One of the world’s top first class lounges is the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.
It’s completely separate from the main passenger terminal. Instead you pull up to the First Class Terminal, are greeted by a PA (personal assistant), and they take your bags from you and escort you through the security channel, which is the most efficient process you’ll find anywhere.
A minute after arriving at the terminal you’ll be sitting in the departures area sipping on a drink.
Since the First Class Terminal is completely separate from the rest of the terminal, the only way to get to your plane is by car. Which is awesome, because when your flight is ready for boarding you’ll be driven to your plane in a Mercedes or Porsche. As an aviation geek, there’s something magical about driving across the tarmac under the tails of some massive planes.
Well, as it turns out, you don’t necessarily have to be flying Lufthansa first class to be driven across the tarmac in a private car. Frankfurt Airport itself offers a gate-to-gate service, described as follows:
Only an hour to change planes! At a large, mostly unfamiliar airport that’s like a labyrinth, full of signs in languages not everyone understands. While also keeping an eye on fellow travelers and managing boarding passes, passports, and hand luggage. It can, but doesn’t have to be, strenuous and stressful. Fortunately, there’s a better way!
The Gate to Gate Service navigates you comfortably through Frankfurt Airport to your continuing flight, taking everything off your hands and freeing you from worrying about anything. We pick you up right at your arrival gate after you deplane, then take you through all of the required checks to the departure gate for your onward flight. You cover most of the distance in a posh limousine or gate taxi right across the apron. Once there, our service employee says goodbye to let you board on your own. If there is enough time and you’re in the mood for shopping, you can request a stop for this along the way.
The promotional image used for this service seems to be of a Mercedes S-Class, so hopefully that’s actually what they use for the service.
Now, I’m still not entirely sure how this works, given that this service doesn’t seem to come with lounge access or anything. In other words, if you’re flying Lufthansa business class and have a two hour layover, do they pick you up, bring you to the lounge, and then take you to the plane when your flight is ready for boarding? I’d also only use this if I knew my flights were arriving and departing from different concourses, since I assume they’re not driving you across the tarmac if there’s no need to (as nice as it would be). 😉
The pricing seems quite reasonable, as follows:
- 1 person: 99EUR
- 2 people: 99EUR
- 3 people: 129EUR
- 4 people: 149EUR
- 5 people: 169EUR
Bottom line
I’ll be testing this out the next time I’m passing through Frankfurt Airport and not flying Lufthansa first class. There are plenty of airlines which offer VIP services, though usually they’re outrageously priced. While I’m not totally clear on how this one works, in theory it seems like it could be not-too-terrible of a deal.
Has anyone used the gate-to-gate service at Frankfurt Airport?
(Tip of the hat to Steve)
Can someone tell me if they used the service and the arrival and departure terminal was the same? Does driving you from gate to gate mean a completely different terminal? I have 1 hour to connect, arriving from Budapest and departing for Calgary, it's both arriving and departing in Terminal 1. Just wondering if they still drive you to the gate, or expedite you through passport control?
I used it for my family after a long haul flight, when we had just an hour to make the connection, and I had 2 children under the age of 5. It made all the difference to get to our boarding gate on time. There is a separate security area you go through as well. The Frankfurt airport is immense and some workers use bicycles to get around. Trying to make a connection on the...
I used it for my family after a long haul flight, when we had just an hour to make the connection, and I had 2 children under the age of 5. It made all the difference to get to our boarding gate on time. There is a separate security area you go through as well. The Frankfurt airport is immense and some workers use bicycles to get around. Trying to make a connection on the other side of the airport under an hour, with 2 small and very tired kids and all their stuff, is next to impossible.
My elderly parents also used this for years when they were shuttled through the airport in wheelchairs. It was a good experience.
By the way, we were flying economy, not first or business class.
And to answer jtpc's question, I don't know if they have their own passport control, but there was only one person in line before us. And we did not have to pass through security again to make the connecting flight.
Yes! And it was well worth the Euros.
My son and I used the Gate to Gate service at Frankfurt and it saved our bacon! Our travel agent booked us on a flight from LAX to FRA giving us a one hour layover in Milan. I didn't realize it until we got home from booking the flights and she said it was too late to change them.
We needed to make the flight because...
Yes! And it was well worth the Euros.
My son and I used the Gate to Gate service at Frankfurt and it saved our bacon! Our travel agent booked us on a flight from LAX to FRA giving us a one hour layover in Milan. I didn't realize it until we got home from booking the flights and she said it was too late to change them.
We needed to make the flight because we were meeting my cousin at Malpensa, picking up a car and driving for three hours with rain in the forecast (I was not an experienced driver in Italy).
I would highly recommend the Gate to Gate service. Even with our flight arriving 30 minutes late, we made our connecting flight thanks to the skilled expediter who picked us up at our gate.
We saw her right away - she was waiting at the bottom of the escalator with a sign bearing our name -- and she whisked us away in her clean sedan. She first drove to a back entrance to the immigration/customs desk and got us through lickety split. We got back into her car and she drove us across the runway to the shuttle that would take us to our gate.
We made it with just enough time for me to use the restroom before boarding.
We would never have made our flight without this service. Do a simple Google search of the Frankfurt Airport and you will see that it is difficult to make short connecting flights.
We paid about $100 for the two of us, but it was money well spent.
Although my story above leaves me unable to say I have used the service (I was flying economy) I am pretty sure that the 1st class passengers involved in the tight connection I experienced (and wrote about in the previous comments) were driven to their connection and were not simply walked through passport/security. I had to sprint in and go through passports, and they were nowhere to be seen. They had a completely separate route....
Although my story above leaves me unable to say I have used the service (I was flying economy) I am pretty sure that the 1st class passengers involved in the tight connection I experienced (and wrote about in the previous comments) were driven to their connection and were not simply walked through passport/security. I had to sprint in and go through passports, and they were nowhere to be seen. They had a completely separate route. And they were told that they would be driven, and that they would definitely make the connection, although those of us in economy would not make it. (They relayed to me that they had been told this while we were all waiting to deboard in FRA). I can't see how this worked if they did not have a separate way of clearing passport control, and a way that was guaranteed to be quick enough.
That said, I sprinted, and someone else who made the connection sprinted too and told me that he had actually beaten the first class passengers. But we got lucky that passport control was entirely empty at that moment.
For those who have used this service: Do they have their own passport control and security?
If they do, that's a huge advantage on a tight connection. If I'm looking at a connection of around an hour in Frankfurt, I would gladly pay the money to be driven to my connecting flight's gate, if it meant also going through a separate passport/security check with the gate to gate agent. But, if it's just the agent...
For those who have used this service: Do they have their own passport control and security?
If they do, that's a huge advantage on a tight connection. If I'm looking at a connection of around an hour in Frankfurt, I would gladly pay the money to be driven to my connecting flight's gate, if it meant also going through a separate passport/security check with the gate to gate agent. But, if it's just the agent accompanying you through regular passport/security line-ups with all other passengers, that's not as impressive.
Can anyone advise whether it's separate passport/security clearance? If they picked you up, had their own passport/security clearance that they could drive you to, then drove you to your connecting flight's gate, that would be a great service to offer.
This may help explain something odd I experienced at FRA. I was connecting at FRA between Berlin TXL and LAX. Flight from Berlin was twice delayed, leaving maybe 12 minutes in between flights at FRA. When the plane came to a stop I booted up the aisle and made it as far as the business class section before I came to a stop in line to get off the plane. Some guys there asked if...
This may help explain something odd I experienced at FRA. I was connecting at FRA between Berlin TXL and LAX. Flight from Berlin was twice delayed, leaving maybe 12 minutes in between flights at FRA. When the plane came to a stop I booted up the aisle and made it as far as the business class section before I came to a stop in line to get off the plane. Some guys there asked if I was flying to LAX. They told me that the attendant had told them that their associates flying economy would not under any circumstances make the connection, but that they (flying first) would be driven and would make it. I sprinted and in fact made the connection. Luckily no one in line at passport control between A and Z. I later met their economy associate, who also sprinted and made it. He said he arrived before his associates in first. Anyway, I wondered: it sounds like the close connection got them precisely this limo service? I wonder if they have a separate border control agent? Does s/he ride in the limo too?
I have used it once a few weeks back and it was amazing ! Tried to book again yesterday for July 6th but got refused due to too many reservations
@Aaron Probably. A lounge can only be so efficient if you still need to pass through the main terminal when departing out of the airport.
"which is the most efficient process you’ll find anywhere"
More than the AF FC lounge in Paris?
I've used it five or six times this year, and use it whenever I connect through FRA.
The service collects you from your arrival gate*, and takes you to your departure gate. However, if you have time between flights, they will simply drop you off in the relative Lounge (if you are entitled to access), or in the Departures area.
*FRA is well known for its remote-stands. As such, the service WILL NOT MEET YOU...
I've used it five or six times this year, and use it whenever I connect through FRA.
The service collects you from your arrival gate*, and takes you to your departure gate. However, if you have time between flights, they will simply drop you off in the relative Lounge (if you are entitled to access), or in the Departures area.
*FRA is well known for its remote-stands. As such, the service WILL NOT MEET YOU WHEN YOU EXIT THE AIRCRAFT. Instead, the Gate-to-Gate Representative will meet you at the Bus Drop-Off point (which is a bit annoying). Note, that in no circumstances to do they meet you at the steps of the aircraft, unless you pay for the €350 VIP Service (also offered by FRA Premium Gate-to-Gate)
Now, the fun bit. The service is hugely inexpensive, and it's cool. I have a couple of photos on my Instagram page (@alwaysturnleft) from a recent trip across the tarmac at FRA.
The cars have included a BMW X5, Mercedes E-Class, and Skoda Superb.
As an Avgeek, I love it, and it does make life easier and more comfortable.
SMK77 I don't think you are correct. That pdf is for a different service. I was confused too because they seem to have overlapping services but this one is indeed much less than the one you refer to.
http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights---more/transfer.detail.suffix.html/service/comfort-services/gate-to-gate-service.html
Two adults plus two children is 139. For 25 extra they'll take you shopping.
As noted you are driven from your arrival gate to your departure gate. You are not driven to the airplane directly.
Here...
SMK77 I don't think you are correct. That pdf is for a different service. I was confused too because they seem to have overlapping services but this one is indeed much less than the one you refer to.
http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights---more/transfer.detail.suffix.html/service/comfort-services/gate-to-gate-service.html
Two adults plus two children is 139. For 25 extra they'll take you shopping.
As noted you are driven from your arrival gate to your departure gate. You are not driven to the airplane directly.
Here is a summary of the various services FRA offers...
https://www.serviceshop.flughafen-frankfurt.de/en
@Randy
Honors Circle members also get use of the LH FCT
So, 99 euros for a ride in a Mercedes from an arrival gate to a departure gate? - If I'm paying that kind of cash, I want better than an S class ;)
Yes you can guest a J pax into the F terminal. It IS a let down when you are driven in a minivan. Try to arrange a visit to the terminal when you are flying to a less popular destination where LH is still offering F and you will likely be the only ones riding in the S Class.
Don't you people read Rolling Stone? Ballers gonna ball..
And you don't have to be flying First Class to get F terminal access and free ride to the plane. Last time I flew LH F from FRA, there were about 6-7 of us in the F terminal traveling to IAD that they had to use a bus to take us to the plane. With only 8 F seats on the 748, it turns out that some of the passengers where actually in J and one person in the group was in F. I guess you can guest people into the F terminal in FRA and they get full services.
I used that service twice for my elderly parents, to make sure they find their way at the airport. The first time was OK, the guide met them at arrival gate and walked through the airport to the departure gate (did anybody say limousine? It must be a different service). The second time the guide did not even show up, but they still charged me for these services. It took a few weeks to get...
I used that service twice for my elderly parents, to make sure they find their way at the airport. The first time was OK, the guide met them at arrival gate and walked through the airport to the departure gate (did anybody say limousine? It must be a different service). The second time the guide did not even show up, but they still charged me for these services. It took a few weeks to get the money back, as the airline stated that the service was rendered. Overall, I do not recommend.
99 EUR gets you a person walking you from gate to gate. If you want the limousine that sets you back 320 EUR (and includes a lounge) if your connecting is less than 3 hours:
http://www.fraport.com/content/fraport/en/misc/binaer/our-expertise/aviation-services/vip-service/vip-services--schedule-of-charges-and-services-for-2015/jcr:content.file/vip-services_preis--und-leistungsuebersicht-2015-en.pdf
In Frankfurt, I was driven to my LH plane (as a First class passenger!) in a Mercedes minivan with 5 other passengers. All squished in, knees and elbows touching. It was horrible. If I had known, I would have walked to the gate and boarded via the jetbridge.
I don't understand how $110 to get driven to the plane for at most what is a 15 minute ride can be considered reasonable unless you're swimming in cash.
As nobody seems to have tried it I'll book it for my transfer on may 15th. Will be fun :-)
Are you someone who cannot understand basic airport signage or an otherwise old person who is confused by all the new changes?
If yes, then I guess 99 euros is worth it. Or you can pay that money to feel like a confused fool who needs hand holding.
when you are ben , 99 euros ain't nothing especially when you write it off
It would be reasonable if it included lounge access. The way I read it the service is to pick you up at the arrival gate and escort you to the departure gate. In a car, if separate terminals. I don't think they actually drive you to the plane. They get you to your departure gate, and the service is finished at that point and you just wait for your flight there.
I've connected from LH to EY at FRA multiple times. On separate tickets. I would never pay 99 Euros when I could just collect my bags, walk to the train, then walk, to the check in desk at T2. No way is that worth it. Plenty of other things I'd rather use my 99 Euros for.
I've tried to use it, does that count? We were connecting from Lufthansa to Etihad on separate tickets, and that's such a haul otherwise that it seemed worth the cost. They need at least 48 hours notice though, which didn't work with our last-minute plans.