Jason H.
Yelp
Massive!
The FRA Airport may be just fine for people who naturally or fluently speak German. I don't, so I cannot confirm. However, after traveling many airports around the world, I've found that trying to pick up your bags and then finding your rental car to be quite challenging.
Landing at FRA with checked baggage was the biggest pain of the visit. First, it's a never ending airport with no clear direction to find the baggage pick up carousels. I did have to ask one person, who luckily spoke English, and even then his directions sort of had me going in the right direction. After a while, I found the area. Then the fun began.
Getting through customs was a breeze. They really do that right and the interrogations are quick and painless. Once I arrived at the baggage carousel, I was surprised to see a note on the screen notifying the people on my flight that they bags were delayed and kindly asked us to be patient. It was about 45 minutes, after arriving to the baggage carousel, before any bags came out. Even then, there were only about 20 bags that came out. After another 25 minutes of waiting, I walked over to the baggage issue office and they said that "they've found the bags and they're on the way". Found the bags?!?!? Anyway, after more waiting, bags were coming out a few at a time, with delays between each batch, until mine finally shot out the chute. Approximately two hours of waiting.
I fairly easily made it over to the rental car counters. Out of the 8 or so rental car vendors in this area, I had rented with Enterprise. The only company that had a line about 50+ deep with 2 people working the counter. After 45 minutes, I was given the keys to my car and the parking spot location of where to find my car.
The journey to the car was the most fun bit. If you follow the arrows on the signs to the rental car locations, you will find that they lead you to the dead end of a hallway. If you really pay attention, as you're walking down this hall, you see the doors that lead to the rental car parking garage, but you cannot really tell where these doors take you. By each door, they have a parking section number which is what you need to look for. Once you find your parking section, you'll find your parking spot number, where your car should be. After a few hit-and-miss attempts, I found my car.
In all, it took about 3 hours to get from the plane that I arrived on into my rental car.
On the flipside, returning to FRA to fly out wasn't really much of a hassle at all. As I was dreading it, I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to return the vehicle and be on your way towards your gate or lounge.
Rental Car Word Of Caution: GAS! You have the option to pre-pay gas. If you're driving a lot, then just go for it and make your life simple. If you return the car without filling the tank, it's not just a little bit more per liter, but about 5x as expensive. As I didn't get gas, the woman checking me in gave me the advice and opportunity to go fill it up and return as it would have been a huge charge to return it empty. There is a Shell Gas Station right there at the airport. If you're returning a vehicle, set your GPS to the Shell at FRA airport. Once you're finished, the Rental Car Return entrance is right there. No problem.
Once you're inside and past Security, it's all good. If you have the ability to visit any of the airline lounges, take advantage of this as they are done right. I can only speak of the Lufthansa lounges which are fantastic. Lots of space, outlets to charge your devices, good food and drinks, beds for resting and, in some cases, showers. Take advantage of it, if you can.
Would I go back? For business, I'm going to have to. There are somethings that you can just figure out and get used to by repeat visits and getting familiar with the surroundings and what you need to do and where you need to go. There is no way to prepare for or help getting your bags sooner, unless you go carry-on only. It's a necessary evil. But, I'm happy to say that throughout a 2 week trip through Germany and then flying up to the Czech Republic and then home, my checked luggage always arrived, in-tact and on time.
Language: As an American, I've become very aware on how many people around the world, from other countries, know either some to very good English. When you're traveling to a foreign country, do yourself a favor and do a little research online or on Google Translate. Learn how to say basic greetings, such as "good morning", "good evening", "good day", "excuse me" "please" and "thank you", to name a few. I have found that, that little effort goes a long way. It also gives you a little more confidence as well. Remember, a lot of people around the world have either been mandated or chose to learn to speak English. Taking some time to reciprocate is often appreciated and can make your life a bit easier.