Is FRA always a mess?

[albatross710]

Last week I landed in FRA on a Monday morning after coming overnight from SIN. I had a two hour layover before connecting on LH.

That airport is a mess of narrow walkways and confusing (incomplete) signage. I felt like I followed the signs to "Lounges" for years. Eventually I made it into A wing and the LH lounge. At 7:30am on a Monday morning it was standing room only.

First. They don't offer free wi-fi. The wi-fi offer wasn't expensive but I thought these days free wi-fi wasn't too much to ask for in a business lounge.

Second. The food buffet was crowded as well. Fortunately I had just eaten before landing. Does anyone eat at home these days?

Third: I'll try a shower. There appeared to be just the one shower in operation and I was asked to join the waiting list. I was about 9th on the list and only had 30 minutes to departure.

In the end, I left the lounge and was far more comfortable waiting at the departure gate. The gate too had changed twice. It seemed it was chaos everywhere this particular morning.

Of interest is that LH provide complimentary vending machine for tea, coffee and hot choc at the boarding gate. I was able to sit in peace and enjoy a drink. Also, free papers were available for reading prior to boarding.

Did I just transit FRA on a bad day or is it always like this?

Alby

 

[Fantic125]

Which Terminal were you in?

I'm usually in and out of Terminal 2 (QF) and haven't found it too bad.
Getting from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, or from hire car return to Terminal 2 can be a bit of a long walk, but generally I've found it reasonably well signposted.

I haven't been in the LH lounge, but the QF lounge is actually run by JAL and although reasonably small, provides free WiFi and reasonable shower access.

It may have been a bad day!

 

[simongr]

I have only transited FRA once and that was a couple of years ago now (maybe 3 years) and it was a building site. The terminal I landed at (CX) had very little so I went to find other interesting stuff and I too found is confusing and poorly signed.

The CX lounge was average and I was not able to try out the BA lounge....

 

[ozmille]

Also been 3 years and it was a building site then as well. Ground staff gave us directions to a BA lounge which was closed and we then had to walk to the other side of the airport to another small lounge. I am not a huge fan of transiting in LHR but the lounges in T5 and even T3 are heaps better then the one I was in in FRA.

 

[anat0l]

FRA is interesting in that it awkwardly tries to handle all of Schengen, non-Schengen and domestic flights, and attempt to streamline connections between them.

Then there are two terminals.

In the whole process, the system has become messy and confusing.

Signage is not very clear on where you have to go for certain things. For example, there may be a sign saying that all flights departing from blah-blah gates go right. There are two hallways up ahead going right that are very close to each other: which one do you pick?

The whole airport looks rather industrial, although I still think it is better than the new BKK airport. *readies flame-proof suit*

LH lounges are nothing to write home about, but at least offer a complement of snacks which is better than most lounges. They have a tendency to get crowded, however (which also decreases the chances of getting good food at times). Perhaps the best you can do at times is a big pretzel and a beer.

The new LH Tower Lounge which is in the Lufthansa Terminal non-Schengen area is nice, but it is really annoying that the only way to access it is via lift. They really didn't have their thinking caps on for this one.

 

[fels]

Terminal 1 is hell IMO. Extremely crowded during peak hours and the walking distance between gates seems pretty long. The LH lounges aren't particularly nice and often packed but the first class terminal is fantastic - especially the drive to the plane The only OW lounge I've been to is the Admirals Club, which is more or less comparable to Hobart's QP..
Prefer flights from T2 - even though the entire building has been under construction for the last couple of years, it's more relaxed and I somehow like the industrial feel. The JAL lounge is OK - love the toilets! :mrgreen:

 

[haydensydney]

I concur re: lack of Wifi. I was aggrieved at best when I discovered that I needed to signup/pay for wifi in the LH lounge in Paris :evil:

 

[albatross710]

Which Terminal were you in?

In my case I arrived on SQ26 (SIN-FRA) into Terminal E? and made my way to Terminal A. Contributing to the issue was that at the time of walking my departing flight displayed just a terminal ie Gate A but the signs along the way were giving me options like Gate A1-45 (to the left) or Gate 46-55 (to the right and through this immigration point).

I had Mrs Alby booked to transit FRA on an SQ saver fare in August this year. I've changed her booking all the way through on SQ to MAN via MUN. It will be a small impost for th extra points but I don't want her going through that place.