Purposeful slowdown at Frankfurt security line?
Jul 30, 2019, 4:42 am
#151
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,733
Have transited through Frankfurt dozens of times in the past but last week actually originated for the first time from there.
90 mins to pass through security - and that was in Fast Track!
I asked one of the workers if there was a strike and she just said it was normal at weekends.
Probably the worst security experience I have encountered in Europe.
Is it really normal?
90 mins to pass through security - and that was in Fast Track!
I asked one of the workers if there was a strike and she just said it was normal at weekends.
Probably the worst security experience I have encountered in Europe.
Is it really normal?
Last weekend was the first weekend of the summer holidays in Bavaria and probably one of the busiest weekends at FRA this year.
Jul 30, 2019, 5:50 am
#152
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
Programs: *A Gold (A3), HHonor Gold
Posts: 5,701
An account of Twitter from @gilbertaue recount his security experience this morning at the Z gates: every single bag was sent to secondary. So in addition to the usual low performance of FRA they are dealing with a broken machine that beep for every bag.
Jul 30, 2019, 8:56 am
#154
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ASIA
Programs: TK Elite, ALL Plus Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,530
An account of Twitter from @gilbertaue recount his security experience this morning at the Z gates: every single bag was sent to secondary. So in addition to the usual low performance of FRA they are dealing with a broken machine that beep for every bag.
The fact that they can't multitask.
The fact that while unpacking a passengers bag, all others have to wait.
The fact that instead of admitting something is wrong with THEIR machine, they pull apart your stuff, and then highlight to you how the lip balm from the airline should be placed seperately into a transparent bag.
Data point: this was at 6:15am in the morning. No queue at all.
It took us 40mins to clear. So basically from putting our stuff on the Xray conveyor to repacking our dissected bag, took 40mins!! (because we had to wait for pax in front of us to go through police supervision luggage checks, and then it was us).
Jul 30, 2019, 9:54 am
#155
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Stoke on Trent, UK (MAN ), BUE, BKK, DBV
Programs: LH HON***,UA,BA.EK Gold,AV.
Posts: 11,662
Jul 30, 2019, 10:01 am
#156
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Stoke on Trent, UK (MAN ), BUE, BKK, DBV
Programs: LH HON***,UA,BA.EK Gold,AV.
Posts: 11,662
Originally Posted by worldclubber;31358094[left
Last weekend was the first weekend of the summer holidays in Bavaria and probably one of the busiest weekends at FRA this year.
Jul 30, 2019, 1:00 pm
#158
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,733
Jul 30, 2019, 1:18 pm
#159
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: UA*G(1K), PC Diamond Amb, Marriott Titanium, Accor Platinum
Posts: 4,671
Frankfurt can be quick or slow. On slow days you can really see how they go through every bag, which can take a lot of time because there's only one person checking the bags at a given time. So you wait in line and the process backs up. Those are probably the days where they're tipped off about some undercover checks, I would imagine.
HTB.
HTB.
Jul 31, 2019, 12:07 am
#160
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
One thing I noticed in MUC is that the nude-o-scope scanner is getting worse and worse. While waiting for my turn I observed every second pax was being detected for something... either it was some gum in the pocket, a hankerchief, etc. Many did n't know how to stand in the deector, nor when to hold still.Of course everybody in line has to wait for the person to be manually checked. Super annoying. In BSL, LLA, ARN and HEL they had old metal detectors that seemed lightning speed in comparison.
A few weeks ago I had to strip in the private cabin at FRA; I actually had the police involved and they were really supportive, and the women who forced me to remove my shirt and my skirt and drop my underwear were actually almost in tears when they saw my post-cancer treatment body. Everyone felt really bad I think, and quite sincerely, and hopefully will be a bit more understanding of other passengers with similar situations. I have no shame, and if it makes them step back a bit and think next time, I am happy to lift my shirt and remove clothing to show them what lies beneath...
Aug 4, 2019, 7:39 am
#161
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Stoke on Trent, UK (MAN ), BUE, BKK, DBV
Programs: LH HON***,UA,BA.EK Gold,AV.
Posts: 11,662
Transited in A , from a clean origin but it’s FRA so transit security was required...... diligently put all my carry on items into 3 separate trays, 2 got pulled for a detailed search...I asked why ??? Computer says NO 
machines are still not working FRAPORT
machines are still not working FRAPORT
Aug 10, 2019, 4:20 am
#162
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: A3*G
Posts: 114
Important thread, certainly alerted me to watch out on my upcoming trip to FRA. Having said that, the complaint-to-advice ratio in here seems to be slightly suboptimal.
Is FRA complex? Probably, but so are FFPs, and this site is all about taking advantage of complex FFPs when most others wouldn't. So do the same when navigating FRA! FRA has not been my home airport for some years now, so not all information/terminology may be current, but I hope some of this will be helpful.
To begin with, use the FRA app before you even start your journey to the airport. The app provides waiting time information, and you can plan which checkpoint(s) to use based on this information. It would be nice if someone more current on FRA could comment on the accuracy of waiting time information.
The most obvious strategies to optimize checkpoint waiting times involve T1 only, starting with using Concourse B west vs. east (I believe west is right, east left if facing security). If the app states a difference in waiting times between these two, you know which one to use (I suppose even though waiting times are for regular queues, they are also indicative of priority queues on a relative basis). If B is longer than A, go to A and then make your way back to B once airside. As someone upthread pointed out, there are ways to play with security in Z (upper vs lower level; you may need status for this). Quite a few security checkpoints in T1, and you can navigate your way to any other T1 section airside once you've cleared any security checkpoint.
If waiting times are predicted to be very long at all T1 security checkpoints, using T2/the skyline may be an option (don't know if this still works). Years ago, you could get to T2 via skyline (landside), go through passport control into non-Schengen, take the skyline back to T1 (all the way to A IIRC), get out and go through security right upon leaving the skyline, usually with no queues, and then back through passport control to get into A Schengen. This, of course, also took some time, but would normally be much faster than the extreme waiting times experienced by some on here - and in any case, if I have the choice between being stuck in a queue for one hour and doing the skyline thing, I'd rather do the latter even if it takes the same amount of time.
Is FRA complex? Probably, but so are FFPs, and this site is all about taking advantage of complex FFPs when most others wouldn't. So do the same when navigating FRA! FRA has not been my home airport for some years now, so not all information/terminology may be current, but I hope some of this will be helpful.
To begin with, use the FRA app before you even start your journey to the airport. The app provides waiting time information, and you can plan which checkpoint(s) to use based on this information. It would be nice if someone more current on FRA could comment on the accuracy of waiting time information.
The most obvious strategies to optimize checkpoint waiting times involve T1 only, starting with using Concourse B west vs. east (I believe west is right, east left if facing security). If the app states a difference in waiting times between these two, you know which one to use (I suppose even though waiting times are for regular queues, they are also indicative of priority queues on a relative basis). If B is longer than A, go to A and then make your way back to B once airside. As someone upthread pointed out, there are ways to play with security in Z (upper vs lower level; you may need status for this). Quite a few security checkpoints in T1, and you can navigate your way to any other T1 section airside once you've cleared any security checkpoint.
If waiting times are predicted to be very long at all T1 security checkpoints, using T2/the skyline may be an option (don't know if this still works). Years ago, you could get to T2 via skyline (landside), go through passport control into non-Schengen, take the skyline back to T1 (all the way to A IIRC), get out and go through security right upon leaving the skyline, usually with no queues, and then back through passport control to get into A Schengen. This, of course, also took some time, but would normally be much faster than the extreme waiting times experienced by some on here - and in any case, if I have the choice between being stuck in a queue for one hour and doing the skyline thing, I'd rather do the latter even if it takes the same amount of time.
Aug 23, 2019, 12:50 am
#164
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
Programs: *A Gold (A3), HHonor Gold
Posts: 5,701
A security this morning: three lanes open, two for economy and one for fast track. As you can imagine the waiting time were quite long. And one more time there was a staff member, manning the nudoscope refusing the speak English to foreign customers, thus adding time and confusion to the process.
I talked to a supervisor of Frasec and did not write down a single thing nor let me filled a complaint form.
Staff at LH SEN lounge blasé with the situation it seemed.
I talked to a supervisor of Frasec and did not write down a single thing nor let me filled a complaint form.
Staff at LH SEN lounge blasé with the situation it seemed.
Aug 25, 2019, 7:02 am
#165
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YOW
Programs: TK*S, SPG Gold
Posts: 714
Is schengen security always awful? I went through a few weeks ago and it was a zoo to put it mildly. Nobody was controlling the lines and security was incredibly slow. Thought maybe it was labour action for a moment. There ended up being a borderline riot/stampede. People started pushing through the line from the back so they wouldn't miss their flight. Those of us with young kids in tow had to make sure they weren't trampled. I ended up flagging down the Polizei but even they didn't seem to do anything about it. People were yelling at the security screeners. Overall, a very ugly situation and one that will make me try to avoid this airport in the future.
And this was the security line for business and first!
The worst part was that the guy who started the whole ordeal who was going to "miss his flight" was spotted in the LH panorama lounge by my wife three hours later!
And this was the security line for business and first!
The worst part was that the guy who started the whole ordeal who was going to "miss his flight" was spotted in the LH panorama lounge by my wife three hours later!