FRA
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Frankfurt Airport now has two terminals in use: Terminal 1 (Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance airlines; gate areas A, B, C and Z) and the new Terminal 3 (gates G, H, J; opened 23 April 2026 for most other airlines), while Terminal 2 has been closed since June 2026 even though older guides still list it. Terminal 1 is big and spread over several areas and levels, so it is easy to feel lost, but screens past security show the walking time to your gate, staff in red uniforms stand at key points, and a free train (the Sky Line) links Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.
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Your bags go through. You only change planes.
Frankfurt says the screens at the arrival gate show your next flight and its gate. Have your passport and the boarding pass for your next flight ready. If you do not have that boarding pass yet, ask at your airline's transfer desk. If there is no transfer desk, ask at the information desk at the departure gate.
Frankfurt says checked bags usually go through automatically to your final city. You normally do not go to baggage reclaim. Check when you first check in that the bag tag shows your final city, and ask the airline if you are unsure.
Flying from one Schengen country to another: usually no passport control, only security, then straight to your gate. Arriving from outside the Schengen area and flying on to a Schengen country: you must pass passport control. If your next flight also leaves the Schengen area, you may be able to stay in the secure transit area without passport control. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can use the automatic EasyPASS gates. Other passports go through the Entry/Exit System (EES), which records face and fingerprints and can take longer. You may also have to pass security again. Do not go through passport control until you have asked the cabin crew or a guide in a red uniform which line is right for you.
Terminal 1 gates are A, B, C and Z. Terminal 3 gates are G, H and J. After security and passport control, a journey-time screen shows your flight, your gate and the walking time. A walk of one minute or five minutes is shown clearly, so you can judge if you have time.
Most Terminal 1 passport and security checkpoints have a Short Transfer Lane. You can use it if your flight is shown on the screen at the checkpoint. If you are unsure, show your boarding pass to a staff member.
Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are linked by the free Sky Line train. Fraport says it runs every 2 to 3 minutes between 04:00 and 23:00. At night a shuttle bus is used instead. The ride was planned to take about 8 minutes, but the train has run more slowly since it restarted. Fraport gives 10 to 15 minutes from the train station to Terminal 3 by Sky Line, so allow plenty of time, and add the walk at each end. Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance flights use Terminal 1, and so does Condor until summer 2027. Most other airlines now use Terminal 3. Always check your own flight on the departures screen or with your airline. The Sky Line broke down in May 2026 and has run again since mid-June 2026, so ask a guide if you see a notice.
Do not worry and do not wander. Stay near a big screen and check again. Ask a Mobile Service Guide in a red uniform. Or go to the Information Desk in Terminal 1, Area B, Level 3, inside the secure area next to passport control (open daily 05:30 to 23:00). There is also a Service Point in Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2 (Hall B, open daily 06:00 to 22:00), but Fraport does not say it is inside the secure area, so ask a staff member before you leave the secure area to find it. You can also use an InfoGate, a screen where you can video-call airport staff.
You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.
Your bags are not sent on automatically. Frankfurt says to collect your bags at baggage reclaim and check them in again with the next airline, and that this applies when you booked your connections separately. If you miss your next flight because the first one was late, the second airline may not help you. Many travellers choose a long wait to be safe.
Arriving from outside the Schengen area, you must pass passport control before you can leave the secure area. EU, EEA and Swiss passport holders can use EasyPASS gates. Other passports go through the Entry/Exit System (EES), which can take longer. Before you travel, check the rules for your own passport. Some nationalities need an airport transit visa even if they stay inside the transit area for the whole connection. On separate tickets you must leave the transit area to collect your bags, so you must be allowed to enter Germany, which for many passports means a Schengen visa. Check the list on the German Federal Foreign Office website or ask the German embassy before you book.
Follow the signs for baggage reclaim and find your flight number on the screen. Free drinking water is available in the baggage claim area. If your bag is missing, tell the airline's baggage desk before you leave.
Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance airlines check in at Terminal 1, and so does Condor until summer 2027. Lufthansa is in Hall A/B, with Fast Bag Drop in zones 12 and 13. Most other airlines moved to Terminal 3 in 2026. Always check your own flight on the departures screen, or ask a guide in a red uniform. To go between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, use the free Sky Line train. It was planned to take about 8 minutes, but it has run more slowly since June 2026, and Fraport gives 10 to 15 minutes from the train station to Terminal 3, so allow plenty of time.
Show your passport and your ticket. Ask the airline for your boarding pass for the gate. If you need help with a wheelchair or walking, tell each airline, because each ticket is a separate booking.
You must go through security again with your hand luggage. Liquids rules apply, especially for things bought in duty-free. If your next flight leaves the Schengen area, expect a passport check as well. Use the journey-time screens after security to see how far your gate is.
Fraport and Lufthansa do not publish a minimum time for separate tickets, because each ticket is a separate booking. You may have to pass passport control, collect and re-check your bags, and go through security again, and Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are far apart. Choose more time, not less, for an older traveller, and leave even more if you need help walking or get tired easily. Ask your travel agent how long they advise.
At Frankfurt, if you land from a country outside the Schengen area and your next flight is inside the Schengen area, you have to pass passport control. Flights between two Schengen countries normally have no passport control. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and people with a German residence permit can use the automatic EasyPASS gates. Citizens of other countries are registered in the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which replaces passport stamps. EES began at Frankfurt on 29 October 2025 and has been fully in use across the Schengen area since 10 April 2026. Fraport's page says some control points have no self-service kiosk. There, and for people who need help or have no biometric passport, an officer at a counter registers you, which takes longer. Fraport warns that EES may increase waiting times. If you do not hold an EU passport, check the rules for your own passport, including whether a transit or Schengen visa is needed, before you book. If you are in a long line and are short on time, show your boarding pass to a guide in a red uniform and ask about the Short Transfer Lane.
There are two terminals open. Terminal 1 has gate areas A, B, C and Z on several levels. The long-distance and regional train stations and the bus station connect to it, and the long-distance station is about a 5-minute walk away. Terminal 3 has piers G, H and J, which are 1,400 metres long in total. Fraport says walking distances are short, but a news report says connection routes are longer than before. Expect a long walk. Terminal 2 has been closed indefinitely since June 2026 and is not used by passengers. The free Sky Line train links Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 and runs every 2 to 3 minutes, says Fraport. It was planned to take about 8 minutes, but it has run more slowly since June 2026. Fraport gives 10 to 15 minutes from the train station to Terminal 3 by Sky Line, and says occasional faults cannot be ruled out, so allow plenty of time for this transfer. Fraport's own pages say the Sky Line runs from 04:00 to 23:00, and the night shuttle bus runs outside those hours. The Fraport page says shuttle buses run 22:00 to 05:00, while a June 2026 press release says the Sky Line pauses from 23:00 to 04:00, so allow for both. Inside Terminal 1, a tunnel with moving walkways joins Pier A and Pier B (between Gate A15 and Gate B19) in the Schengen area. Fraport does not publish walking times for each gate, in either terminal. The journey-time screens past security show the walking time to your gate, and one third-party estimate puts the longest walk in Terminal 1 at 12 to 22 minutes, so for an older traveller the distances can be long. We found no official page about buggies or electric carts. The best way to avoid long walks is to ask your airline to arrange airport assistance (a wheelchair and someone to guide you) at least 48 hours before the flight. EU rules say this help is free of charge to you. If you ask later, they must make reasonable efforts, but help is less certain.
Ask your airline or travel agent to book assistance at least 48 hours before departure. You cannot book it directly with the airport. If you have separate tickets, ask each airline. Say what you need: a wheelchair, someone to walk with you, or help at transfers. Lufthansa also asks for 48 hours and says it cannot guarantee the best help for shorter notice.
FraCareServices desks are in Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2 and Level 1 (open daily 05:00 to 22:00), and in Terminal 3, Area J, Level 3 (opening hours not listed). Email: fracares@fraport.de. Fraport also lists pick-up points in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, but the pages we found do not say exactly where they are, so ask the airline which meeting point to use. If you did not book help in advance, ask your airline's check-in or gate staff, or a Mobile Service Guide in a red uniform, whether they can arrange it. Help at short notice is not guaranteed.
FraCareServices assists passengers with reduced mobility on arrival, departure and during transfers. The Sunflower lanyard is also offered: a free green lanyard for people with hidden disabilities, such as memory problems. It has been available at Frankfurt since 1 January 2026 at the Terminal 1 Service Point (Departure B), the Terminal 3 Service Point, or the FraCareServices Mobility Service. We could not confirm a working phone number on an official page, because two different numbers appear in different places, so use the airline or the email address.
Staff in red uniforms (Mobile Service Guides) stand at key points, such as passport control and security. Service Point: Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2 (Hall B), open daily 06:00 to 22:00, email info@fraport.de. Fraport does not say whether the Service Point is inside the secure area. Information Desk: Terminal 1, Area B, Level 3, in the secure area next to passport control, open daily 05:30 to 23:00. InfoGates are screens where you can video-call airport staff. Fraport lists one in Terminal 1, Area Z, Level 3, next to Duty Free, and one in Terminal 1, Area C, Level 2, in Hall C. Fraport does not say whether the Hall C one is past security, so ask a staff member before you leave the secure area. Lufthansa says its Transfer Service points at arrivals from non-EU countries can help with connections, in German and English. For Lufthansa questions, the Frankfurt phone number on Fraport's airline page is +49 69 86 799 799. Fraport says its staff are multilingual and the website is in English, German and Chinese. We did not find an official statement that Persian, Arabic or Turkish help is available. A 2019 Fraport news item said staff speak up to 20 languages without naming them. Do not rely on a language being available. Show the German phrase cards to any staff member.
Terminal 1 has Leisure Zones (rest areas) open all day and night: Area A Level 2 (two zones), Area B Level 2 (two zones), Area B Level 3, and Area Z Level 3. We found none listed for Terminal 3. The Quiet Room is in Terminal 1, Area Z, Level 3, open 24 hours. Silent Chairs, which are quiet reclining seats, are in Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2, near Gate B23. A Leisure Zone with loungers and armchairs is in Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2, near Gate B43. If you feel ill, tell any staff member in a red uniform, or call 112. From a mobile phone you can also call the airport emergency number +49 69 690-112. The Medical Center is outside the gate areas, in the public area next to Terminal 1 (Fraport's pages give two descriptions, so ask staff for directions). Its Emergency Center is open 24 hours a day. Doctor consultations are daily 07:00 to 16:00. Free drinking water fountains are found behind security and in the baggage claim area, with free hot water dispensers. Fraport also lists a transit hotel (MY CLOUD Transit Hotel) and napcabs for a longer rest, which are paid. Toilets are found throughout both terminals, but we could not confirm exact locations from the pages we read.
Show this to a member of staff if you cannot say it. In German (Deutsch). English is widely used on signs and by staff.
Ich brauche Hilfe, um meinen Anschlussflug zu finden. (say: ikh BROW-khe HIL-fe, oom MY-nen AN-shloos-floog tsoo FIN-den)
I need help to find my connecting flight.
Wo ist der Transferschalter? (say: voh ist dair TRANS-fer-shal-ter)
Where is the transfer desk?
Ich brauche bitte einen Rollstuhl. (say: ikh BROW-khe BIT-te EYE-nen ROL-shtool)
I need a wheelchair, please.
Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.
I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.
Ich brauche Hilfe, um meinen Anschlussflug zu finden.
You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.
Partly checked against official pages.
Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.
Last prepared 2 November 2026.