Connecting Flights Covid Requirement? 9 November 2021 at 9:02AM in Coronavirus travel help & info 5 replies 84 views

AceOfSpades12

Hey, looking for some help when it comes to connecting flights. Cannot find anything specifically on this.

At the end of the month we are flying from the UK to the USA for a 5 day stay in New York. Both the outbound and inbound flights have an indirect stop in Germany of roughly 2 hours changing planes/ airlines. I understand the COVID entry requirements for the USA but…

Do we have to give any thought to the COVID requirements on the german stop? We won’t be leaving the airport so i’m not sure if we need to provide any documentation? Never took an indirect flight so the covid situation is making it even more confusing.

Gratefully for anybody’s help in advance 

Lew

emmajones1976

Leaving the airport and leaving the transit area are two very different things. Which applies here? Which airline is the UK-Germany leg with (and to which airport?), if its with a carrier like Easyjet or Ryanair it is not going to be a through ticket and you will be classed as entering Germany as you have to collect bags and re-check in. Also not every airport has transit areas.

AceOfSpades12

emmajones1976 said:

Leaving the airport and leaving the transit area are two very different things. Which applies here? Which airline is the UK-Germany leg with, if its with a carrier like Easyjet or Ryanair it is not going to be a through ticket and you will be classed as entering Germany as you have to collect bags and re-check in.

Hi, not totally sure is the answer. It’s united airlines and lufthansa. And from the documentation it looks like changing planes 

emmajones1976

Looks like a through ticket there then, and Frankfurt has a transit area

https://www.thelocal.de/20210903/reader-question-what-are-the-covid-rules-for-transiting-through-germany/

Looks like you may be ok not complying with German testing requirements then. Obviously you may get staff at Manchester who need reminding of this when you present for check in and at the gate.

This is confusing though as the Frankfurt Airport website suggests only transferring between Schengen flights is considered a transfer, and of course the UK has never been in Schengen.

https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights-and-transfer/covid-19/fly-safely.html

In conclusion, everything seems to conflict. Maybe the transit area at Frankfurt is only for Schengen flights, someone on here can maybe confirm.



Thats a long winded way to get to the east coast of the USA when Manchester has direct flights to New York, I hope it was cheap!

Also remember on flights to/from Germany, cloth masks are not allowed.

AceOfSpades12

emmajones1976 said:

Looks like a through ticket there then, and Frankfurt has a transit area

https://www.thelocal.de/20210903/reader-question-what-are-the-covid-rules-for-transiting-through-germany/

Looks like you may be ok not complying with German testing requirements then. Obviously you may get staff at Manchester who need reminding of this when you present for check in and at the gate.

This is confusing though as the Frankfurt Airport website suggests only transferring between Schengen flights is considered a transfer, and of course the UK has never been in Schengen.

https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/flights-and-transfer/covid-19/fly-safely.html

In conclusion, everything seems to conflict



Thats a long winded way to get to the east coast of the USA when Manchester has direct flights to New York, I hope it was cheap!

Also remember on flights to/from Germany, cloth masks are not allowed.

Emma. Really appreciate you doing some digging for us. The way i’m looking at it (from how i see the german requirements on .gov) is if we have compliance with the USA we’d be covering ourselves against the german ones anyways 

Oh don’t ask 😅 it’s for my mum and dad. Think it was a facebook deal they found - not sure if it’s cheap but i’d hope so too 

Thanks

emmajones1976

Thats a fair point, you need a test to get into the USA anyway dont you. 

Just get your parents to fill in the German entry forms too, it may be a case they dont actually need them but it makes things easier at the gate/check in at Manchester too.

Make sure you mention the mask requirement to them also, its beyond ridiculous some countries insist on certain types, especially when for half the flight people are likely to have them off/under their nose anyway, but there we are.