Gateway airport to Germany & much of Europe shines & grows
- Frankfurt Airport terminal map.
More travelers passed through Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) last month than ever before in its 75-year history: 5,558,580 passengers which is nearly a 300,000-traveler increase than the previous year. It is by far the busiest airport in Germany, the third busiest in Europe and the ninth busiest worldwide, Year-to-date traffic is up 7.8 percent, and cargo tonnage rose slightly. I flew into Frankfurt last November, seamlessly connecting with a southbound train and I flew out of Frankfurt with another easy connection from a flight from Munich.
This enormous airport traditionally boasts of hosting more international flights than any other in the world, and when I am there, I truly feel like a world traveler. I like hearing a babel of languages on the concourses. I like watching the departure and arrival boards displaying a seductive selection of international flights. It is 6 a.m. on Thursday in Germany as I write this, and the next five departing flights are going to Lisbon, Hurghada, Istanbul, Bourgas and Varna. The sixth flight is domestic — to Hamburg.
How do I know this? Because the departure board is online – and so is the arrivals board. I like the selection of guided tours of the airport available to help passengers kill time. The most intriguing one is a two-hour tour to the Zeppelin Museum. I like the quality shops and cafes. I like the fast, efficient transport between terminals and the hotels at the airport, not a shuttle ride away.
I like the convenient trains — take the elevator down, to beneath the airport, for train connections to Stuttgart or Munich.
I also love the bakeries at the terminal!