Schengen Passport Question

The sites that say 6 months seem to be erring on the side of caution. But any way, the "end of" June is still more than 6 months from Dec. 11. I'm sure you can also show return airline tickets, if asked.

I flew Into Germany twice this year, Frankfurt and Munich, and the Border protection police simply run your passport through their machine, stamp it as entering the EU Schengen zone (with an arrow symbol into a box) and give it back, in about 45 seconds. It is the land borders they are more worried about right now. Any North American tourist ( I am Canadian) will find EU entry and exit straightforward, and a passport with a June 2017 expiry should not be a problem, Credit cards and ATM cards are my main focus before any trip - did I notify my banks? You will arrive just in time for Advent and Christmas Markets - go to as many as possible!!

No problem. As others say you got more than 6 months before expiration of your passport.

So I just doublechecked our passports and 3 of them expire end of May! Are we gonna have problems?? Should I try and get an expedited passport? We leave on 12/18 with a 12/19 arrival!

You might consider looking at the German Embassy web site, here.
One of the FAQs is similar to your question:

Q: I am planning to apply for a visa at the German Consulate, how long should my passport be valid?

A: Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months upon conclusion of your trip.

There is a contact link at the top of the page if you want more specific info.

If this was going to be a problem, your airline would have already contacted you since passport info is required at time of booking. You did provide all the passport info to whatever airline you are fling already, right?

since passport info is required at time of booking

Other than the name that appears on your passport, no other info is required at the time of booking, so the airline would have no idea.

As the two previous posters have alluded to, you should contact the airline you are flying. They are the first to determine if the expiration date is an issue, since they have responsibilities under carriage rules. If they let you fly, then likely there would be no issues at the border.

Here's the link to the US State Department information on US passport and Schengen countries. This might be a good place to start before considering other advice.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

The US state department site is what actually causes all the confusion. When you go to the source (consulate sites for the countries one is visiting) they all say three months validity. Then the state department muddles the issue by stating six months.
From personal experience last year I was able to enter the Schengen Zone (Austria), with less than six months validity without any hassle from the airline or the immigration officials across the pond.

All I can provide is my experiences. In my experience, the airlines I chose to fly from the US to Europe over the past 5 years or so DEMANDED my passport info at booking time. And that was passport number, issuing country, and expiration date at the minimum.

My passport expires in April and I have flown into and out of the US and Germany twice this month with nary a question about the expiration of my passport. I fly Air Canada into Ohio from Frankfurt and they have never asked me for any passport information other than am I an American citizen and my country of residence. In March, I flew with Icelandic Air and Alaskan Air from Frankfurt to Cal. and back, and they didn't ask for passport info either.

Airlines may or may not ask for certain details when you book. However, when you check in, they darn well make sure you have a passport that will allow you entry into your destination - and a visa if needed.

When I fly from Israel to the U.S., I only need my Israeli passport and ticket to get through initial security. A couple of times, I've forgotten to take out my U.S. passport at the check-in counter and I've been politely asked "if I have another passport" after they don't find a U.S. visa in my Israeli one.

So I spoke to the airlines and they stated that as a US Citizen, it just needs to be valid for 3 months from the date of departure. Yes, the state department website was confusing as it mentioned 6 months. Thank yall for all the helpful info! Looks like our vacation is a go! :)

3 months from the date of departure.

That makes sense since the Schengen treaty says you can be in the zone at most for 90 consecutive days. (Three calendar month is usually more than 90 days. Three months starting in February and ending in May can be only 89 days, but you usually arrive one day after departure.) They just don't want your passport expiring while you are in the zone.

BTW, I once talked to US Immigration and they said if you were a US citizen, as witnessed by an expired passport, you would not be denied reentry into the US because your passport was expired. But they didn't say it wouldn't be more complicated.

I think the State Department telling us we should have 6 month remaining on our passports is just a way to make you buy a 10-year passport every 9½ years.

The EU "requires that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure" - from the Schengen zone.

Not your departure from the US to begin your time in the zone.

Don't confuse the dates

I'm sorry to have added to the confusion. I now see that the State Dept. link is actually pretty clear in recommending 3 months validity on top of the 90 days that you could possibly stay in the Schengen zone. Otherwise, you might make up any "intended date of return." I think a return plane ticket is as good an indicator of a person's travel plans as a 90-day visa limit, but it's not a guarantee.