Livin At The Airport!
Written: Jul 16 '01 (Updated Jul 16 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything is at hand here!
Cons: Needs a bit of a facelift and smoking is ACCEPTABLE, EVERYWHERE!
The Bottom Line: Staying at the airport can be a very interesting adventure, and convenient, too!
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| 4rhodes's Full Review: Frankfurt am Main |
Yup, you read that right. It is possible to live at the Frankfurt International Airport and be easily amused for a few days without getting bored.
No, this didn't happen to me. In an earlier review I wrote about flying to Germany in business class, so I wasn't nearly as tired as I might have been had I flown coach. But if I were tired, this is a great airport to hang out at. Also, if I were in transit to another location, I would definately consider staying here for a day or two!
What's the big deal?
Well, the airport is positively HUGE. O'Hare isn't as big as Frankfurt, Kennedy is only 1/3 the size (at best). What amazed me was the sheer number of people passing through this monster of an airport.
Upon disembarking the airplane, my husband and I hiked for what seemed like a mile before getting to the passport control (seems like passport control in every airport I've been to takes a long walk!). Then, onto the baggage claim. At this point, I could have been in any other airport in the world, nothing special.
After clearing customs, the world really opens up. We arrived in Terminal 2. After passing through the exit doors, I found myself in mall. Stores everywhere. Tons of signs pointing me in the direction of an ATM, train station, bus station, rental cars, etc.
My luggage had been lost, so I wanted to check with my carrier about other flights into the airport. My husband and I took the escalator to the Departures level and that is were I really became overwhelmed.
You're wondering why this was so overwhelming. To my eye, it looked like there was at least a mile of ticket counters. Finding the United counter was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Every possible airline in the world is represented in Frankfurt, including regional airlines from places I had only read about (small carriers serving remote Eastern European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
Just watching all of these people in their outfits and luggage is always fun to see. Better than a movie.
Soon, there was an entire bank of other stores. A good sized mall, I'd say.
We were headed to the long distance train. Now, this was a hike (I'd say another 1/2 mile). We passed through a Hilton Hotel (totally brand new with the telephones just being installed as we were walking) to the bright and clean rail station.
Within a 1/2 hour, we were on our way to Hamburg.
Why would anyone want to stay at an airport?
Well, Frankfurt isn't very far from the airport. I'd say that it would be fine to stay at the airport if you are tired and want to just crash for a few hours after your flight has landed, if you are in town for a short period of time or if you want to save yourself cab money.
You can just walk over to the hotel, drop off your bags in the wait area until your room is ready (if you get in on one of those extremely early flights) and take a train into the city (or head back to the airport for some shopping).
Inside the airport are banks, a post office, the train stations, restaurants (including McDonalds which is a hoot for an American to visit because the menu is a bit different) and shopping. Inside the departure area is the duty free area which is huge. Really big. At least 20 stores in Terminal B.
Frankfurt is a small city, of international flair. The bulk of the buildings are newer and of financial in nature. The historic parts can be walked in a few hours. I noticed a decided shortage of tours from my hotel, so my arguement for staying in the airport hotel is stronger.
Stay for FREE!
Hilton has its' own awards program. They also participate in American Express' miles program, too, and the points transfer from American Express as follows: for every 1,000 American Express points, you are given 1,200 Hilton points. It "costs" 20,000 points for a free room at Hilton. Until last month, my long distance service was also being rewarded at Hilton, so each month I was adding a hundred points to my Hilton account. Some months, I was getting double points. You can also get a Hilton Visa card and start getting points, but if you have stuff accumulating in American Express it really isn't worth it.
With Hilton awards, I've always been upgraded at the hotels we've stayed at. My husband and I used points for a stay in Africa and were always upgraded and given fruit and wine with each room we stayed in.
And Smoking?
Yes, everyone seems to smoke tobacco cigarettes in Germany. For us Americans who are used to no smoke, it can be choking. Make sure you ask for a non-smoking room when you make reservations (although my husband and I were always given non-smoking rooms/berths without our being asked!)(I think the Europeans know about the American anti-smoking campaign!
Duty Free?
Duty Free is huge. You can shop at Duty Free as long as you want, just show your Boarding Pass and you are given the merchandise to carry on yourself (not like at other airports you have to finish shopping 1/2 hour before the flight leaves and it is delivered to you at the plane!). The prices were great - I purchased some Biotherm (makeup and skin care stuff) for 40% less than retail in the city of Frankfurt.
Tax Free?
This is my only gripe. Once you pass through the baggage sensor area, then you can turn in your duty free chits. EXCEPT, they must be stamped by Customs (after passport control)(seemed like I was passing through passport control when leaving at least 3 times!). Then, I needed to go to the customs people who really read each receipt, had me fill out a million forms and stamped the forms. I had to then pass back through passport control to get to the Tax Free post and wait until the man with 72 chits ahead of me cleared, so if you are in a hurry, mail the chits from home, they will credit the tax back to your credit card!
Air Conditioning?
The airport really needs better ventilation. The smoke and heat generated by all those bodies is really stale after awhile, especially in the afternoon when all the flights leave!
Hey, have fun!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
4rhodes
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 81 members
About Me:
Thinking about writing more.....it has been awhile since I've published
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