Both flights Lufthansa/Austrian, booked direct from Lufthansa.
Will we connect in the same terminal at FRA? Will we need to do anything special before connecting since our first flight is in the EU and the second leaves the EU? Denmark is part of the Schengen zone so maybe not?
Thanks for feedback!
LH1103
11:00 AM SZG Salzburg
12:05 PM FRA Frankfurt am Main
0h 45m
Connect in airport
LH828
FRA Frankfurt am Main 12:50 PM
CPH Copenhagen 2:10 PM
It will be tight, but the airline is required to give you something you can potentially make. I would check to see when the next connection is for just in case. Once you check in, you will have the gate numbers and can check the online map.
Since Austria, Germany, and Denmark are all in both the EU and Schengen, there should not be immigration or customs to delay you change of gates.
Looking at the schedule on the Frankfurt airport website for tomorrow, April 26, LH1103 is shown as arriving at Concourse A and LH828 is shown as departing from Gate A26, which is also in Concourse A. The change of planes at FRA should just be a walk down the hallway.
Looking at Lufthansa's flight status webpage, 1103 is show as arriving at the A concourse, but 828 is shown as leaving from Concourse B (Gate B-13). If these are the gate assignments on the day you fly, then you will have to use the connecting tunnel between Concourses A and B.
Schedules and gate assignments can and do change. Your flight attendant should be able to tell you the arrival and departure gates and how to connect before you land at FRA.
In 2002, 4 month after 9-11, we made a similar change, Concourse A to Concourse B, through the tunnel in about an hour. At that time, security was tight. In addition to emigration (departing passport check), we went through 3 security check points and still made it.
Here is a YouTube video showing someone using the tunnel to get from Concourse A to Concourse B. The video starts with them in the rotunda at the root of the wings of A. The elevators down to the tunnel are on the left, after Gates A-15. If you are, probably, coming from an A gate between 17 and 42, you'll be coming from the other direction. The elevators will be on your right, after gate A-17.
Note that the overhead signs do not say anything about a tunnel; they just point the direction to B.
According to the video, it takes less than 5 minutes to traverse the tunnel. The video doesn't show the person going through security to get into Concourse B, but I think there might be security there.
Denmark has been an EU member since 1973.
There should not be any security check if you need to go between A and B via the tunnel, as you would enter the tunnel from a. Secure airside, and exit it to a secure airside, in either direction. I recall having some trepidation the first time we went through Frankfurt, it was in from Copenhagen and leaving for the US, both in A. Including going through immigration out, took 15 minutes from Jetway to next gate. Without passport or security involved this will be no problem.
And EU is not relevant, it is Schengen that governs passport. Note that even when The UK was in the EU there still was immigration control entering it from other EU countries because the UK is not part of Schengen. The former is an economic agreement, the latter is a border agreement.
I have made 1 hour lay overs at FRA. Wasnt something I enjoyed. The big killer for my last attempt was that we didnt get a gate and had to ride the bus to the terminal. So, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A732Cuuo2tI
"Denmark has been an EU member since 1973."
Yeah my bad, should have known that. I think Denmark not being on the Euro threw me off.
But anyway, thanks to everyone who helped - really useful information! We've been in or out of Frankfurt 6 or 7 times previously, but it is an odd confusing airport. Fit fast walkers so we'll give a go. As said above Lufthansa is selling us the connection so probably they think we'll make it!
Hank
