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Transferring in FRA - customs or no customs? 85 min time enough to make connection?

Posted by (Northbrook, Illinois, USA) on

Hi,

I hope it is ok I am posting this in two places. Apologies if that is not in the rules, but very stressed right now in ATH.

We are scheduled to fly from ATH to FRA and then FRA to ORD, same day next week.

On the way to ATH, we had a two hour layover in FRA. However,, our flight from ORD was delayed and we landed on hour late in FRA, then had to clear customs and then change terminals even though we are booked on Lufthansa all the way through. It was an absolute mess and by the time we got through customs and then security (again) we literally had to run to catch our FRA to ATH flight. WE. boarded a bus at the gate for the FRA to ATH flight and it took 8 min to get to the plane. Then we had to gate check our hand luggage. No a great way to start the trip.

Going back the other way, we have a one hour 25 min layover in FRA. So we have to deplane from ATH flight, we are not planning to check a bag to we will have luggage with us. Worried we won't have enough time, 85 min, to make the connection FRA to OHare, esp if the ATH to FRA flight is late.

Using the flight stats app, i cannot tell if we will transfer terminals in FRA even tho both our flights are on Lufthansa equipment.

1) do we have to clear customs in FRA when we land from Athens? That is EU to EU. But we are connecting from EU to USA.

2) If we have boarding passes in hand when we land in FRA from ATH do we just proceed to our gate or do we go through security again?

3) What is the deal with FRA, what a mess! As I said, were bussed all over from the boarding gate to the departure plane, it was an 8 minute ride so I have no idea if a 90 min layover is sufficient.

Thank you!

Posted by
1587 posts

First of all, there is a difference between customs and immigration. When you arrived at FRA you went to immigration/passport control not customs. You went thru customs at ATH when you walked thru the green/nothing to declare channel when you exited the airport.

FRA and ATH are both airports located in the Schengen zone. Most (all?) airports in the Schengen zone are divided into 2 parts. One side of the airport is where flights to and from other Schengen countries arrive and depart from. They other side is for flights to and from outside the Schengen zone. Sometimes these different parts are in completely different buildings/terminals, sometimes these different parts are under the same roof.
What is always the same is that to get from the non-Schengen part to the Schengen part, or from Schengen to non-Schengen you must go thru immigration/passport control. Unlike in the USA, there is also passport control upon exiting the Schengen zone, not just on arrival. So, you will go thru “exit” passport control at FRA and “entry” passport control in the US.
For your particular flight, this means you will go thru security in ATH and thru passport control at FRA. Whether or not you will have to go thru security again at Frankfurt, depends on what gate you arrive. If it’s a bus gate, it’s likely you will have to go thru security again.

Posted by
2857 posts

It is not clear that you will go through security a second time. If you come in by bus you will be routed straight up to the passport clearance for the Z gates in T1A (that's the outgoing to international top floor of T1 above the A gates). This is mercifully close to where the buses discharge. The only time I recall a security check afterwards on our way home was my wife being sent for a check after immigration control because her Boarding Pass had "the SSSS". I believe we have gone through security again after entering into Schengen in FRA and choosing the wrong path. If you are strapped for time because your first flight has run late, get help from Lufthansa staff, they should get you bumped up through passport control upon seeing your boarding pass including your prior flight (so they can see it was Lufthansa's issue).

I know we are in the minority on RS here, but we are comfortable with FRA and like it. On only one flight back was there ever a constraint issue with 70 minutes, and we made it. Line to clear immigration out of Schengen was swamped, but no security check. Another time with a 90 minute layover, our outbound flight had been delayed in FRA, and thus we were way late leaving PHL. Short of it, off the bus with 7 minutes to spare, informed gate still open, and made it. Lot of luck there -bus took us as close as possible to the B terminals (no 1/2 mile walk from where the plane was expected to gate), I knew where to go, we were flying US to Turkey so full airside and no Schengen involvement, and our bags were on our backs.

The first time we flew back through FRA I faced this same trepidation. 80 minutes from incoming from Copenhagen to out to US. I timed it. About 13 minutes from leaving cabin door to follow signs to Z, to go up, be stamped through, and walk to new gate, this was around noon.

BTW, if they put you on the bus they will put you on the plane.

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