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Old Jul 29, 2013, 5:44 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: supine
Do I have entitlement to access the First Class Terminal (FCT) in FRA?
- Yes, if you are departing from FRA on a flight operated by LH/LX/OS, and at least one of the following is true:
  • The class of service on your departing flight from FRA is F.
  • You have arrived on a confirmed F segment on LH or LX metal, on the same day, even if the ticket of that F segment is different from the ticket of the segment from FRA.
  • You will be departing on a confirmed F segment on LH or LX metal, on the same day from a connecting station, and the ticket of that F segment is the same ticket as the segment from FRA. Separate tickets means you are not entitled to FCT access.
  • You hold HON status.
  • You are invited as a guest by someone who meets the above criteria, and you meet the requirements of a guest as discussed later in this FAQ.


But the LH website contradicts the above:"Access to the First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport is only possible with a confirmed same-day departing First Class flight on Lufthansa or SWISS. HON Circle Members may access the First Class Terminal with a same-day departing flight on Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian Airlines. Access to the First Class Terminal is not permitted for arriving passengers."

- The above has been on the web site for some time, and does not appear to be the actual policy, as many here attest from personal experience.

What are the opening times of the FCT?
- 0530 to 2200 daily

Where is it located?
- About 200 metres to the west of Terminal 1

If arriving in FRA on a LH operated flight in F, will I get a car transfer from the arriving flight?
- Ordinarily, no. However, if you hold HON status, you're arriving / departing from an apron position and your onward flight is operated by LH / LX / OS, LH aims to send a car to meet you from your arriving aircraft. See for more info. NB If you do get the car service on arrival, you will be driven to the main arrivals area and not the FCT, as this does not offer immigration and customs facilities for inbound passengers.

How do I get to the FCT in FRA?
- The First Class Terminal at Frankfurt is located close to Terminal 1. You can reach it by car via the access road to Terminal 1: the entrance to the First Class Terminal is off this road, approximately 200 metres before you get to Terminal 1. When arriving on public transport, the First Class Terminal is only a few minutes’ walk from Terminal 1.

Locations of Lufthansa lounges at Frankfurt Airport

The FCT is a departure terminal/lounge and is not meant for transfer pax. Transfer pax can use the FCLs located in the main terminal building which offer the same amenities as the FCT. There is no transfer or shuttle to the FCT. You can walk to the FCT, though.

If on departure level take the escalator down to arrival, walk out of the terminal and turn left. You will pass the bus shuttles to the airport hotels and taxis. Cross the street - whilst waking under the access road above to departures - you will see taxi divers' coffee shop to the right - and more taxis parked to your left. You will see the First Class Terminal across the street. Cross the street in front of the coffee shop, turn right and the First Class Terminal is on your left. Go through the automatic doors and take the elevator to the main reception area.

Pictorial guide may be found here.

If the FCT is not meant to be a transfer lounge then why do some people use it as such?
- Aside from the experience, there are practical reasons for you to consider using the FCT for a connection:
  • If you have a long layover, the FCT will be less crowded than the FCL B (but more crowded than the even newer FCL A by A13).
  • If your connection requires clearing passport controls, it is faster to do it at the FCT where you will surrender your passport upon admittance and get it back moments before you are driven to your plane. Presumably if immigration has questions they will deal with it while you are lounging in the FCT versus waiting until you depart for your plane. Note that permanent residents of the USA who are heading back to the USA from FRA or a connecting airport should also surrender their green card, but gently but firmly request it be returned quickly. The German immigration people don't need your green card, and LH only needs it to enter into the passenger record, so there is no reason why your personal assistant cannot return it to you soon after.
  • You do not have to waste time walking from the FCL to a gate position that is potentially more distant from the lounge than your arriving gate, or worse yet, is actually a bus to a plane parked at an apron position in the middle of the tarmac. You will leave the FCT after boarding starts and a driver will take you to the plane wherever it is.
  • If your plane is parked at a jetway, you will be whisked to the front of the line of pax boarding in the jetway, saving even more time.
  • If your connection requires going through security, you are guaranteed to have a much faster and gentler screening at the FCT than going through security in the main terminals, and if you are carrying valuables, the FCT checkpoint eliminates all angst about theft or forgetting them.


How many guests am I permitted in the FCT?
- One, assuming a lower cabin class and that they will be travelling on the same flight as you. If they also are confirmed to travel in F, they too will be entitled to a guest, meeting the same criteria
- Anyone with a confirmed segment in F is also entitled to bring in their spouse/partner and/or children, provided they are departing on the same flight, irrespective of the cabin class they are travelling in

I’m arriving on LH/LX/OS C and departing TG/SQ/etc. F, do I get in to the F terminal?
- No, but you will have access LH Senator (Star Alliance Gold) Lounges which are designated as First Class Lounges for Star Alliance carriers.

I'm arriving on TG/SQ/etc. F and departing on LH, Swiss, Austrian C do I get in to the FCT?
- Not unless you hold HON status, otherwise you will have access LH Business Lounges unlesss you hold Star Alliance Gold status and access to LH Senator (Star Alliance Gold) Lounges. Certain airlines (e.g. SQ) have arrangements for arriving F passengers to access LH Senator Lounges regardless of their status.

I’m arriving on any carrier in any cabin class and departing same day on LH/LX F do I get in to the FCT?
- Yes.

I'm arriving on LH / LX F and departing same day on another carrier in any cabin class, will I have access to the FCT?
- Yes, if your onward flight is operated by LH, Swiss or Austrian Airlines Group. Otherwise, you will only have access to the LH First Class Lounges or (if eligible) the lounge of the airline operating your onward flight.

What is the minimum connect time between flights in order to use the FCT?
- 90 mins is recommended, however some have observed that 60 mins is acceptable, while others still have got away with just 20 mins. Bear in mind, if in transit, that you will need to factor in the time between arrival and departure

Do I need to tip the staff in the FCT?
- According to LH policy, FCT staff are not allowed to accept gratuities.

What's the food like in the FCT?
- Well above the standard of anything you might expect from any airline in the air, a cut above lounge food of any other airline and equivalent to a smart restaurant in any major city

VAT Refund
- Yes, but there is a $75 trip fee and CC refund only.

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Old May 18, 2019, 7:25 am
  #4516  
 
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Originally Posted by SFO777
Utter nonsense. Your PA will call and customs agents will come.
Oh wow thx for that info Ill ask them next times but if it ain't euro75 minimum the nwhats the point in calling them I do all my tax free ZRH and connect to LH F thru Schleppsfurt aka Schwitzfurt
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Old May 18, 2019, 7:28 am
  #4517  
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Originally Posted by cbourl
... if it ain't euro75 minimum then whats the point in calling ...
Ding-ding-ding. Finally you make sense.
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Old May 18, 2019, 7:32 am
  #4518  
 
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Originally Posted by SFO777
Ding-ding-ding. Finally you make sense.
Ken Oath
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Old May 18, 2019, 8:30 am
  #4519  
 
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Originally Posted by cbourl
you aint flown thru Zuerich then! No smoking room ZRH E Gates Smoking room just in ZRH A Gates with lotsa Davidoff cigars - oh my word Lufti stopped their grates cigars in F Lounges and F Terminal
you were complaining about not being allowed to take a Glas outside in Munich or Frankfurt which both have smoking rooms...

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Old May 18, 2019, 8:31 am
  #4520  
 
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Originally Posted by SFO777
Ding-ding-ding. Finally you make sense.
thats really a stretch
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Old May 18, 2019, 4:53 pm
  #4521  
 
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Originally Posted by daumueller


you were complaining about not being allowed to take a Glas outside in Munich or Frankfurt which both have smoking rooms...

not in the SEN lounges at MUC i like lounge hopping
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Old May 18, 2019, 4:58 pm
  #4522  
 
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Originally Posted by cbourl
not in the SEN lounges at MUC i like lounge hopping
ok, now we‘re talking about SEN Lounges in the FCT
thread? I’m out...
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Old May 18, 2019, 5:07 pm
  #4523  
 
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no I just said i like to lounge hop -it gets kinda boring in LH FCT and MUC F lounges so I chec kout all the lounges They are def not LX F lounges where you have a luxurious hotel room to laze around in and watch the aircraft , or nice terraces to relax on , or nice dining areas with views of the airfield and surrounding forest, whiling away the time FCT is claustrophobic! Ill even chip in here that these lounges are nowhere near the level of Qatar Al Safwa First lounge ai Doha Hamad
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Old May 19, 2019, 9:56 am
  #4524  
 
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Read on One mile at a time, that they will stop using Merc for lounge transportation. So no more S-classes then 🤕

https://onemileatatime.com/lufthansa...ss%20Transfers
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Old May 19, 2019, 12:21 pm
  #4525  
 
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I've actually gotten bored of the S-Class and always looked forward to riding the Porsche instead. Glad that they're going full Porsche here.

Don't really care about the vans changing to VW. It's hard to get excited about those cars, Mercedes or not.
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Old May 19, 2019, 2:18 pm
  #4526  
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Originally Posted by sophialite
I've actually gotten bored of the S-Class and always looked forward to riding the Porsche instead. Glad that they're going full Porsche here.

Don't really care about the vans changing to VW. It's hard to get excited about those cars, Mercedes or not.
The main benefit IMO it’s not a Bus, whatever else they use is just fine
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Old May 19, 2019, 11:19 pm
  #4527  
 
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Originally Posted by chris63
The main benefit IMO it’s not a Bus, whatever else they use is just fine
^

And although Germans call the VW van a VW „bus“, it’s a lot better than a Cobus.

I do actually like the VW vans LX uses, higher and much more comfy than the Mercedes vans.
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Old May 20, 2019, 12:26 am
  #4528  
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Originally Posted by worldclubber


^

And although Germans call the VW van a VW „bus“, it’s a lot better than a Cobus.

I do actually like the VW vans LX uses, higher and much more comfy than the Mercedes vans.
It’s the situation of being packed inside a Cobus like sardines in a tin, whilst waiting at the plane for preparations to be completed that’s truly awful & the FCT eliminates all of that
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Old May 20, 2019, 12:44 am
  #4529  
 
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Originally Posted by chris63
It’s the situation of being packed inside a Cobus like sardines in a tin, whilst waiting at the plane for preparations to be completed that’s truly awful & the FCT eliminates all of that
That‘s right. I don‘t care much about the transport as long as it is convenient. Once were taken to a plane in a cobus all by myself as I was late and they had waited for me. Not too bad.
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Old May 22, 2019, 2:07 pm
  #4530  
 
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Flying FRA-ARN-ZRH-SIN on same day.
ZRH-SIN is in LX F
FRA-ARN is a separate ticket from ARN-ZRH-SIN
I believe that I can use the FCT?

Regards,

El Puerco Volante
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