Good day,
Normally when our family flies anywhere we do our best to book flights that have about 3 hours in layover, in order to really protect against missing the next connecting flight (we are from western Canada and it is often that flights are badly delayed). Does anyone have any experience with the Frankfurt airport (FRA)? It has been a number of years since we've used this airport. Currently we are considering a flight from Krakow to Toronto with a layover in Frankfurt of only 1 hr 40 min (Lufthansa/Air Canada) (Friday, January 10, 2025). Are we insane? Is this too short? The only other option is to get to Toronto much later (not a great option for the remainder of our travel plans), or leave our Krakow B&B at 3am to get to the airport for an earlier flight. Again, not a great option.
Insights please!
Thank you,
Tracey
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16065 posts
That should be sufficient. I had a shorter layover last month coming from Lisbon and proceeding to San Francisco, and I made it (although I had to walk fast).
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, CANADA
40 posts
Thank you for this. Was your layover in Frankfurt? If so, which company were you flying with?
Posted by
Chicago
647 posts
If you peruse this and other travel forums, you will sooner or later understand that
Frankfurt is a big, somewhat convoluted, and complicated airport. Be prepared
for some lines, long walks, and not-always-obvious signage.
In addition, many flights do not start or end at a gate with a jetway. Instead, they
park on a piece of tarmac and passengers are bused to/from the terminal area.
All these things increase the risk of connections, but as already noted, 1:40 should
be sufficient under normal circumstances. Just to be sure, are you flying in on LH
and leaving on AC? If so, you should just have to navigate Terminal 1 and that helps.
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
I had an hour and 40 minutes layover arriving in FRA from IAD (Washington DC). I think my flight might have been early as I had a very long walk with time to stop at an ATM for euros, and time at the gate for coffee and croissants. You'll make it, but focus on reaching your next gate before any side quests.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, CANADA
40 posts
Shoeflyer,
Thankfully the flight is not yet booked, but from what I understand from our travel agent is that YES it would be Lufthansa from Krakow to Frankfurt, then Air Canada from Frankfurt to Toronto.
I am now having (uncomfortable) flashbacks remembering trying to get out of the airport, lol!
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, CANADA
40 posts
Thank you Marty, this is helpful.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, AB, CANADA
40 posts
In your experiences with the Frankfurt airport, have the flights generally been on time? Our Canadian airports struggle continuously with this issue, sigh.