Originally Posted by
NewbieRunner
The status of the old Z gates have been a little unclear. Sometimes FRA/LH tried to turn the whole of non-Schengen Z gate area into US bound passengers only area and prevented passengers not holding a BP on a US-bound flight from accessing the Tower Lounge. After the last US-bound flight departed they sometimes used Z gates for arrivals from the UK (non-Schengen but a 'clean' country).
I do remember sometime around 2009-2010 seeing little stickers added to the signs for the non-Schengen A gates (now Z11-25) that said "US Flug" with an American Flag above it. But, when I returned in 2011, it appeared most (if not all) of those stuck-on signage modifications were gone. I think the isolation of U.S.-bound flights in these upper-level A gates had something to do with the "enhanced security" required for U.S. bound flights (I also read somewhere that LH TLV-bound flights sometimes used these gates during that time as well... but I can't confirm). I do know it took the EU a bit longer than the US/UK to adopt stricter security protocols after 9/11... but, I don't know if what you and I recall was merely the result of an "interim" solution for U.S.-bound flights until all of FRA's checkpoints were "certified" (for lack of a better word) by TSA to meet standards required for U.S. departures.
Still, I've always arrived from the U.S. either into a B gate (deplaning upstairs into the non-Schengen area) or via BNS stand. I've always departed for the U.S. from an A (now Z) gate, though.
Back in 2004, I had occasion to fly LEJ-FRA-LHR, and I recall departing for Heathrow from a non-Schengen A gate (now Z gate)... back in the LH A300 era!
Originally Posted by
NewbieRunner
I think the 'A' suffix means the arrival level. Piers B and C do have arrival levels (or at least arrival corridors) but unlike Pier A+ it does not seem possible to separate arriving passengers from departing passengers completely.
Interesting. In fact, now that you mention it, I do recall deplaning once via jet bridge into a dedicated arrivals corridor, which must have been up on Level 3 of the B pier. For some reason I recall having direct access to departing non-Schengen flights off that corridor in other parts of B (the only required "check" being for those -- like me at that time -- passing through passport control to cross into the Schengen area of the terminal). But, my memory could be off... such is an occupational hazard for one who is always transiting FRA arrivals in the wee-hours after little sleep.
Originally Posted by
NewbieRunner
So if your flight from the US arrives at a B or a C gate, you cannot avoid transfer security if you have a connecting flight.
So, question: my next transit through will be DTW-FRA-IST (LH to TK). Hypothetically, if my DTW flight were to arrive in Z and I were to use the SkyTrain to connect over to B, would I avoid security entirely? I recall that there is a mandatory security check when you exit the SkyTrain in Z, but I've only taken it from B -> Z (or from B -> T2), so I never noticed if security is required for transit passengers in the secured car of the SkyTrain bound for B International departures from Z "clean NS" arrivals. (
hch's post referenced many times in this thread is a bit unclear to me specific to A International -> B International transit via SkyTrain... relative to other posts I have seen since.)