Layovers in FRA and MUC - Enough Time?
 

I'm looking at purchasing an open jaw ticket from Dulles to Prague and from Budapest back to Dulles.

The connection from Dulles to Prague is via Munich with 55 minutes layover, and the connection from Budapest to Dulles is via Frankfurt with 1 hour layover. Is this enough time? Carriers are United and Lufthansa if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

I flew Dulles to Rome twice last year, once with a layover in Munich and once with a layover in Frankfurt. I 'had about 2 hours' time at each airport. Munich was OK, though I used up more than an hour of the layover time getting from one terminal to another. Frankfurt was a freaking nightmare - I swear we walked 5 miles in that airport! We made it onto the plane, but I have never had to travel so far on foot in an airport in my life (and I walk about as fast as most people run).

My carriers were United and Lufthansa too. So, I don't know exactly where you'll have to navigate to to get the connecting flight, but be prepared at both airports, especially Frankfurt, to have a loooong way to go. I wouldn't do a 55-minute transfer at either one of them.

Changing from United to Lufthansa should be easier in Munich (even when you have just 55min). Regular connecting time in Munich is 45min.

StCirq mentioned that he had to change terminals in Munich. That should not be the case with your connections, as both United and Lufthansa use Terminal 2 only. Terminal 2 has a very simplistic layout - one gate next to the other. So there is no real chance to "get lost". As the Czech Republic has not yet implemented the Schengen Agreement, you won't even have to go thru immigration in Munich, but stay in transit on the upper level of T2 (non-schengen) and walk from the arrival gate of your United flight to the gate for Prague.

And yes, Frankfurt is an airport I avoid, too, when I have the chance. So I cannot really comment on the situation there.

I never book airport transfers of less than 2 hours. Way too stressful imo.

FWIW, we've had transfers in both FRA and MUC in each of the last 2 yrs. Shortest was 1 hr and longest was 1.5 hrs. We had no problems. Agree that FRA can be a hike - it's definitely older and less efficient than MUC. But I'd take FRA any day over, say, CDG or LHR.

Thank you all for the info!