Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 Guide: Airlines, SkyLine and Hotels
Terminal 3 is the biggest change at Frankfurt Airport in a generation, and it has moved the hotels. It opened on 22 April 2026 on the south side of the airfield, on the site of the old US air base, and by 9 June 2026 it had absorbed every airline that used Terminal 2, which then closed. Anyone flying with a non-Star Alliance airline now leaves from a terminal that has no railway station, no hotel on its doorstep except one, and a people mover to Terminal 1 that had a rocky first summer. This guide covers what you need to know before you book a bed.
Who flies from Terminal 3
Terminal 3 handles the airlines that are not part of Lufthansa’s Star Alliance world: the SkyTeam carriers led by Air France, KLM and Delta; Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad and the other Gulf airlines; the Asian and American long-haul carriers outside Star Alliance; and the leisure and low-cost airlines that filled Terminal 2. Lufthansa, its group airlines and every Star Alliance partner stay in Terminal 1, which remains the larger terminal. Condor, which was due to move, stays in Terminal 1 until summer 2027. Check your airline’s terminal on your booking before you choose a hotel, because the two terminals are 30 minutes apart in practice.
Getting between the terminals
The SkyLine people mover, extended and rebuilt for the opening, links Terminal 1 with Terminal 3 in 8 to 10 minutes, free of charge, with trains every few minutes. Its Terminal 1 station is at the end of the terminal nearest the Sheraton and Marriott complex and the long-distance railway station, which is why the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport calls itself the only hotel directly linked to the new SkyLine. The trains are divided into landside and airside sections, so transfer passengers between the terminals can stay airside, though a security re-screen waits at the far end.
The first months were not smooth: Fraport suspended the SkyLine on 28 May 2026 for technical inspections and ran shuttle buses instead, roughly doubling the crossing to 20 minutes, and further short outages followed. The buses run from the Terminal 1 forecourt to the Terminal 3 forecourt. Whatever the day’s mode, allow 30 minutes from a Terminal 1 hotel door to the Terminal 3 check-in hall, and more in the morning peak.
Rail, bus and taxi
Terminal 3 has no railway station. The S-Bahn regional station (S8 and S9 to the city) is under Terminal 1 and the ICE long-distance station is in The Squaire beside Terminal 1; from either, ride the SkyLine. Our train station guide explains Rail&Fly and Lufthansa Express Rail, neither of which stops at Terminal 3. By bus, the X77 links Terminal 3 with Gateway Gardens Mitte in the hotel district, and regional buses serve the Terminal 3 forecourt. Taxis wait outside arrivals; the ride to Terminal 1 loops round the airfield and takes about ten minutes, and the ride to the city centre about 25.
Lounges and facilities
Terminal 3’s piers H and J opened with the terminal; the non-Schengen area has the SkyTeam Lounge, the Emirates Lounge and a Priority Lounge open to pay-in and Priority Pass guests, and the Schengen area gained its first lounge, the Air France Lounge, on 1 September 2026. Lufthansa’s lounges are all in Terminal 1. Shops and restaurants are new and still filling in; the terminal has fewer overnight options than Terminal 1, so a late-night Terminal 3 departure is not the moment to rely on a café being open. Our lounges guide compares the two terminals.
Hotels for a Terminal 3 flight
Only one hotel is on the Terminal 3 side of the airport: the IntercityHotel Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 in Cargo City Süd, 1.1 km from the terminal, with a paid shuttle to Terminal 3 and Terminal 1 every 30 minutes from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm, breakfast from 4:30 am on request and 358 rooms. For most travellers it is the simplest choice for an early Terminal 3 departure.
The alternative is a Terminal 1 hotel plus the SkyLine. The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel, Hilton Frankfurt Airport and Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport are all a covered walk from the SkyLine station, which makes them 20 to 30 minutes from Terminal 3 check-in. The Gateway Gardens hotels have a direct bus, the X77, from the district to Terminal 3, which is the cheapest link; the Park Inn by Radisson Frankfurt Airport and Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport are 50 m and a few minutes from its stop. The Steigenberger Airport Hotel Frankfurt and NH Frankfurt Airport shuttles go to Terminal 1 only.
Tips
Read the terminal letter on your booking, not the airline’s alliance, because a few airlines have codeshares split across terminals. For a Terminal 3 departure before 7:00 am, book the IntercityHotel or a Gateway Gardens hotel with the X77 timetable in hand; a Terminal 1 walkway hotel adds the SkyLine and a possible bus substitution to an already early start. Arriving at Terminal 3 late at night and staying in Gateway Gardens or Kelsterbach, take a taxi rather than waiting for a bus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which airlines use Terminal 3 at Frankfurt?
Almost every airline that is not Lufthansa or a Star Alliance partner: the SkyTeam carriers, Emirates, Qatar Airways, the Gulf and Asian long-haul airlines and the leisure and low-cost carriers that used Terminal 2. Terminal 2 closed to passengers on 9 June 2026. Lufthansa and Star Alliance stay in Terminal 1, and Condor remains in Terminal 1 until summer 2027.
How do I get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3?
The SkyLine people mover, free, runs from the Terminal 1 station near the Sheraton and the long-distance railway station to Terminal 3 in 8 to 10 minutes. When it is out of service, as it was for several weeks in May and June 2026, shuttle buses take about 20 minutes. Allow 30 minutes door to door either way.
Is there a train station at Terminal 3?
No. All trains, the S-Bahn under Terminal 1 and the ICE long-distance station in The Squaire, serve Terminal 1. Terminal 3 passengers arriving by rail take the SkyLine across. Bus X77 links Terminal 3 with the Gateway Gardens hotel district directly.
Information last verified: September 11, 2026
