Frankfurt Airport (FRA) recently saw the opening of the new Terminal 3. This is something I was excited about — Frankfurt is my most frequented international airport, since my family is from the area, so it’s an airport I have a love-hate relationship with.
I mean, Frankfurt Airport is kind of terrible, except the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, but there’s a certain charm to all of it, maybe partly because of the extent to which it reminds me of my childhood. So I was pleased to see the recent opening of the airport’s first new terminal since I was a toddler.
During my current trip, I had the chance to fly out of Terminal 3, prior to my Turkmenistan Airlines flight to Ashgabat (ASB). While it was the flight I was most looking forward to (who wouldn’t?!), getting to experience the new terminal was also cool to me.
I’ve gotta say, among new terminals at global airports, this has to be one of the more unmemorable ones we’ve seen in quite some time. Ultimately it’s modern (in a very sterile and minimalist way), but at least it’s better than the old one? Will, minus the location…
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The first thing you’ll notice about Terminal 3 is what a pain it is to get to. It’s located on the opposite side of the airport of Terminal 1. So if you arrive at the airport via train, you first have to take an additional roughly 10-minute SkyLine ride just to arrive at the terminal.
While minor, can I just point out how “bumpy” and fast that little train thing moves? I can’t imagine how many people are going to fall in this thing, given how much it bounces and how abruptly it accelerates, with everyone standing and holding onto their luggage.
Once I actually arrived in the terminal, I found the design to be… well, a mixed bag. On the plus side, the terminal has high ceilings and feels rather “grand” in some areas. At the same time, the design is very minimalist. Like, most of the terminal has an exposed view into wiring and all the equipment above the ceiling.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
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