Lufthansa and Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport have opened a redesigned departure gate in Terminal 1 to test new passenger services, the two companies said in a release on Tuesday.

Gate A16, dubbed the “Gate of the Future”, has lounge-style furniture, flexible work areas, and large monitors showing live flight information. The partners said they will use it to trial ways to offer better service and faster, smoother boarding.

Francesco Sciortino, a Lufthansa Airlines board member and Frankfurt hub manager, and Fraport Chief Operating Officer Dietmar Focke formally inaugurated the gate.

Wall monitors and 360-degree displays show departure times, boarding status, hand luggage information, and gate changes. QR codes link passengers to digital self-services, including the Lufthansa app.

There is no longer a fixed boarding counter. Staff move around the gate with tablets, approaching passengers to help with seat reservations, upgrades, and rebookings. The tablets give them access to several boarding systems through one interface and let them issue automatic announcements centrally, according to the release.

The waiting area also has work cubes that offer more privacy and quiet, along with sofas and selected artworks. The companies said the aim is to make the space feel more like a lounge than a conventional waiting area.

Sciortino said Lufthansa wants to offer a premium experience on the ground as well as in the air and described the project as a milestone in its partnership with Fraport. Focke said, “The future of travel is emerging not in the laboratory but in actual operation.”

The companies said the trial will show which services passengers like most, and that the results will help decide which elements are rolled out at other gates in Frankfurt. The release did not provide a timeline for any wider rollout or specify how long the test will run.

The release also said Frankfurt had its best punctuality scores since 2016 this summer, an achievement it credited to both partners.

Source: PR