Efficient, spacious and clean (well Terminal 2 is!) (Frankfurt International Airport (FRA))

Member Name: Belgian999

Product:	Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
Date:	27/02/01 (404 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Terminal 2 is much more passenger-friendly...

Disadvantages: ...than the cramped and outdated Terminal 1

Since moving out to Germany I have been a frequent visitor to the international airport at Frankfurt-am-Main, either collecting friends and family if they venture out to Heidelberg or making my escape for a day or two from the rigours of translating insurance software!

My first experience of the airport was not the best – I flew to Terminal 1 on the morning of my interview, a little flustered and totally unsure of where to head, and if you don’t know where you need to go then the old terminal is not the best place to be. There always seem to be masses of people queuing at the lines of check-in desks and crowds of tourists milling about in the open spaces, blocking your route to wherever you need to go. The departures and arrivals information board is doubly daunting as it shows information about all flights from both terminals.

It’s worse if you’ve got baggage to collect, as you come out of the airside part of the airport and have to pass through the departure lounge and then descend to a lower level to find the baggage carousels. I am pretty sure I was not the only passenger who was convinced that they had taken a wrong turning and wouldn’t be seeing their suitcase again any time soon!

The only other time I have used Terminal 1 was when I flew to Brussels (again with Lufthansa) last summer for Euro 2000, and on this occasion I misjudged the amount of time I would need to check in, and very nearly missed my flight. The old terminal is Lufthansa’s headquarters and all their flights leave from there, as do most of the other European airlines (apart from BA), which means that in the summer, the place is mobbed on a daily basis and the check-in desks rarely seem to be staffed with enough people to process everyone in time.

The facilities are pretty good within the terminal, however, and if you stop and take a moment to work out where you are, everything is well signposted. There are plenty of shops
, eateries and watering holes, a decent-sized post office and of course if your destination is outside the EU you have the luxury of duty free shopping once you are airside (and a vending machine that dispenses cans of beer, a rare sight indeed!). There are two train stations, both well signposted, one of which is served by the Frankfurt tram network, connecting to Frankfurt main station, while the other station (which only opened in 1999) is exclusively for long-distance trains.

However, if your flight lands at Terminal 2 this imposing and spacious building will give you a far more favourable (not to say stereotypical!) impression of Germany. The terminal itself is noticeable clean, and the size of the building means you are guaranteed a long walk to get to baggage reclaim, and then another trek if you need to get to the train stations in Terminal 1. However, you can use the free bus shuttle service, or take a ride on the monorail (also free) so it’s not that bad. If you are being collected by car, you don’t have far to go at all, as the car parks are directly beneath the terminal building. The people collecting you will have no problems finding their way to the airport either, as Frankfurt has one of the largest and busiest motorway junctions in Germany, and the airport is well signposted from Frankfurter Kreuz.

The check-in desks here are positioned far more sensibly in the two wings of the building, thus avoiding the cramped space that leads to the congestion in the other terminal, and the whole building has been designed for the growing requirements of the airport. Basically, this terminal is currently far quieter than many others you might see, but it is clear that more and more flights will be using it in the near future – indeed, the number of airlines assigned to Terminal 2 has increased dramatically in the last 18 months. British Airways are the primary airline here, followed by American Airlines, Buzz and many of the ea
stern European carriers.

The staff here are provided with official Frankfurt Airport bicycles to get around, but the size of the terminal really isn’t a problem for me, as it makes for a far more relaxing environment – you can go upstairs to the food court, sit and have a coffee, buy a paper, and not be jostled by hordes of people rushing about in tight spaces. Terminal 1 is, like much of Heathrow, a glimpse into the past and the way things used to be, while Terminal 2 is definitely the way forward. High ceilings, plenty of light, good facilities, excellent signposting (in German and English) and, most importantly, plenty of room. All in all, a big improvement.

Summary: