Where your driver waits at FRA: pickup points in Terminals 1 and 3
Clear customs at Frankfurt Airport and the next question is always the same: where, exactly, is the driver? The answer depends on which of the airport’s two active terminals your flight landed at. Terminal 2 has been closed since April 2026, with all traffic now running through Terminal 1 and the newly opened Terminal 3 — and each organises its pickup point on a different layout. This guide works through both terminal by terminal, plus the parking garages, the Kiss&Ride zones, and the link between the two buildings.
Terminal 1: the meeting point sits in Hall B
Terminal 1 is built around three concourses — A, B and C — each with its own arrivals hall. Passengers coming out through Hall A keep right after the exit; those from Hall C keep left. Either way, the walk leads to the same central meeting point in Hall B. Between exits B5 and B6, a large overhead sign marks the area officially known as the Welcome Meeting Point, and this is where pre-booked drivers stand with a name board, whether printed on paper or shown on a tablet.
From that meeting point, the nearest parking garage entrance is roughly a two-minute walk away — short enough that luggage rarely has far to travel. If you’re looking for the taxi rank instead, it sits at ground level directly outside Hall B, clearly signposted, with its own queue along the kerb. For a pre-booked pickup, though, that’s not the relevant spot — the meeting point inside the hall is what matters, not the taxi rank outside it.
Terminal 3: one hall, three piers
Terminal 3 opened on 23 April 2026 and is laid out differently from its predecessor. Instead of several separate arrivals halls, there is a single, ground-level arrivals hall fed by three piers — G, H and J. Pier G handles Schengen traffic, while Piers H and J handle non-Schengen arrivals. Pier J is the longest of the three at around 600 metres and, because of the extra passport-control level built in for arriving long-haul passengers, runs across three levels rather than two.
The new baggage hall has up to 15 carousels, with bags typically appearing 20 to 30 minutes after touchdown. Once through customs, arriving passengers walk straight into the public arrivals hall, where drivers wait openly with name boards — functionally the same setup as Terminal 1, just consolidated into one hall instead of three. The bus stop sits directly on the arrivals level and is step-free to reach, which also means short, level walks to parked vehicles.
If you’re driving to Terminal 3 yourself to collect someone, the parking garage there spans eight levels with roughly 8,500 spaces. Access is via the A5 motorway, exit CargoCity Süd/Terminal 3, signposted toward the T3 parking garage — entrance P10 for reserved spaces, P11 for arrivals without a prior booking.
Parking garages and Kiss&Ride: where drivers actually stand
The Kiss&Ride zones directly in front of the departure halls at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are meant for brief stops — enough time to drop someone off with their luggage, not to wait for an arriving passenger. They also sit on the departures side of the building, not near baggage claim, which is another reason they’re rarely the right spot for a pickup. Anyone collecting an arriving passenger instead either waits inside the arrivals hall itself, as a professional pre-booked pickup does, or parks briefly in the nearest short-term garage, from which both arrivals areas are a short walk.
For a private pickup without a pre-booking, that means parking in the short-term garage, walking into the hall, and walking back to the car together. With a pre-booked transfer, that step disappears entirely — the vehicle is already parked while the driver waits inside the hall.
The table below summarises the key details terminal by terminal:
| Terminal | Arrivals hall(s) | Meeting point | Walk to parking garage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | A, B, C | Welcome Meeting Point, Hall B (between B5/B6) | about 2 minutes |
| Terminal 3 | one hall (fed by Piers G, H, J) | open area of the arrivals hall | a few minutes, step-free |
The SkyLine between terminals
Anyone coordinating pickups at both terminals on the same day, or connecting from an arrival at Terminal 1 to a departure at Terminal 3, normally rides the SkyLine — the automated people mover that links Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 free of charge, around the clock. The ride takes about eight minutes. During its first operating weeks in spring 2026, the new link was briefly taken out of service for technical inspections, with replacement shuttle buses covering the route in the meantime. Since summer, the SkyLine has been back to its regular schedule, running on fully checked vehicles with updated software.
What to sort out before you land
A smooth pickup starts at the booking stage, not in the arrivals hall. Give the flight number when you book — it’s what lets a driver track the actual landing time rather than the scheduled one. A phone number reachable abroad matters just as much, ideally one that also takes WhatsApp messages, in case two people briefly miss each other in a crowded hall without a working SIM card. At Terminal 1, it also helps to know which arrivals hall your flight is likely to use — feeder flights from within the Schengen area usually come through Hall A or C, while intercontinental arrivals more often land in Hall B itself.
For a broader look at how the terminal complex fits together, our Frankfurt Airport guide covers the wider picture. For a minute-by-minute account of how a name-board pickup runs from touchdown to handing over your bags, see The name board at arrivals: how a met pickup at FRA runs. And if you’re planning a ride from either meeting point, you can work out a fixed price in advance at the booking page — part of our wider Frankfurt Airport transfer coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly does a pre-booked driver wait at Terminal 1?
The meeting point sits inside the Welcome Meeting Point area in arrivals Hall B, between exits B5 and B6, marked by a large sign hanging from the ceiling, with name boards held up for arriving passengers underneath it.
Does Terminal 3 have several arrivals halls like Terminal 1?
Terminal 3 has a single, ground-level arrivals hall fed by the three piers G, H and J, which tends to make orientation simpler than the three separate halls at Terminal 1.
Can I just pull up and wait for someone at the terminal?
The Kiss&Ride zones outside the terminals are built for brief departures-side drop-offs rather than waiting for an arriving passenger, and the nearest short-term parking garage is a far better option for a pickup, since it’s only a short walk from either arrivals hall.
What’s the fastest way between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3?
The free SkyLine people mover connects both terminals around the clock in about eight minutes, making it the fastest link, with shuttle buses standing in as a backup during scheduled maintenance windows.
What happens if I can’t find my driver in the hall?
Every booking confirmation includes a phone number for the driver that usually also takes WhatsApp messages, and a brief mix-up in a crowded hall is normally resolved within minutes, since the driver stays put at the agreed meeting point instead of wandering off to search.
