Hello,
I am wondering if I will have enough time to arrive at Frankfurt airport on Lufthansa (from Rome) at 3:35pm, pick up luggage, check luggage onto United International flight, go through security, make it to United International flight (To U.S.) at 5:25pm? Thank you.
Is this one ticket or two?
If this is one ticket, you can check your luggage through and 1h50 would generally be sufficient.
If this is two separate tickets, this is not enough time to retrieve luggage and get it checked in. You risk missing your transatlantic flight and having to buy a new ticket.
Lufthansa and United are partners. Is this one ticket? Your bags should be checked through in Rome to your final destination in the US. If you have a further connection from your initial landing airport in the U.S. you will collect your bags theire, go through U.S. customs, then drop them on the transfer belt to go to your final destination.
In Frankfurt you will go through passport check for exiting Schengen without having to go through security again. They may have a secondary random security check at your departure gate in Frankfurt.
PS. And if they are separate tickets, since Lufthansa and United are partners, you may still be able to get them checked through to your final destination.
Hello, thank you so much for your replies.
This is two different tickets so it sounds like I will not have enough time between two flights as luggage will not be transferred by the airline. I thought that since the airlines are both in terminal 1 that I might be able to make it.
Thank you again
Lufthansa and United are both part of star alliance- hence, there is a possibility that LH will transfer (“interline”) your bags. You need to check LH’s website and call them up to see if they will do this since you are traveling on two separate tickets. If they do, then you don’t need to go through passport control and get your bags. You just need to go to your next gate if you already have the UA boarding pass or stop by a transfer desk and get the UA boarding pass
You will have to go through passport control and get your passport stamped. Everybody on a plane departing the Schengen Zone does. You just avoid going through security. But it is worth investigating whether Lufthansa will transfer your bags with separate tickets.
I thought that since the airlines are both in terminal 1 that I might be able to make it.
You might, but are you willing to buy a new ticket at an inflated price if your Lufthansa flight is delayed and you miss your connection. On one ticket, the airline is obligated to get you to your final destination even if your first flight is delayed. On two separate tickets, United is under no obligation to get you home if your inbound Lufthansa flight is delayed. While it is technically possible that Lufthansa would through-check your bags, many airlines refuse to do this on two separate tickets. Check in with United (mainly for your luggage since you can check in online) closes 60 minutes before departure for international flights. If Lufthansa does not through check your bag, that leaves you only 50 minutes to get off the plane, get to the baggage area and wait for your bag, and get through the baggage drop for United. It is not a risk I would be willing to take as I would not want to risk paying several thousand dollars for a new ticket.
Have you looked into what it would cost to change your United ticket to depart from Rome rather than Frankfurt?
My experience at FRA and ongoing connections is just keep moving, no dilly-dally and it should all work IF the baggage is checked through.
I read it as 50 minutes, head down. 1 hour 50 minutes lots of time but still requires baggage to be checked right through to your final destination.
