Haven't traveled to Europe for several years so looking for recent experiences (and I understand every flight/day/situation is different and no one can predict, just hoping to gather some data points). Looking at flights this fall from Ljubljana back to Raleigh-Durham the option I will probably choose has a 1.5 hour layover in Frankfurt. Even in the past, I would have wanted a longer layover as I'm more on the risk-averse side. Thoughts on how more recent layovers through Frankfurt have gone? Grateful for any experiences.
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near San Francisco
6382 posts
I will provide 2 answers, based on my connection through Frankfurt about a week ago.
The first is based on my own experience arriving from Spain to Frankfurt, heading back to the US. We landed at 315pm. It took me about 30 minutes to get from the "apron landing" (not at a gate) onto the bus, into B Concourse, through immigration and to my departure gate on Concourse Z. I walked at a VERY fast pace, and it included two sets of stairs/elevators. The EES pre-registration machines were not being used. There was no line at immigration and I walked directly up to the agent, who registered me himself for EES. That part took 1 minute, at most two.
The second answer is based on my conversation with the immigration agent. I told him I was relieved and surprised that there was no line. He said, you should have seen it this morning. He indicated it was a madhouse during that time. I asked him what time that would be and he said in the morning until about Noon, when lots of connecting flights were arriving. I didn't take his time to ask any further questions as to how long were the lines or the wait times.
So, the answer is that it really varies based on how many flights are arriving at the same time as you, how many non-EU passengers are going through immigration, and how well the kiosks and staff are able to process the volume.
Based on just those 2 data points, I would not consider a 1.5 hour layover for a morning arrival, but I might consider it for an afternoon connection, though I would breathe easier (and could walk more slowly) with 2-3 hours.