FreFly

I agree -- many more questions than usual, and a few minutes later same questions while processing your boarding pass.

Also arriving UA900 often does not get a gate but gets parked at a remote area. The bus ride is annoying and makes connections more risky. I wonder if UA or FRA is to blame.

milepig

NewbieRunner

Hear hear!
Other LH lounge users would be delighted. ^

milepig

And we'd be sad. That was among the worst of the worst in terms of RCCs. The SEN lounges, even at their busiest, are a huge improvement.

dgcpaphd

How long ago was this?

Just a couple of months ago I transferred through FRA. It was probably the most ridiculous airport experience I ever had.

There were no elite lines at passport control (30-minute wait), long lines at security (45-minute wait). These procedures (passport and security) were for everyone simply to change planes. I had arrived from the U.S. and had a connection at FRA (FRA - VIE).

The passport control people were pleasant but the security workers were consistently rude to most passengers.

One example is after I thought I was finished with security, one security employee noticed that I had my passport in my shirt pocket. The employee began screaming at me and said that no one is allowed to pass through the metal detector with anything in a pocket. I was ordered to go back to the beginning of the X-ray screening and put my passport in a separate basket and run it through security. My passport looks no different from any other U.S. passport.

While I was waiting and watching for my passport to go through the conveyor/X-ray, I noticed the same employee shouting at other passengers about various other matters. There really is nothing you can do or say when you encounter this kind of behavior.

On my return to the U.S., I went through Munich, rather than FRA and did not experience or observe the same type of abuse.

I will never, willingly, transfer through FRA again.
-

milepig

xfers from the US and different from xfers to the US.

When coming from the US and transferring to the Schengen zone you indeed go through a passport check and a security station. Lines at both can indeed be long - or very short - seems to be luck of the draw and time of arrival. If you're in a premium cabin and you aren't bused, you can cut down line time at passport control quite a bit by hustling over there. Busing tends to even things out a lot.

When leaving Schengen and transfering to the US I've never hit security, only passport control, and since the US bound flights now leave from the upper A-Level gates (at least mine always have) I've never had a long line at passport control there.

All that having been said, MUC is a far better choice for transfer in every respect!!

MarkedMan

Yep, procedures coming in are different than procedures going out of Schengen airports. FWIW ...

FRA is a minus for the security check post US arrival wrt MUC, about even for passport control. Had some painful experiences in MUC arriving from the US, especially with lots of confusion about what counts as an EU passport, and surprisingly agents not sending back people who do not have a EU passport, thus creating even more chaos with all lines backing up. MUC definitely better on the whole security line experience.

The times I have had to go through passport control in MUC to join a non-Schengen flight, the lines have been criminal. In FRA, with departures from upper A gates, this is a walk in the park.

The whole questioning-at-the-gate thing is weird. Never had it in LHR. If you're in C/F you get your own line, and it was very quick for me; only had a couple of people ahead of me the other week when I did this, and even had time to pop back in to the Senator lounge. Definitely go do this early, don't leave it until close to boarding time. In FRA this is a bit easier IMO, as the flights usually leave from gates close to passport control and the Tower Lounge. In MUC this is actually a bit worse, as the UA flights usually pull in almost all the way on one end of the terminal, which of course happens to be the end of the terminal where the lounges are NOT located ..... so it's a bit of a trek to get out there, then back to a lounge, then back again to the gate.

FRA, frustratingly, seems to encourage big planes parked off stand to offload pax. I've had this a lot in MUC on flights coming from LHR (ie not just when flying some Bombardier puddle jumper for a few miles to PRG, say), never with the UA flights which always park in the same gate areas.

FRA is ugly. MUC is nice. Can't really get out of that scenario. As for the rest, it's a mixed bag IMO, but the fact is you'll endure a hell of a lot more when going through an airport that is well designed and pleasant to walk through. Not many folks are ever going to suggest this applies to FRA ...

cesco.g

Flying often on UA 900 the 2 most annoying things:

1) arriving early and having to wait for a gate

2) remote gate more

Both happen more often than not, 80% of all arrivals I'd guess.

rockrich

I'm getting nervous reading this thread. Specifically transferring to 901 at FRA, coming from CDG on LH. We have one hour 10 min. Is that enough for passport checks etc? Should we try to standby for an earlier LH flight at CDG to give us a bigger cushion? When I booked the connection was completely legal, but now I wonder...

SF_DUKE

Assuming you are able to obtain your boarding pass for UA901 at CDG, you should be fine since you can get the passport sticker before you go through passport control. However, I suspect you will not be issued the United boarding pass until you arrive at the departure gate in FRA. You should not have any issues arriving at the departure gate. However, just the process for me a few weeks ago took exactly one hour from the time I arrived at the gate to obtaining the passport sticker, then my boarding pass, and to the remote gate. I cannot imagine the flight leaving with passengers standing at the gate waiting for the passport checks, but would not want to find out the hard way. Safe travels and hope it goes better than my last transfer at FRA.

LIH Prem

Made a 45 minute connection UA to LH. Arrival on delayed UA 900 at A gates (waited 10 minutes for a gate), transfer to B bus gate via skyline train, no waiting at security, no passport checks. (connecting flight was to IST, a non-Shengen destination). I just followed the signs. After I got on the bus at the B gate, it waited there until the gate agent closed the flight. I think I had at least 10 minutes to spare, maybe more.

There were some stairs to navigate, even though we arrived at a real A gate. I didn't expect that.

The bus drove within spitting distance of the UA 747 we arrived on, on the way to the remote stand.

-David

piyush

I'm travelling in first from DEL - FRA - ORD. DEL- FRA is on LH and FRA - ORD is on UA. Since I'm arriving on LH first will I have access to the FCL? If yes, will I need to go through immigration to access the FCL? How far is the FCL be from the UA gates?

Thanks!

NewbieRunner

Yes, you will have access to the FCL in FRA. You can use the FCL in Concourse B (near B22) without going through immigration.

UA flights depart from upper A gates. You can take the Skyline Train to get from the FCL B to A gates.

Map of FRA

piyush

Thanks a lot for the info and the map .

Looking at the map it looks like there is a FCL in A but I will have to go through immigration to use that. Is that correct?

NewbieRunner

That's correct. The FCL A is closer to the A gates but in Schengen area of the airport and in order to use it you will have to go through immigration. If you are departing on LH in F they will drive you to the plane from the FCL B but unfortunately they won't since you are departing on UA.