“German airports” and “good news” don’t typically go in the same sentence. Along those lines, here’s perhaps the most exciting airport development for Germany since the opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).
In this post:
Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 will be home to most airlines
As it currently stands, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) has two terminals — Terminal 1 is home to Lufthansa and many Star Alliance partners, while Terminal 2 is home to most non-Star Alliance airlines, with the exception of Condor. Yes, I know some people might be surprised to learn that the Lufthansa First Class Terminal isn’t the only part of the airport departures area. 😉
Anyway, Terminal 2 in Frankfurt opened back in 1994, and it’s not exactly a premium-feeling facility. Not that Terminal 1 is great either, but Terminal 2 is just especially uninspiring, in my opinion.
The good news is that for several years now, work has been taking place on Terminal 3, which will be the airport’s brand new terminal.
Not only does this represent a much needed capacity increase, but the new terminal should also be much nicer aesthetically than the current setup.
The plan is that all airlines in Terminal 2 will move to Terminal 3 — after all, the new terminal has the capacity for 19 million annual passengers, while the old terminal has the capacity for 15 million annual passengers.
Then Terminal 2 will undergo a redevelopment, and then we’ll see what happens from there. We know that Lufthansa wants to expand into Terminal 2 as well, but it’s anyone’s guess how that plays out, as it’s a long term project.
Anyway, there are now firm dates for the move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3. Airlines are expected to transition to Terminal 3 on four sets of dates, starting on April 23, and ending on June 9, 2026.
Terminal 3 is located on the complete opposite end of the “field” of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 (across all the parallel runways), though there will still be a SkyLine connection between terminals, operating every two minutes, with a journey time of up to 10 minutes.
What about the Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 lounge situation?
With the opening of Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 in the coming weeks, it’s interesting how little news there has been about lounges in the new terminal. Currently, Terminal 2 has the Air France Lounge, Emirates Lounge, Japan Airlines Lounge, Primeclass Lounge, and Priority Lounge.
So far, the only Terminal 3 announcement I’ve seen is that there will be a SkyTeam Lounge there, measuring around 550 square meters (6,920 square feet). However, this will be in the non-Schengen area, so it’s intended for passengers flying on China Airlines, China Eastern, Delta, Korean Air, MEA, Saudia, and Vietnam Airlines.
Maybe I’m missing something, but it seems like there should be several more lounge announcements soon:
- Will an Emirates Lounge location open in the new Terminal 3, replacing the one in Terminal 2?
- Will there be a SkyTeam specific lounge for Schengen flights, like an Air France Lounge?
- We’ve seen the oneworld alliance start to open its own branded lounges, and you’d think that Terminal 3 would be a prime candidate for such a facility, instead of a lounge specific to Japan Airlines
- Then there’s the question of what Priority Pass or contract lounges we’ll see — will Primeclass move over, and will there be a second lounge, maybe with different branding?
Bottom line
Frankfurt Airport’s new Terminal 3 will be opening soon, initially replacing operations at Terminal 2. While this hardly looks like the world’s most exciting new terminal, it does look like a big improvement over the rest of the airport. I look forward to passing through this terminal soon, and I’m curious what other new lounges we will see.
What do you make of the new Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3?
If it doesn't have carpets, it will feel cold and sterile.
And with carpets, it will always remain dirty, hard to clean, and harder to move wheeled carts through.
What does this mean for the Sheraton airport hotel?
Being replaced with a Hojo!
Good. While I am not excited about the sky train ride and connection time crunch this might create, the new terminal should reduce the % of bus gates for Terminal 2/3. Now what we need is a reduction in the bus gates for Terminal 1, please. Please?
Also, the guy in the video said they'll have new faster security scanners - does this mean i can bring liquids?
Some time next year Mr. Spohr will announce that Terminal 2 will reopen as Terminal Allegris in a year or two.
Then reality hits and it will open only some time in 2050 - but only if everything is going smoothly and all ducks are in a row. (which never happens with LH)
The Allegris terminal will have loads of seats to stand and look at, they will be cordoned off waiting to be safety approved.
Noce airport terminal, shame it’s in Germany. Great beer, average food, boring sights, grumpy people.
What about pretzels, meat, and cars?! :D
You should know.
I pity the passengers with a tight connection between the Z gates and those in the eventual *alliance gates in the area referred to now as Terminal 2. They will get their steps in, for sure.
My understanding is the terminal connecting trains will operate in a way that there will be a stop very close to the Sheraton, This will cut walking time and distance to the attached Hotels and the long distance...
I pity the passengers with a tight connection between the Z gates and those in the eventual *alliance gates in the area referred to now as Terminal 2. They will get their steps in, for sure.
My understanding is the terminal connecting trains will operate in a way that there will be a stop very close to the Sheraton, This will cut walking time and distance to the attached Hotels and the long distance and ICE trains. (ICE refers to Germany's high speed rail service, no politics here although ICE trains are disliked sometimes.
I spent years taking a late day TATL LH flight that departed from area C but was forever a construction site. The gates were considered Terminal 1-C and it was far, imagine really trekking to Terminal 2!
Korean air is not planned to move yet probably due to Asiana being star alliance for now. Once officially merged later this year, it should move to T3
The graphic posted shows Korean being in the first group to move on 23rd April. Are you saying this is incorrect?
Tampa airport has a new dress code!
https://flip.it/9nDGNm
No more pajamas!
That's what happens when you let Gen Alpha run a social media account.
It makes no sense for a sky team lounge to be located in the Schengen zone which serves only Air France and KLM. in which an AF lounge would make more sense. The ST lounge should be located in the non Schengen zone
My bad. I assume AFKL will have a lounge at some point in the Schengen zone
Air Europa too.
@All Due Respect, @AlanZ -- You're my LH people.. tell me how to feel! Is Ben right to be excited?! Will there still be roast goose served over the holidays? Or is it more Luft-kafka...
My sources tell me that there will still be roast goose, although a ground swell is building for an optional stuffed Spohr.
I think this new terminal is past due. For one, having LH expand into term 1 will allow LH to reduce/eliminate apron parking. Also, there currently exists a sky train between 1 and 2, behind security, cutting down walking time.
But, I would warn all, that when Den was being built, it...
My sources tell me that there will still be roast goose, although a ground swell is building for an optional stuffed Spohr.
I think this new terminal is past due. For one, having LH expand into term 1 will allow LH to reduce/eliminate apron parking. Also, there currently exists a sky train between 1 and 2, behind security, cutting down walking time.
But, I would warn all, that when Den was being built, it was touted as the best thing since sliced bread. But it turned out to be wonder bread.
Hey, CDG is not my fav because transferring between concourse in same terminal or between terminals can be the pits.
As for Ben, he should be pleased. Excited is too strong a word in the context of being in most terminals to begin with.
I do have one question. If coming in on Schengen flight, on other than LH, but leaving on LH FC flight, how does one get to LH First Class terminal. (That is apt definition of first world problem, alongside with wearing p.j.'s at the airport.)
You will have to exit the secure area and leisurely stroll over the FCT, last time I did this I had the driver drop me close to T1 arrivals. Could be done in PJs without much of a bother.
I actually quite like FRA and that's because it is so well connected to the DB network. I also find it to be mostly efficient, though as you said, not very premium. Having to take a train 10 minutes to get to where all the transport runs from is going to be cumbersome because those trains are going to be transporting a lot of people because T3 will be almost entirely O/D traffic. Heaven forbid they ever break down.
Taking the train from Terminal 3 will drop you off near the Sheraton, a much shorter walk to the long distance trains. That might shave some of the time lost. I did not design the airport, lol.
Never had a prob transferring from T2 to T3 in Singapore.
Oh no, I have plans for a 3-hour transit (without checked bags) through FRA on separate tickets this summer. Hoping for an on-time arrival of LH's early morning shuttle from CPH to make AA's 11am departure to DFW. Wonder if the new Skyline Train connects Shengen-arrival gates at T1 to T3?
Have you considered that you will have to first exit the secure area within term 1, then go to term 3 and then check in again. Not a transit due to different airlines and tickets.
Not necessarily. There is Skytrain on airside between T1 and T2 where I did a transfer between JL/LH (on separate tickets) without any hassle. I’m sure somehow things work out without needing to enter the country.
So despite this terminal opening, looks like fully loaded A380s and 777-300ers arriving from long-haul routes will still often be forced to use remote stands/buses? Was hoping that would go away, but if Lufthansa isn't expanding to T2, then this will remain the worst European hub for connecting flights (in my experience).
Where does it say that?
Lufthansa is not flying A380 nor 777-300ER to Frankfurt.
United flies the 777-300er… and last time I flew it to Frankfurt we had to use buses )in the pouring rain… just what you want after an 11 hour flight).
So, terminals 1 and 2 will become Lufthansa Group/Star Alliance's exclusive turf?
I only know that FRA gets a lot of criticism for being a complicated airport to transfer in. This will surely get worse if they move all non-*A airlines so far away from any potential domestic connecting flights.
They even have the signature uncompleted ceiling look that FRA is known for. But good for FRA. It’s my favorite bad airport. I try to avoid it but somehow always end up in it and I actually love it.
Not sure what is "exciting" about an airport terminal ?
Do you also find taxi stands , bike racks , bus stops , etc., "exciting" ?
@ Alert -- As someone who takes interest in commercial aviation, and who passes through this airport often, I do consider this to be "exciting." And no, I don't consider taxi stands, bike racks, bus stops, etc., exciting, but that's because I'm not a taxi/bike/bus enthusiast.
For example, I couldn't care less about professional sports, yet I know for many people, it's a big part of what they're passionate about, what they they discuss when...
@ Alert -- As someone who takes interest in commercial aviation, and who passes through this airport often, I do consider this to be "exciting." And no, I don't consider taxi stands, bike racks, bus stops, etc., exciting, but that's because I'm not a taxi/bike/bus enthusiast.
For example, I couldn't care less about professional sports, yet I know for many people, it's a big part of what they're passionate about, what they they discuss when hanging out with others, etc. I don't judge them for that, and I think this falls into a similar category.
I agree w/ Ben. FRA is a major global hub.
I am as much interested in what happens to Terminal 2 after it gets renovated.
In today's world if you don't think exactly how other people think you should think you are in the wrong.... apparently
Close to truth Ben. In fact, with many people, sports are their only life.
How confident are we that there won't be a BER moment in the next couple of months?
@ Thomas -- I wouldn't bet on it until the first flight leaves. In fairness, though, there have been fewer issues with this project than in Berlin, so maybe things will actually go semi-smoothly?
I totally agree. Infrastructure projects are always risky, and in Germany even more so.
It's very unlikely as the Terminal has been approved by the relevant authorities in October.