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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 Jul 4, 2018, 3:59 am
  #4336  
 
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Im connecting from CDG to MEX via FRA. CDG-FRA is in Y on LH, and FRA-MEX is in LH F. Do i get the chauffer automatically if we were parked at a Bus gate or do i need to make a request before hand. CDG-FRA and FRA-MEX are on different bookings
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 12:57 pm
  #4337  
 
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Originally Posted by db07mufan
Im connecting from CDG to MEX via FRA. CDG-FRA is in Y on LH, and FRA-MEX is in LH F. Do i get the chauffer automatically if we were parked at a Bus gate or do i need to make a request before hand. CDG-FRA and FRA-MEX are on different bookings
No, because you are on separate tickets AFAIK.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 1:25 pm
  #4338  
 
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Originally Posted by db07mufan
Im connecting from CDG to MEX via FRA. CDG-FRA is in Y on LH, and FRA-MEX is in LH F. Do i get the chauffer automatically if we were parked at a Bus gate or do i need to make a request before hand. CDG-FRA and FRA-MEX are on different bookings
Call the Lufthansa First Class hotline and have them link the tickets. Also check in for both sectors together or ensure an airport agent links them on the day too, then you should be fine and they should send the car.
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Old Jul 5, 2018, 9:45 pm
  #4339  
 
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Originally Posted by miamiflyer8
No, because you are on separate tickets AFAIK.
Originally Posted by vantage03

Thanks for your input

Call the Lufthansa First Class hotline and have them link the tickets. Also check in for both sectors together or ensure an airport agent links them on the day too, then you should be fine and they should send the car.
Thanks, i have called to link them together. Fingers crossed
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Old Jul 7, 2018, 12:20 am
  #4340  
 
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It's been a while since I last transited FRA, and I remember it as being a pretty confusing place, so just wanted to check I have this right for our upcoming transit.

We're connecting from LH1299 IST-FRA in J to LH712 FRA-ICN in F., with a scheduled connection time of 1h 40m. Am I right that:
  • If we *don't* arrive at a remote stand, we have the choice of 1) entering Germany and walking to the FCT for the 'full experience' (which I've done once before, and thoroughly enjoyed) or 2) going through transit security and walking to the FCL at B22/24, which will provide car transfer to our next flight if it departs from a Z gate (which presumably is fairly likely) or remote stand.
  • If we *do* arrive at a remote stand, we'll be met by a car transfer which will take us to the FCL at B22/24. In this scenario, how do we clear transit security?
As an aside, only one of us has an EU passport, so it sounds like time taken to clear transit security can be just as long or longer as time taken to go through passport control and enter the country - is that right?

Thanks
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Old Jul 7, 2018, 2:03 am
  #4341  
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Originally Posted by mad_atta
  • If we *do* arrive at a remote stand, we'll be met by a car transfer which will take us to the FCL at B22/24. In this scenario, how do we clear transit security?
As an aside, only one of us has an EU passport, so it sounds like time taken to clear transit security can be just as long or longer as time taken to go through passport control and enter the country - is that right?

Thanks
If you arrive at a remote stand the driver will drop you at an escalator that leads towards transit security in B.

Yes, for non EU passports the A exit line could be long or non existent
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Old Jul 7, 2018, 4:45 am
  #4342  
 
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Originally Posted by chris63


If you arrive at a remote stand the driver will drop you at an escalator that leads towards transit security in B.

Yes, for non EU passports the A exit line could be long or non existent
That makes sense. Thanks
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Old Jul 8, 2018, 5:21 pm
  #4343  
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MUC FCL Access

If I fly JFK-MUC in F, I know I can use the FCL as an arrival lounge. However, if I'm on a separate itinerary for later in the evening, from MUC-FRA in Y, would I have FCL access when I return to the airport in the evening?

Also, regarding checked bags, would LH check my bags through since it would be on separate tickets, in different cabins? Which cabin weight limit would I receive?

Thanks!
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Old Jul 8, 2018, 7:52 pm
  #4344  
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Originally Posted by S.R
If I fly JFK-MUC in F, I know I can use the FCL as an arrival lounge. However, if I'm on a separate itinerary for later in the evening, from MUC-FRA in Y, would I have FCL access when I return to the airport in the evening?

Also, regarding checked bags, would LH check my bags through since it would be on separate tickets, in different cabins? Which cabin weight limit would I receive?

Thanks!
Bags checked through on seperate tickets with the F longhaul weight limit.

Arrival F BP should be valid for the whole day at MUC for FCL.
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Old Jul 9, 2018, 5:12 pm
  #4345  
 
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Originally Posted by chris63


Bags checked through on seperate tickets with the F longhaul weight limit.

Arrival F BP should be valid for the whole day at MUC for FCL.
Adding to chris63's point, how would they know if you left the airport? You will be fine.
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Old Jul 11, 2018, 7:35 pm
  #4346  
 
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I always use the FCT (usually with DH or a friend on the same LH flight etc), however, in this case, I am arriving to Frankfurt in F, and my friend is arriving in SQ Suites-. We are both connecting via LH to Nice, and obviously I can use the FCT, but i was wondering if I would be able to bring her as my guest (given that I am arriving in F and basically using the lounge as a transfer lounge)?

Thanks!
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Old Jul 12, 2018, 12:41 am
  #4347  
 
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Just confirming, I've read in the last few pages that separate tickets do not grant access to FCT.

So is this part of the wiki incorrect/now enforced?
"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. "
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Old Jul 12, 2018, 2:09 am
  #4348  
 
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Originally Posted by pentiumvi
Just confirming, I've read in the last few pages that separate tickets do not grant access to FCT.

So is this part of the wiki incorrect/now enforced?
"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. "
Arrival on LH metal in F gives you guaranteed access to the FCLs. According to the published rules and a memo that was sent to all lounge staff, access to the FCT should only be granted to connecting passengers on a „through booking“. You can try, but the FCLs are the safe bet.
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Old Jul 12, 2018, 4:07 am
  #4349  
 
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Originally Posted by worldclubber


Arrival on LH metal in F gives you guaranteed access to the FCLs. According to the published rules and a memo that was sent to all lounge staff, access to the FCT should only be granted to connecting passengers on a „through booking“. You can try, but the FCLs are the safe bet.
Does the same apply to when arriving on LX metal? Arriving in the morning at ZRH on LX F and have a evening departure from MUC in LH J on a separate ticket = MUC FCL access?
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Old Jul 12, 2018, 5:13 am
  #4350  
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Originally Posted by Couturegirl
I always use the FCT (usually with DH or a friend on the same LH flight etc), however, in this case, I am arriving to Frankfurt in F, and my friend is arriving in SQ Suites-. We are both connecting via LH to Nice, and obviously I can use the FCT, but i was wondering if I would be able to bring her as my guest (given that I am arriving in F and basically using the lounge as a transfer lounge)?

Thanks!
Yes, that should work, you are entitled to one guest on the same flight.
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