Lufthansa Frankfurt Connection Boarding Passes

[Palmetto Lady]

Several years ago we flew from Savannah to Charlotte to Frankfurt to Nice on US Airways. We were not able to get a boarding pass for the Frankfurt to Nice leg until we got to Frankfurt (which caused us to miss our flight to Nice).

This year we flew from Savannah to Wash. DC to Frankfurt to Athens on United and were able to get our boarding pass for the Frankfurt to Athens leg in Savannah (but on online).

Can anyone of you airline experts give me an explanation??

[Palmetto Lady]

Forgot to add that the two international legs in ease case were on Lufthansa.

The domestic leg was on US Airways and United respectively.

[CruiserBruce]

New policy? Operator error? We went SFO-FRA on United, and FRA-FCO (Rome) on Lufthansa last summer, and printed our boarding passes for eastbound flights before we left our home. plus the United rep offered to print the Lufthansa passes when we checked our baggage at SFO.

[breeze123]

We just flew ORD to FRA to VCE and United would NOT give us the boarding passes in the US. We had to get them in Frankfurt. They told us we could have gotten them online at home but there was no option for us to do that when we checked in.

[cruiseryyc]

Just flew Lufthansa from Calgary to Athens and we got our boarding passes for the Frankfurt to Athens leg in Calgary. Maybe it has something to do with a different airline out of the US (although if they are part of Star Alliance, it shouldn't make a difference).

[iancal]

We often fly Lufthansa from Calgary to Europe..with connections. Never, ever an issue. You may have to go thru passport control in Frankfurt...at least this is our experience. Some airports have Transfer desks. Schipol has one and it works well-lots of self service terminals and people to help you.

 

We had this issue in Turkey a few days ago. We got off the plane in Ankara, went to the transfer desk (which was on the 'right side' of security) and our boarding passes for a different airline were waiting for us to pick up. We were on our way to the next gate within two minutes.

[Fattony]

Contact the airline of your first flight and ask them if they'll be able to issue that boarding pass. Or if you can download it at home. It's their word that counts.

[YXU AC*SE]

Look any of the 'sterile side' LH transfer desks in Frankfurt and get your connecting boarding passes there. Easy peasy. Given Frankfurt's enormity, remote gates, and fluidity (almost a half-million aircraft movements per year) -- one of the best habits to get into when transiting through there on Lufthansa (or any of the Star Alliance partners for that matter) is to pop by any of the many gate-side service centres they have there just to confirm what info and/or BPs that been given to you at your airport of embarkation is still current.

 

Scott.

 

[Palmetto Lady]

The problem was the first time we flew into Frankfurt, we could not find the transfer desk or anyone to give us directions. We kept standing in the wrong lines. There was no one to ask until we knew we had missed our flight. The ladies in the Business Lounge were able to put us on a wasitlist for the next flight.

On the last trip the counter agent in Savannah was able to give us our boarding pass for the third leg and said with international, it is better NOT to print the boarding passes at home.

[Globaliser]

The problem was the first time we flew into Frankfurt, we could not find the transfer desk or anyone to give us directions. We kept standing in the wrong lines. There was no one to ask until we knew we had missed our flight.

I don't know Frankfurt well, and haven't used Terminal 1 for a very long time. But if you keep your eyes open for signs about transfers or connections, the transfer desks ought not to be difficult to find. I've yet to be in an airport where they weren't fairly obvious.

 

There should also be signs for information desks, where you can get help.

 

And I find it hard to imagine that there aren't a lot of airline staff - particularly Lufthansa staff - just moving about all over the terminal as part of their work. All of them should know something about where you need to go, or where you can get specific help.

[Palmetto Lady]

My original question was why we could not get a boarding pass in SAV or Charlotte for the leg from Frankfurt to Nice when the original ticket was USAirways, but was able to get the Frankfurt to Athens leg boarding pass in SAV when we flew on a United ticket since they are all Star Alliance.

[YXU AC*SE]

A hypothesis and an answer:

 

Hypothesis: US Airways then-DCS (departure control system, which manages day-of-departure activities like check-in, BP printing and manifest creation) wasn't as fully interconnected as today's. You don't mention dates, but US Airways didn't join Star Alliance until 2004 iirc, so what you may have thought was a Star Alliance itin, was in fact an interline itin. I recently flew a US US EI itin, sold as an interline, and US of course couldn't print my Aer Lingus BP.

 

Answer: Irrespective of the above, airline alliance membership has nothing to do with global distribution systems (i.e. ticketing inventory and sales systems) or DCS membership, nor how they communicate with each other. That is a commercial arrangement made on an airline-by-airline basis versus airline alliance. For example, Lufthansa and SAS (Star Alliance) joined forces with Iberia (One World) and Air France (Sky Team) to create Amadeus, which today has about 37% GDS marketshare.

 

I think the point that was collectively trying to get made in the preceding posts, is your regrettable circumstance notwithstanding, as a regular traveller I'm not concerned if I cannot obtain my connecting BP(s) at check-in. They are easily obtainable en route -- and tbh gate changes / seat assignments / change of aircraft gauges happen all the time, so in many instances what you may have in hand or printed at home isn't often accurate, or is incomplete.

 

Scott.

[Globaliser]

... since they are all Star Alliance.

The answer is likely to be because they're still all separate airlines, each with their own separate computer systems, and sometimes the computers just don't talk to each other in the way that the Star Alliance would like them to.

 

And while the airlines would like to get them to work properly together, there's only so much they can reasonably do if the effect is that occasionally someone has to stop at a desk en route for a couple of minutes to pick up an onward boarding pass. It really is quite exceptional for a passenger to miss an onward flight because they're having to stop to do this.

[Palmetto Lady]

The fact that our flight was 20 minutes late did not help and it was our first time at Frankfurt airport.

New question? Why did we have to go through security again (Aug. 2011) although we had not left the sterile area?

[Globaliser]

Why did we have to go through security again (Aug. 2011) although we had not left the sterile area?

You were an arrival from a foreign country. By definition had not been security screened to European standards, and must be re-screened before proceeding to another flight.