“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?
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
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.