western Europe. Arrived from Abu Dhabi heading for Chicago and had a 3 hour layover. Needed almost every minute of it to get through the airport. The airport is confusing, has long walks, is cold, has unhelpful staff and is in need to an upgrade. The interior tram was broken causing passengers to be re-routed by staff who didn't have a clue. An entire security section was malfunctioning and the doors were shut leaving passengers stuck outside the area. Eventually we were sent to many different lines and waited in confusion, only to be redirected time and time again. Does anything or anyone work at this airport?

The airport has confusing check-in counters and boarding gates since that all use the same alphabets. Some domestic flights like Niki air, were not updated on the flights main board and information staff were not all that helpful. Overall, a terrible experience.

Transferred from Anchorage on Condor to Manchester on Lufthansa, both Terminal 1. After disembarking, had the longest bus ride ever, about 20 minutes, and then walked about 2 miles between drop-off and gate. Signage a bit confusing. Went upstairs then downstairs again! Although we were in transit we had to go through security yet again with quite a long queue. Only just made our call despite layover being nearly 2 hours. At least our luggage arrived okay! Never again if we can help it.

Went through yesterday for a connection from a Budapest to Manchester (UK). Landed in A and took off from B. Dreadful experience. I don't consider myself disabled, but I do have a rheumatic disorder which makes walking long distances without a break difficult. I had an hour for transfer, and only just made my flight on the last call, and that was walking without a break, and walking fast down the moving walkways. It's as well there were no queues at security as I would have missed my connecting flight. It will take several days to recover. I will avoid Frankfurt in future.

This was the first time I travelled through Frankfurt with our new baby. It really hit home how family- unfriendly the airport is. I spent most of my time in the Z gate area, but travelled there from the B gate area. When travelling, we put our baby in a regular sized stroller. Apparently to stop people from using carts on certain lifts and moving walkways, the Frankfurt airport has installed barriers. Unfortunately, unless you're using a very thin umbrella stroller, you are blocked by the same barriers put up to block luggage carts. My wife and I had to lift our stroller over a high barrier simply to get to the elevators allowing us to travel from B gate to Z gate. Not helpful! Another family unfriendly aspect of Frankfurt airport is the location of the ubiquitous Camel Smoking Rooms. If you want to light up, that's fine. But the Camel Smoking Rooms are located directly adjacent to the lifts. If you have a child, you know how important the lift is when you're using your stroller. Even though the rooms are ventilated, a lot of smoke and stench comes out. At Z gate there are two baby-rooms for changing and cleaning your baby. On my recent layover in Frankfurt, I stood outside one of the rooms for a very long time waiting for it to be unoccupied. Presently, a janitor came by who asked why I was waiting for a closed baby changing room. Astonished, I searched fervently for a sign mentioning that the room was not in service, and found none. I'm leaving out quite a few problems that were more adult oriented to simply focus on what could be improved for families. Move the Smoking Rooms away from lifts and baby rooms, and widen the cart barriers to allow strollers to pass.

SQ25 we had a stop over at FRA. The transit was unremarkable. No need to recheck through security, transit around B gate. Time for a snack and children playground. Easy. The SQ26 was different. This time we had to go a long route through connecting flight security with the long lines. Some passenger were confused because it looked like you were walking to the immigration area. Time consuming. T1 is clean with good transit facilities. Constructing has stopped and that makes things much better.

Transferred twice at Terminal 1. The ceilings were low, seating area was plentiful but it felt cramped otherwise. Some of the bathrooms were awful, although luckily, I found a decent one (which wasn't clean still) near the gate which was tucked away, so there was less traffic which meant better condition. Gate area had a nice little restaurant which offered decent options, and a shop with souvenir items, some snacks and drinks. Second return was a horrible experience. Security was chaotic, low ceilings once again made it feel really cramp. Plus side is that the security agents were efficient, polite and friendly. Good signage though, both English and German. I will try to avoid FRA in the future, especially Terminal 1.

Recently transited LIS-FRA-MEX. I had an 1 hour to transfer and I hated the long distances, the dreadful "rainbow tunnel" and the stairs connecting the Schengen with the non-Schengen area. I was lucky and I found no people at migration queue, otherwise I could have missed my flight. Waiting lounge was crowded and claustrophobic, restrooms in bad conditions. Boarding was chaotic. On the good side, staff are polite and always try to help you. This is an airport to be avoided, better try MUC, AMS or ZHR which are excellent.

Flew through Frankfurt twice in last month for connecting flights. A reasonably nice airport experience other than the prices, over 9 euros for a small bottle of water and packet of Pringles. Outrageous. Positive, smoking rooms. If LHR wants to stay ahead of the game as a transit airport it seriously needs to consider if people would perhaps choose other routes if they fancy a smoke in transit. All the main transit airports in Europe and the Far East have them, Singapore having one that is actually outside surrounded by butterflies!

Recently flew through FRA with Lufthansa from SFO and then connecting to Budapest. I am not sure if the whole airport was like this but the 2 Lufthansa terminals I was in were terrible. I have flown through FRA on other airlines in the past and have had much better memories. You would think that the home airline (Lufthansa) would have the best terminal facilities but that is definitely not the case here.

Had no problems negotiating this airport in transit from Dublin to Bangkok. I was pleasantly surprised. Just like another reviewer said follow the signs, it's not rocket science and we reached at our next gate with ease and in plenty of time. Some people seem to complain about the most minute niggles, I has the same experience after reading reviews of Mumbai airport, only to find yet again transfers were smooth. Having travelled through many airports Frankfurt was one of the more pleasant journeys.

Great experience. I put it down to being well prepared and reading in advance the do's and don'ts and tips. Flew in 6pm from Seoul terminal B. Long walk but if an overweight 60 yr old woman travelling solo can, then anyone can! Next flight was 7.55am next day. Went to check in and got my own boarding pass and Checked bags in that night while it was quieter and had overnight bag. Next morning at peak time I did not have to queue and it was smooth through security. Through the whole experience I stopped and asked if I didn't know where to go or what to do. I approached with a smile and an 'excuse me' and I received courteous service.

Recently we had to transfer through Frankfurt airport and it was a very frustrating experience. I will never do that again! The airport itself is very confusing, no help from staff, few seating areas and you are running from one end to another. If you don't have your boarding pass for your transfer you have to go through a line-up for passport control, go out of the security area to be sent from one counter to another. After you get your boarding pass, you have to go back through another line-up to passport control, then another to security check and we still had to line up to the gate for boarding pass check and another line-up for actual boarding. Not something you want to do after 9 hours of travel.

For a modern European airport hub this airport falls very short - reminds me more of a hospital with no lighting or color anywhere just grey cement and flooring. Arrived from DEL to transfer to IAH, spent endless time walking with no shops anywhere. Arrived at terminal C and there is one duty free shop before security. After security and TSA pre-screening there is nothing but gates. The lounge for he A380 is a joke - worst I have seen anywhere for C class passengers. Many parts of the airport need repair with cords hanging from ceiling throughout. For a better experience try T5 at LHR or even CDG.

Arriving from BKK, passport checking and security check in Transit took almost two hours. Very unfriendly staff. Being even more late now, we were running for 20 minutes to our gate (it was changed shortly before). Lufthansa staff told us the flight had boarded. Transfer Desk staff very helpful and managed to get us on next flight. FRA is a very big airport, with long walking distances, few facilities but lots of unfriendly staff. We will avoid FRA and Lufthansa in the future.

We arrived at Frankfurt airport having been delayed for two hours by the crew of our Lufthansa flight being "stuck in traffic" (strangely none of the passengers had the same experience). We were told by the flight crew as we landed that we should contact the ground staff for further information on connecting flights. Unfortunately there were no staff to be found to provide the said information in arrivals. We had very few minutes to spare to catch our connecting flight to Brazil and so made our way to the relevant gate with great haste. There were no queues through security but the rudeness of the security staff was quite unbelievable. Two of our group were told to take our bags into a side room for further search. It was explained to the staff that we were about to miss our flight. This had the effect of making them slower. Swabs were taken of the bags and then they walked away leaving the bags open and not saying anything. When we enquired whether we could now go, a shrug indicated that we could. After charging through the airport as fast as our legs would carry us we made the flight as the doors were closing. Unfortunately, our suitcases didn't make the journey. Thanks to Tam airlines, they did catch up with us 3 days later. I will avoid Frankfurt in future.

Although a busy Saturday morning quick LH-baggage drop and no wait at security check. Part of new A+ terminal recently opened - nice, fresh looks, spacious and much improved restrooms. Ample seating at gate in the "old" A-terminal, on-time departure and upon arrival on the following day a mere 15 minute wait for the baggage from the time leaving the plane - even though the plane was parked on an apron position.

Just recently transferred through FRA and was amazed at the difference in staff attitudes - people were either friendly or went out of their way to be nice. While the airport's layout can't be changed and is a negative, the improvement in staff attitude has made this a much more pleasant airport for transfers.

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