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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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The FRA F/HON First Class Terminal FCT FAQ

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Old May 26, 2023, 12:40 am
  #5761  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Thank you to all 3 of you with your quick replies.
I will probably travel down to ZRH earlier and spend more time in the LX FCL at ZRH then!
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Old May 26, 2023, 1:54 am
  #5762  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by setagaya944
Thank you to all 3 of you with your quick replies.
I will probably travel down to ZRH earlier and spend more time in the LX FCL at ZRH then!
That's definitely the safe bet.

I once asked at FRA FCL A in the evening whether they would let me in after a morning F arrival to ZRH on a separate ticket and they let me in, but emphasised that it was an exception (partially because I had been there several times the weeks before the visit and they remembered me) and that they would not drive me to the plane (eventually they did, but only because another guest at the lounge had to be driven to the same flight).
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Old May 26, 2023, 2:22 am
  #5763  
 
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Originally Posted by worldclubber
I once asked at FRA FCL A in the evening whether they would let me in after a morning F arrival to ZRH on a separate ticket and they let me in, but emphasised that it was an exception.
I once asked the same and I wasn't so lucky
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Old May 26, 2023, 2:40 am
  #5764  
 
Join Date: May 2018
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The wiki still has
You will be departing on a confirmed F segment on LH or LX metal, on the same day from a connecting station, even if the ticket of that F segment is different from the ticket of the segment from FRA.
but it's now same ticket only?
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Old May 26, 2023, 3:08 am
  #5765  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by supine
The wiki still has

but it's now same ticket only?
By the book, same ticket only.
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Old May 26, 2023, 3:55 am
  #5766  
 
Join Date: May 2018
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Originally Posted by worldclubber
By the book, same ticket only.
Ok, updated the wiki to:
  • 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.
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Old May 26, 2023, 6:05 am
  #5767  
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
 
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You can enter the FRA FCL/FCT the same day of departure if you are flying LH/LX and have a F boarding pass from MUC/ZRH to show. The fact that you are on a separate ticket is immaterial. They will scan the Y boarding pass for entry and then the F boarding pass to account for the visit.
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Old May 26, 2023, 10:39 am
  #5768  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
You can enter the FRA FCL/FCT the same day of departure if you are flying LH/LX and have a F boarding pass from MUC/ZRH to show. The fact that you are on a separate ticket is immaterial. They will scan the Y boarding pass for entry and then the F boarding pass to account for the visit.
Are you sure? After the change of the now (disappeared) rules was published a few years ago, it said "through journey" or something like that and the lounge staff at FRA explained to me that using it on a separate ticket, even in the same day, would be goodwill only. I have also personally witnessed that LX turned away pax in a similar situation at the FCL at ZRH.
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Old May 26, 2023, 2:12 pm
  #5769  
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
You can enter the FRA FCL/FCT the same day of departure if you are flying LH/LX and have a F boarding pass from MUC/ZRH to show. The fact that you are on a separate ticket is immaterial. They will scan the Y boarding pass for entry and then the F boarding pass to account for the visit.
Ok, and this is confirmed where & by whom ?
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Old May 26, 2023, 3:49 pm
  #5770  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
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I know that it used to be that LX in ZRH will only allow you in if the ticket touched ZRH on the day, but LH in FRA and MUC would let you in an FCL if you had F from or to any group hub on the day. FCT however same ticket only.

Fair enough I haven't a slightest clue what the situation is now.
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Old May 27, 2023, 3:41 pm
  #5771  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
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what are the top things to do at FCT like is there a specific whiskey or wine or something that I really should try? Did they go back to giving out cigars? Last time I was there they didn’t have free ones and I wasn’t looking to buy a box in the shop. Looking for any other recommendations to maximize my experience. Don’t need the bed or shower. Im originating in Frankfurt.
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Old May 27, 2023, 4:27 pm
  #5772  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
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Cigars haven't been a thing for ages. 8+ years I want to say.

Wine list is a mess now after change of caterer. Whisky, however, remains strong.
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Old May 28, 2023, 1:17 am
  #5773  
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Originally Posted by Red259
what are the top things to do at FCT like is there a specific whiskey or wine or something that I really should try? Did they go back to giving out cigars? Last time I was there they didn’t have free ones and I wasn’t looking to buy a box in the shop. Looking for any other recommendations to maximize my experience. Don’t need the bed or shower. Im originating in Frankfurt.
Wines are very weak now, nothing special, no Cigars the sponsor stopped providing them long ago, Whiskey selection is interesting, rule of thumb try the older ones & hope for a Special Duck
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Old May 28, 2023, 2:12 am
  #5774  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Originally Posted by Red259
what are the top things to do at FCT like is there a specific whiskey or wine or something that I really should try? Did they go back to giving out cigars? Last time I was there they didn’t have free ones and I wasn’t looking to buy a box in the shop. Looking for any other recommendations to maximize my experience. Don’t need the bed or shower. Im originating in Frankfurt.
In your case, as it sounds like you don't hit the FCT too often, just relax and enjoy the atmosphere plus the easy security check and ride to the plane, and have some (hopefully by now) decent food, whisky and champagne (as the wines are for the most part meh). To maximise the experience, BYOC (bring your own cigar) and check out the drink menu beforehand and see if there's anything for you:

https://static.feinkost-kaefer.de/me...rte_Kaefer.pdf
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Old May 28, 2023, 2:59 am
  #5775  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Frankfurt
Programs: LH, A3, BA
Posts: 327
Originally Posted by worldclubber
In your case, as it sounds like you don't hit the FCT too often, just relax and enjoy the atmosphere plus the easy security check and ride to the plane, and have some (hopefully by now) decent food, whisky and champagne (as the wines are for the most part meh). To maximise the experience, BYOC (bring your own cigar) and check out the drink menu beforehand and see if there's anything for you:

https://static.feinkost-kaefer.de/me...rte_Kaefer.pdf
The new food selection is not too bad, I liked the salmon special, for example. Also the avocado version of egg Benedict is nice.
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