Frankfurt Airport - Urgent!
 

I am flying through Frankfurt in a week and a half and have a question regarding checked baggage. Since I had to book legs of my trip separate, one booking gets me from Canada to Frankfurt, then another booking to Latvia. I have about 4 hours in Frankfurt between flights. Does anyone know whether I will have to leave the security area to pick up my bags? I'm worried that if my flight is late or anything (I've heard that flights into Frankfurt are often late) then I could get delayed at security after picking up my bags and miss the second flight. Anyone know whether it would be possible to check my bags all the way to Latvia even though the bookings are different? Is this a good idea? My thought was that picking it up myself gives less opportunity for the bag to be lost, but if I have to leave the security area and come back in, I don't want to risk missing my flight.

Same airline or partner.. Would most likely be allowed. Different -low cost airline.. no.

hi neener,

there are two issues here. the first is, can you check your luggage all the way through from Canada to Latvia?

the second is, will you have to exit airside in order to collect your luggage?


sorry I can't answer either of them as they apply to your airlines or Frankfurt airport, but the first question should be answered by your airline, the second by doing some research about Frankfurt airport.

BTW, i don't know why flights INTO Frankfurt should be particularly late - they are coming from all over the world. 4 hours ought to be long enough to get through security - for inter-european flights the usual rule of thumb is an hour.

If your baggage can get checked through depends on whether your airline that flies you to Frankfurt has a so called interline agreement with the airline that will fly you to Latvia.
Inquire on the first airline's website or call them.
If you can do it, you should. It saves you from collecting your bags and queue again at check-in for your connecting flight.

If not:
4 hours is fair enough time. Except for the issue of getting your bags and check-in again landside, you will go thru the exact same procedures if you connect airside. You will go thru security either way.

If you can check your bags thru you will go:
Exit plane -> Passport control -> Security -> Gate for connecting flight

If you can't check thru:
Exit plane -> Passport control -> Baggage claim -> Check-in counter for Latvia -> Security -> Gate for connecting flight

It might not work for you but many (myself) travel with only carry-on luggage, which would likely solve your problem.

I haven't experienced many delays into Frankfurt, especially this time of the year, 4 hours should be enough even if you'll have to pick up your luggage. But call your airline and ask whether they will check all the way to Latvia - this way you know where you stand, mayeb you have nothing to worry about.

Delays have nothing to do with the airport where you arrive but with the airport where you depart.

In 95% of the cases, four hours will be enough, but if a severe delay occurs (usually due to technical problems or severe weather conditions at the departure airport) you will have to rebook your flight to Latvia and probably have to pay a fee. But given the low probability of a 3-hour-plus delay, this risk might be bearable.

If you cannot check your baggage through to your final destination it goes like this:

You deplane (which might take up to 15 min, depending on your seat row), walk through passport control and to the baggage claim. There, you might have to wait a couple of minutes until your bag arrives. Total time from touch down until you grab your bag will be 45-60 min.

Then, you take the escalator from the baggage claim area to the check-in area which will take 5-10 min. If you are at leat 45 min before departure at the check-in counter everything will be fine.