Reinvention

Hello All,

I'm sorry if this has been covered recently, I did a few searches but couldn't find an answer.

I booked some holiday tickets for my family from LAX to DUS via FRA. The leg from Frankfurt to Dusseldorf is with the Deutsche Bahn. Our final destination is actually closer to Frankfurt, so not only would the train ride to Dusseldorf make the travel longer - so would the car ride. Adding an unnecessary 5+ hours of travel.

My question is, do we collect our luggage at Frankfurt Airport before boarding the train and could we leave the airport and skip the train ride to Dusseldorf? Before I book a car reservation at Frankfurt Airport I want to make sure our luggage won't automatically be transferred to the train on its way to Dusseldorf.

Alternatively, we need to do the same route for our return flight home - Dusseldorf via train to Frankfurt then Frankfurt flight to LAX. Is it possible for us to simply check-in at Frankfurt Lufthansa terminal? Will they require some sort of proof of train-ride and/or will they allow us to book our one-bag-per-person at the check-in terminal?

The savings with booking Dusseldorf as the final destination was significant ($~1,500) for the our party of three. Ultimately it is worth the ten additional hours of travel if need be but being the holidays and all - it would be nicer to see more of the family longer.

I know, cake and eating it too.

Many thanks

ralfkrippner

You'll receive your luggage with luggage tags to Dusseldorf via AiRail, at the FRA airport long distance train station in the area of "AiRail Checkin" and would have to schlepp it down to the tracks and into the train yourself anyhow.

For your return you should do an online checkin and then go to the same area to check in your luggage for your flights back home.

As your train will probably stop in between FRA and DUS at stations like Siegburg and Köln Deutz, you would be able to exit the train before arrival at DUS, which could be a good option closer to your destination. On the return you can do the same with your online BP originating at DUS. Information on your stops can be accessed via bahn.de - switch to english - search for connection Düsseldorf HbF to Frankfurt Airport, find the train with your exact departure and arrival time regarding your flight itinerary, click onto train number and see all stops.

LondonElite

There is no 'proof of rail journey' concept on the AiRail the way there is with airlines only. You are best served with OLCI, as noted above.

Reinvention

Wonderful - Thank you both very much. This is great news!

Our destination is just outside of Trier west of Frankfurt and it looks like the train will go northwest through Koblenz/Cologne. Koblenz would be a good idea but I think the fewer changes would be best for my mother.

RalfKrippner - to clarify: when we get off the plane we will pass through customs/luggage claim and exit into Terminal 1. Then I will go from Terminal 1 to the Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Fernbahnhof to collect our luggage at the AiRail terminal (Fernbahnhof), bring them back to Terminal 1 and collect our rental car and be on our way - correct?

I presume there must be some security/customs check-points we'd need to pass through after collecting our luggage from the Fernbahnhof baggage claim area - is that correct? Which likely means my mother will need to be present for that, otherwise I'd prefer she rest in Terminal 1 while my wife and I collect the luggage.

And to reiterate: we would the same in reverse - we park our rental, bring our luggage to the AiRail Checkin at the Flughafen Fernbahnhof (identical place where we picked them up?) - which should automatically be transferred onto our plane - then proceed to go through security at Terminal 1 with our pre-printed boarding passes and proceed to our gate.

The Uebersichtsplan T1 and T2 map is oriented from South to North (upside down) and is a little confusing! I see the baggage claim at the long-distance train level... It's been a while since I got off the plane in Frankfurt.

Thank you both so much - this is a huge relief. Going to book the rental car now.

Palal

All correct
No, no security checkpoints.

You can check the luggage in anywhere, including the main counters. Just be sure to do OLCI so that you are checked in for the railway journey.
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ralfkrippner

There are indeed customs officers present at the baggage claim area of the AiRail area and they erected two rather silly portals in red and green which you have to pass with your luggage in the roped off area. As long as there is luggage left to be collected you'd have to expect a customs officer nearby.

tiffany4u

Hi,

I think I got a similar question!

I bought a ticket to Stuttgart, however the flight arrival time is 05:30am, and the connecting AIRail train is 13:50, I don't want to wait that long, I want to skip it and take bus to Mannheim (the place actually I have to go) directly.

My question is, will LH count me as a no-show and cancel the rest of my itinerary?

The boarding pass and train ticket will be given when I check-in? So for the inbound, as long as I can collect my luggage and they won't check if I occupy my seat, it should be OK?

For the outbound, question is.... Check-IN should be made at Stuttgart AlRail station?? If i skip that and go Frankfurt Airport check in and get my boarding pass directly, then they will know I didn't take the train, and cancel my ticket???

So for the outbound, I can't skip Stuttgart?

Anyone experienced same situation and can help??

Billions Thanks!!

ralfkrippner

Upon arrival in FRA early morning go to the AiRail counter (follow signs for Terminal T which is the long distance train station) and ask if you can take an earlier train with your boarding pass - sometimes they will rebook you without charge. The train also stops in Mannheim and you can leave the train there. Remember that you have to collect your luggage labeled for ZWS (Stuttgart train station) in FRA at the AiRail area and take it with you onto the train by yourself.

Nothing will happen, if you don't take the booked train to Stuttgart but instead use another form of transportation or buy a separate train ticket to Mannheim for an earlier train. Train connections will be at least once per hour nonstop between FRA Flughafen Fernbahnhof and Mannheim. Bus might be a few Euros cheaper but (especially with luggage) a bit less comfortable.

For your journey back to FRA you'll have to check in for your return flights before checkin deadline of your train to Frankfurt. You can do that online up to 23h before or in person at the AiRail area in Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. Again nobody will cancel your ticket if you're not sitting on your seat - you could have been to the restroom or the restaurant area... ;-)
But you HAVE TO BE CHECKED IN for the whole trip before the deadline. Checking in in FRA only without prior online checkin for the trip will result in problems or cancellation.
If you do an online checkin you can also board the train just in Mannheim heading to FRA with your online BP.
Your luggage for the ongoing flight from FRA can then be left at the AiRail counter in FRA right at the train station.

Cargojon

I've traveled hundreds upon hundreds of km on the DB, and not once ever had anyone actually check my ticket. So as long as you're checked in you're fine.

linglingfool

I've traveled thousands upon thousands (!) of km, and cannot remember the last time my ticket was not checked on a long-distance service, like those that run between FRA and Mannheim. It's possible to travel on local or regional services and occasionally not have your ticket checked, but I certainly would not count upon it. (In fact, I recall stumbling onto a 5AM train toward Frankfurt from Mannheim on a Sunday many years ago, and even at that hour was awoken from my slumber by the conductor asking for my ticket.)

offerendum

Absolutely! At Long distance trains my ticket is always checked, often 2 times if crew changes. At "Regionalbahnen" the quot is around 70 %, at S-Bahnen it´s very rarely.

Cargojon

Nope, never, not once. S-Bahn, IC, ICE, local rail. Never been checked.

YMMV I guess.

offerendum

Really rare! Perhaps if you only go for one station but longer...

tiffany4u

Thank you very much for all of your detail information!! Which is very useful!!

Billions Thanks!!

:D!

I've travelled about 1000km on DB services my ticket has so far only been checked twice: once on an IC out of Berlin, and once on the S-Bahn from Dresden Airport at midnight. (I'm glad that I was first off the plane that time, because I had 30 seconds to buy my ticket; if I was a few rows back I would have risked not buying a ticket and if I was even further back, I would have missed the last train.)

In Berlin this summer my ticket was checked on the U-Bahn about 5 times within 3 hours, and each time several people were found to be ticketless.