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:
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:
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.
- 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.
The FRA F/HON First Class Terminal FCT FAQ
#3811
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,141
If you liked the LH facilities in FRA and enjoy apron views, try to include a stop in MUC and/or ZRH (on LX) in one of your next trips in F. The FCLs there put on a really good show, too, with facilities very similar to the FCT and FCLs in FRA, plus an outdoor area with excellent apron views.
Hope you have many SPG points.
Hope you have many SPG points.
On recent trip I managed to somehow visit both CX F lounges at HKG, QF F lounge at SYD, FCL A and FCT in FRA and LX E FCL at ZRH and the last one was definitely my favourite one.
It didn't quite have the food nor the service quality of QF (it still was top notch, don't get me wrong — but I liked the SYD restaurant service just a bit better) but it definitely made it up by being very quiet and the amazing views from the terrace — that I visited on a beautiful, sunny May afternoon definitely helped too
#3812
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,718
It is, indeed, an excellent lounge. The new FCL in MUC is also very nice (very spacious, great service and food), I like it better than all the FC-facilities at FRA, but I love the ZRH patio without the glass walls and the mountain view. On a beautiful day, the ZRH lounge is hard to beat.
#3813
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,510
If you liked the LH facilities in FRA and enjoy apron views, try to include a stop in MUC and/or ZRH (on LX) in one of your next trips in F. The FCLs there put on a really good show, too, with facilities very similar to the FCT and FCLs in FRA, plus an outdoor area with excellent apron views.
Hope you have many SPG points.
Hope you have many SPG points.
#3814
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
It is, indeed, an excellent lounge. The new FCL in MUC is also very nice (very spacious, great service and food), I like it better than all the FC-facilities at FRA, but I love the ZRH patio without the glass walls and the mountain view. On a beautiful day, the ZRH lounge is hard to beat.
#3815
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,141
Come on, it was just a one segment more than a most direct connection possible, it wasn't _that_ clever ;P
#3816
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,510
#3817
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SYD
Programs: UA GS, BA Gold, Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, IHG Gold, National Exec Elite, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,419
Last week, I had a 5.5h transfer at FRA. I first went to FCL A, since I was arriving on a smaller European flight. The lounge was empty late afternoon. I literally had the lounge to myself at one point. While this was nice, there also wasn't a bartender on service. The staff told me that there was only one operational shower due to some water problem. That's probably fixed now.
The FCL A staff initially told me I was welcome to stay, but suggested I go to FCL B if I wanted a limo ride to my Z gate. When they noticed I had several hours, they suggested I go to FCT. I had already been to the FCT, so I wasn't looking for the experience. But I was really happy I went. At night, the FCT has a lot of staff and the terminal has a really nice and exclusive feel to it. The bartender mixed excellent and beautifully presented cocktails. I was literally in the bath 30 min before departure and wasn't the last passenger to board the car to the plane. From now on, I will always prefer the FCT over the FCLs, based on the feeling and relaxed atmosphere of the FCT. While the food appears to be exactly the same, the bar service was better.
Inbound, the plane stopped at an apron position and a car picked me up. First time this has happened to me and I felt very rockstar. The driver previously worked at Avis and suggested I rent the Porsches. He spoke highly about the different models of 911.
The driver also told me that Avis doesn't have that many 911s, so they frequently borrowed them from other companies like Sixt. The return staff was sometimes confused when a customers returned a car from a different fleet. Maybe this is why the maps aren't preloaded. They come from other companies that usually don't provide the same service.
The FCL A staff initially told me I was welcome to stay, but suggested I go to FCL B if I wanted a limo ride to my Z gate. When they noticed I had several hours, they suggested I go to FCT. I had already been to the FCT, so I wasn't looking for the experience. But I was really happy I went. At night, the FCT has a lot of staff and the terminal has a really nice and exclusive feel to it. The bartender mixed excellent and beautifully presented cocktails. I was literally in the bath 30 min before departure and wasn't the last passenger to board the car to the plane. From now on, I will always prefer the FCT over the FCLs, based on the feeling and relaxed atmosphere of the FCT. While the food appears to be exactly the same, the bar service was better.
Inbound, the plane stopped at an apron position and a car picked me up. First time this has happened to me and I felt very rockstar. The driver previously worked at Avis and suggested I rent the Porsches. He spoke highly about the different models of 911.
The driver also told me that Avis doesn't have that many 911s, so they frequently borrowed them from other companies like Sixt. The return staff was sometimes confused when a customers returned a car from a different fleet. Maybe this is why the maps aren't preloaded. They come from other companies that usually don't provide the same service.
#3819
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Eurostar Carte Blanche, SBB-CFF-FFS GA-AG, SNCF Grand Voyageur LeClub
Posts: 7,834
For Zurich, just a word of "caution": there are two FCLs. One in Pier A, which is okay, but really subpar compared to all the Frankfurt and Munich ones. And then there is one in Pier E, which is more recent and truly very nice. That is the one with the terrace.
#3820
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Australia
Programs: LHSen UA1K VAGold QFSilv HHon Diamond ShangrilaJade Radisson Gold SPG Gold Marriott Gold Hertz Presi
Posts: 1,049
I'd definitely second the recommendation for LX F lounge in ZRH.
On recent trip I managed to somehow visit both CX F lounges at HKG, QF F lounge at SYD, FCL A and FCT in FRA and LX E FCL at ZRH and the last one was definitely my favourite one.
It didn't quite have the food nor the service quality of QF (it still was top notch, don't get me wrong — but I liked the SYD restaurant service just a bit better) but it definitely made it up by being very quiet and the amazing views from the terrace — that I visited on a beautiful, sunny May afternoon definitely helped too
On recent trip I managed to somehow visit both CX F lounges at HKG, QF F lounge at SYD, FCL A and FCT in FRA and LX E FCL at ZRH and the last one was definitely my favourite one.
It didn't quite have the food nor the service quality of QF (it still was top notch, don't get me wrong — but I liked the SYD restaurant service just a bit better) but it definitely made it up by being very quiet and the amazing views from the terrace — that I visited on a beautiful, sunny May afternoon definitely helped too
#3821
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,718
I like the Asian breakfast, but you can basically request anything you want and they will try to make it for you (pancakes, steak & salad, fish...). I usually create my on special order from menu items and standards any kitchen should be able to make.
#3822
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
#3823
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
Are you talking about the FCT?
I like the Asian breakfast, but you can basically request anything you want and they will try to make it for you (pancakes, steak & salad, fish...). I usually create my on special order from menu items and standards any kitchen should be able to make.
I like the Asian breakfast, but you can basically request anything you want and they will try to make it for you (pancakes, steak & salad, fish...). I usually create my on special order from menu items and standards any kitchen should be able to make.
Any ideas what fish options? They seem like they really know how to cook. Idk but the sauteed mushrooms I found really impressive, better than any top notch restaurant I've tried in the U.S.
Anything else besides Salmon and eggs? Not really a fan of either.
#3825
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
Go Bavarian and have a pair of Weisswürste (white sausage) with sweet mustard, a fresh brez'n (pretzel) and a Hefeweizen (wheat beer).