Although I've flown through Frankfurt, it was way before 9-11 so any memory I might have as to transit time would be meaningless. I'm tentatively planning to fly Boston to Lyon and back next April, and among the flights I'm looking at are Lufthansa flights through Frankfurt and/or Munich. Several of the flights have around 1 hour layover time in each direction. While that seems fairly short, Lufthansa does list these connections on one ticket. I'd be interested in what people who have made a connection in either city recently think of that. Since Frankfurt would be our first Schengen stop, we'd have to go through passport control, which would add time. While I believe there are other Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Lyon later in the day, I'd prefer an earlier flight. And on the way home, I'm not sure there would be an alternative. Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5431 posts
I've never had Munich as a connecting point, only arrival and departure, so I'm not sure how it compares to Frankfurt, but I can't believe it would be worse. Frankfurt is a huge airport, and chances are you will have to change terminals on top of going thru passport control. An hour would be incredibly tight. And if your flight is late, then forget it. Although Lufthansa would get you on the next available flight. We flew through Frankfurt on our way home last month. We were supposed to have 90 minutes. Our flight was late arriving and the lines at passport control were really long. The only reason we made our connecting flight was that it was late leaving due to high winds at the airport, causing a backup for departures. Of course, you might be lucky...
Posted by
Dana Point
1213 posts
Have done both--most recently Munich in October coming back to US. With a one-hour connection, Munich hands down over Frankfurt. It's a smaller--though by no means small--airport that is known for its efficient transfer process.
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
689 posts
We have had transfers in both over the past year. We did not have a line at passport control either time in Frankfurt after arriving from SFO. On a flight back to SFO, transferring from Munich, we had one hour layover and much slower lines at passport control, but we made our flight because we walked REALLY fast. For all these flights, we were on Lufthansa all the way. The hallways in Frankfurt are very long and if you do not walk fast, one hour could prove difficult. Munich was a much more relaxed transfer point.
Posted by
northern CA
2766 posts
I've also transferred through both FRA and MUC to/from SFO this past year or so and also prefer MUC, not just because of size/distance to cover on foot but because of decor and design -- MUC is a little less German.
When approaching Lyon remember to look out the window if visibility is good -- the surrounding countryside has a pleasant Hobbit-y appearance that will warm your heart and provide a nice setting for your visit. And if Lufthansa gives you a choice of snack on the short leg, don't pick the sandwich. Pick the pastry. Better yet, just save your calorie count for Lyon :-)
Posted by
OP
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Thanks to everyone for their advice. As I suspected, Munich would be a better choice. I do remember Frankfurt being very large. And this is a key point:
Munich is
known for its efficient transfer process.
This year on our way to and from Lyon we transferred in Amsterdam, and despite the airport being very large, the transfer was very efficient. We stayed within the secure area all the time, so we didn't have to go through security.