Frankfurt Airport (FRA) recently saw the opening of the new Terminal 3. This is something I was excited about — Frankfurt is my most frequented international airport, since my family is from the area, so it’s an airport I have a love-hate relationship with.
I mean, Frankfurt Airport is kind of terrible, except the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, but there’s a certain charm to all of it, maybe partly because of the extent to which it reminds me of my childhood. So I was pleased to see the recent opening of the airport’s first new terminal since I was a toddler.
During my current trip, I had the chance to fly out of Terminal 3, prior to my Turkmenistan Airlines flight to Ashgabat (ASB). While it was the flight I was most looking forward to (who wouldn’t?!), getting to experience the new terminal was also cool to me.
I’ve gotta say, among new terminals at global airports, this has to be one of the more unmemorable ones we’ve seen in quite some time. Ultimately it’s modern (in a very sterile and minimalist way), but at least it’s better than the old one? Will, minus the location…
In this post:
Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3: at least it’s not Terminal 2?
About the best thing I can say about the new Terminal 3 is that it’s at least better than the old Terminal 2, which it replaces. In fairness, Terminal 2 was awful, so that’s not saying a whole lot.
The first thing you’ll notice about Terminal 3 is what a pain it is to get to. It’s located on the opposite side of the airport of Terminal 1. So if you arrive at the airport via train, you first have to take an additional roughly 10-minute SkyLine ride just to arrive at the terminal.
While minor, can I just point out how “bumpy” and fast that little train thing moves? I can’t imagine how many people are going to fall in this thing, given how much it bounces and how abruptly it accelerates, with everyone standing and holding onto their luggage.
Once I actually arrived in the terminal, I found the design to be… well, a mixed bag. On the plus side, the terminal has high ceilings and feels rather “grand” in some areas. At the same time, the design is very minimalist. Like, most of the terminal has an exposed view into wiring and all the equipment above the ceiling.
The check-in area is one, large rectangular hall, and then the security checkpoints are just beyond that.
Once airside, the central area that connects the piers has nice aesthetics, though also lacks natural light (probably a blessing in Frankfurt, so that you can not be reminded of how bad the weather is).
Gates then extend out to a few different piers, each of which are just long, straight halls. Admittedly I departed from the last possible gate, but it was quite a long walk to get there. While there are moving sidewalks, there are big gaps between them.
To be clear, I love walking and don’t mind getting steps, but for those who have any sort of mobility challenges, getting to your gate is quite the adventure, especially if you were originating at the train station. I suppose that’s true in Terminal 1 as well, though. 😉 
The actual central walkway to gates lacks natural light and is fairly narrow, and that’s because there are businesses and other facilities on each side. Then the actual gate seating is past that, and it’s where you’ll find floor-to-ceiling windows.
What’s also worth pointing out is that Lufthansa doesn’t use this terminal, so there’s very little connecting traffic here. As a result, the passenger flows are very different than in Terminal 1, since most travelers are moving in one direction.
The Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 lounge situation is decent
Perhaps the best part of the new Frankfurt Terminal 3 is the lounge situation. I was only able to visit the Priority Lounge, which is the non-Schengen contract and Priority Pass lounge. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it’s much better than in the old Terminal 2.
The lounge has incredible views, and is quite large, with a whole room in the back that nobody seems to know exists.
Then Emirates also debuted its new lounge concept at the airport, and Qatar Airways is expected to soon open two lounges in the terminal, which will be fantastic for oneworld flyers.
So from a passenger experience standpoint, I think that’s the most exciting aspect of this new terminal. The Terminal 2 lounge situation was getting to be pretty dire.
Bottom line
Frankfurt Airport’s new Terminal 3 is finally open, and I had the chance to check it out. The new terminal is an improvement over the old Terminal 2 in terms of design, capacity, and facilities. The catch is that it’s inconvenient to get to (for most), and it’s also rather unremarkable in terms of design.
Ultimately there’s nothing wrong with that. Heck, for Germany, I guess it’s kind of predictable, as my impression of the new (at the time) Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) was largely similar. It’s just that we see so many airports go for a “wow” factor with their new terminals — just take Portland Airport (PDX) as an example — so this is quite unexciting, by comparison.
What do you make of the new FRA Terminal 3?
I was there yesterday. No Oneworld Lounge and both BA and AA use T3 now...
How’s the Schengen lounge situation?
T3 at FRA took eleven years to finish, from the first excavation...
BER took fourteen years to finish...
Stuttgart train station that is undergoing huge revamp is supposed to open in full around 2031, whereas the whole construction started around 2010!
Proverbial German efficiency in handling its infrastructure is taking severe beating...
Desperately needs carpets.
I see the hateful inclined moving walkways, so common in European airports and railways stations... haven't they realized by now how uncomfortable/dangerous those are with 4-wheelers?
I liked T3 a lot... mostly because, as you said, outside the LH FCT, it is a sh!thole.
Transit security was under 5 minutes. IN FRA!!! Amazing!
Lounge situation is terrible, but that should change after QR opens its lounges. It is, as you described "very sterile and minimalist", but get me through security and customs quick with a good lounge and that airport is a homerun for me!
I just flew Condor from JNB to YYZ via FRA still in Terminal 1.
Since Condor will eventually move to Terminal 3, as pointed out, it will be interesting how their connections work out and if they will decide to add a lounge since right now they use Lufthansa ones in Terminal 1. Maybe they won’t move in until the final finger is built and open?
I flew out of Terminal 3 a couple of months ago. I found the overall design of the check-in area to be rather minimal and uninspiring. The black coffered ceiling makes the space feel dark and gloomy, creating an atmosphere that is far from welcoming.
The Priority Lounge was also unfinished, with large sections still boarded off. This gave the terminal an incomplete and somewhat disappointing appearance,
My impression was that terminal 3 opened...
I flew out of Terminal 3 a couple of months ago. I found the overall design of the check-in area to be rather minimal and uninspiring. The black coffered ceiling makes the space feel dark and gloomy, creating an atmosphere that is far from welcoming.
The Priority Lounge was also unfinished, with large sections still boarded off. This gave the terminal an incomplete and somewhat disappointing appearance,
My impression was that terminal 3 opened before it was fully ready.
Seems like a fine Flughafen to me…
In defense of FRA, compared to most U.S. airports, which often look like nothing's been done or upgraded in 30-40 years, it's actually a breath of fresh air - I hardly ever wait to get through customs there, downtown Frankfurt is a cheap 10min train ride away, the airport is full of stores and restaurants and doesn't have a stained 30 year old carpet like your average American airport. + lots of lounges. Granted, getting...
In defense of FRA, compared to most U.S. airports, which often look like nothing's been done or upgraded in 30-40 years, it's actually a breath of fresh air - I hardly ever wait to get through customs there, downtown Frankfurt is a cheap 10min train ride away, the airport is full of stores and restaurants and doesn't have a stained 30 year old carpet like your average American airport. + lots of lounges. Granted, getting between terminals is a mess and way too complicated and cumbersome, and the lack of fast track security is annoying, but once you're where you need to go inside it's not too bad.
Sounds like you are describing Miami International Airport.
US airports have shockingly made huge progress. LGA is entirely new and JFK soon will have two brand new terminals. SFO, PDX, SLC, SAN. PIT and even smaller cities like San Antonio, Cleveland and Columbus, OH are building/have built some impressive new facilities.
Apples to apples would be MIA, CLT, PHL, JFK, EWR, LAX, SFO, ORD... not Portland and Cleveland.
Are the inclined travelators bouncy like in France?
Ben, this trip report is....when an us boy talks about public transport....
back to more serious:considering global standards and local operating costs, this is as good as it gets!
qatar for example cant be a reference!
I have seen super odd us facilities-new-
U missing a heli perspective and this report or evaluation lacks of quality mate.
sure not everything is gold these days apart from the new af1 or...
Ben, this trip report is....when an us boy talks about public transport....
back to more serious:considering global standards and local operating costs, this is as good as it gets!
qatar for example cant be a reference!
I have seen super odd us facilities-new-
U missing a heli perspective and this report or evaluation lacks of quality mate.
sure not everything is gold these days apart from the new af1 or the comin ball hall in washington dc
(life is better with humor)
Ben ... The people who hold on to ( only their luggage ) as the train accelerates , ought to sit on their swivel luggage . He-He .
I think Germany's infrastructure actually holds up pretty well over time. While design is nice, functionality is as well, and this sort of looks like a prototypical, fuctional German airport
No German airport is functional without beer , and pipes or cigars .
I've flown through there twice already and found it quite nice. Definitely an upgrade in terms of facilities. Reminded me of DTW with the one long concourse. Having to take a 10 minute shuttle over to where the trains depart from is a bit of a hassle though.
At least it's not as annoying at Guangzhou Baiyun's new Terminal 3. While the terminal looked grand, their beautiful carpet annoyed the hell out of us....dragging our luggage on that carpet was painful and sweaty (their AC is not adequate for the intense summer heat of southern China!). Security was insane, they made you pull out everything they saw on the scan to double check including power cords, battery, forks and they strictly enforced the...
At least it's not as annoying at Guangzhou Baiyun's new Terminal 3. While the terminal looked grand, their beautiful carpet annoyed the hell out of us....dragging our luggage on that carpet was painful and sweaty (their AC is not adequate for the intense summer heat of southern China!). Security was insane, they made you pull out everything they saw on the scan to double check including power cords, battery, forks and they strictly enforced the carry-on bags! Our breakfast plastic bag was considered 1 piece (WTH); there's no Priority Pass lounge there yet!
I get where you're coming from. But try walking along the upper airside concourse of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. Talk about sauna-like conditions, with practically non-existent airconditioning combined with glass walls allowing the tropical heat in....And it doesn't get much better at night either.
It’s an airport terminal… I don’t think anyone had their hopes up for excitement.
Are newly built US terminals starting to look better than their European counterparts? LGA, PIT, SLC, and PDX all feel brighter and airier than this. Curious how JFK T1 will turn out.
The awkward location of the terminal presents a major advantage to (almost) monopolistic Lufthansa. People have been complaining so much about Transit through terminal 1 but now they will experience an entirely new dimension if arriving long-haul into Terminal 3 with a Lufthansa connection from Terminal 1.
And by the way, BER opened with a 10-year delay. It would have been quite modern in 2010…
They really love the exposed unfinished ceiling look. But like you Ben, I think FRA is terrible but I somehow also love it at the same time. I have many fond memories.
It looks like an EDITION hotel
Looks a lot like AMS Schiphol. There also travel times to a gate are long, escalators are often broken down and the aestetics are quite simular. I would have expected that a new terminsl would be a step up, but this does not seem to be the case. Shame.
I got to experience Terminal 3 in June and was quite excited to see and experience it, just with most new things. Well, there were pros and cons. One thing you also mentioned: the quite long piers with relatively long gaps between the moving walks. Of course, a little walking doesn't hurt ... except it hurts sometimes. Hips don't lie and mine hurt.
Not only that they could be a bit closer to each...
I got to experience Terminal 3 in June and was quite excited to see and experience it, just with most new things. Well, there were pros and cons. One thing you also mentioned: the quite long piers with relatively long gaps between the moving walks. Of course, a little walking doesn't hurt ... except it hurts sometimes. Hips don't lie and mine hurt.
Not only that they could be a bit closer to each other, but also only half of them were working.
When we were there we flew with British Airways and I wasn't aware that they open check-in no earlier than like 2 or 2 1/2 hours before their flight. We were there way before that mark and there were only very few seats in the checkin hall.
What I also didn't understand was something which was not inconvenient for us passengers but for the staff working check-in (or bag drop). Why on earth did they install stuff the American way? In Terminal 2, decades old, you put your bag on a scale, the agent then pushed a button and the bag moved towards them so they could attach the bag tag. Then another push of a button and the bag was sent off towards its mysterious path.
And now in a brand new facility? You put your bag on the scale. Then the agent attaches the bag tag and another worker lifts the bag and carries it to the conveyor belt. Huh? Just like in American airports. There was a very convenient way how to do it and they return to 19th century technology?
But you're right the priority pass lounge is way nicer than the one in terminal 2.
Ben, thanks for the update. What about the new train they have been working on for a couple years? Is that up and running? Nice to see these improvements in FRA.
@Mike, yes it is up and running. It's the one, Lucky was talking about. I didn't get to experience it so I can't talk about those abrupt maneuvers. When we were there the train was temporarily out of service and shuttle buses were taking us to/from. But a few days after our return from London the train resumed its operation.
I was there 3 weeks ago and, yes, the train felt like a beast nobody could possibly dominate. My mom had a seat but I was standing and you do have to make a very conscious effort not to fall or lose grip of your luggage.
The trip is indeed very long considering that you're 'just' switching terminals (maybe that's why they let the train travel at such crazy speed) but at the same time...
I was there 3 weeks ago and, yes, the train felt like a beast nobody could possibly dominate. My mom had a seat but I was standing and you do have to make a very conscious effort not to fall or lose grip of your luggage.
The trip is indeed very long considering that you're 'just' switching terminals (maybe that's why they let the train travel at such crazy speed) but at the same time I was quite happy looking at the planes and all the runway action. You can get some amazing views if a big plane is approaching at the right moment.