Early Flight from Memmingen: How to Set Off Relaxed Before Dawn

Anyone flying on holiday from Allgäu Airport often sets off early. Many aircraft leave Memmingerberg in the early hours of the morning for Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece. Because there is no railway station at the terminal and the buses from Memmingen station do not run around the clock, early flyers almost always come by car. If you are travelling from Munich, Augsburg or Lake Constance, you also have a longer distance ahead of you. This guide shows how to plan an early flight so that you are at the terminal relaxed and on time.

Deadlines first

With many airlines in Memmingen, bag drop closes at a fixed time before departure, and boarding ends punctually. If you fly at six in the morning and want to check in a suitcase, you have to be at the desk correspondingly early. Read your airline’s conditions carefully and calculate backwards from this deadline – not from the departure time.

The evening before

Check in online if your airline requires or allows it, and save the boarding pass on your phone. Check the size and weight of your hand luggage; low-cost airlines often check this strictly. Load suitcases and child seats into the car if it is parked securely. Save the address in Memmingerberg in the sat nav – not just “Memmingen”. Check the weather forecast: if snow is forecast, allow more time and have the snow brush and ice scraper ready.

Calculating your departure

An example from Munich: departure at 6:30, the airline recommends two hours in advance, so at the terminal at 4:30. With valet you allow 15 minutes for the handover, meeting point at 4:15. The drive via the A96 takes about 70 minutes at night, plus 25 minutes of buffer for roadworks or wildlife on the road: departure at 2:40. In winter, another 30 minutes are added when it snows. The figures are an example.

Valet early in the morning

The driving service is particularly pleasant for early flights: you drive up to the terminal, hand over the key and go straight to the desk. At the airport no time is lost looking for a parking space or on a bus transfer – important when deadlines are tight. The prerequisite: the provider works at your time. More: Valet parking at Memmingen Airport.

Shuttle early in the morning

With shuttle parking, the first bus of the day is what counts. Ask the provider from what time the bus runs and whether it offers additional trips when there are many early departures. Plan so that you do not depend on the last possible bus. More: Shuttle parking at Memmingen Airport.

Wildlife and fog

If you drive at dawn on country roads in the Allgäu or Upper Swabia, you must expect animals crossing. Drive attentively and at an appropriate speed, especially along the edges of woods. In autumn there is often thick fog in the valleys. Both are good reasons not to leave things to the last minute.

Staying overnight before the flight

If you are travelling a long way, for example from Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Tyrol, consider spending the night before the early flight near Memmingen. Then check whether your parking provider allows a handover the evening before or whether you drive from the hotel to the meeting point in the morning.

Setting off early with children

Let the children sleep in comfortable clothes and carry them straight to the car. Pillows, a blanket and a breakfast for later are ready. At the meeting point, one adult looks after the children and the other takes care of the car and luggage. More: Travelling to Memmingen Airport with your family.

Security in the morning

When several aircraft depart in quick succession, it can get busy at security. Liquids in a transparent bag, laptop to hand, jacket and belt ready – that speeds things up.

Thinking of the return flight

If you fly early, you often land in the evening. When booking, also check the return times: Late arrival at Memmingen Airport.

From the Oberallgäu at night

If you drive from Oberstdorf, Sonthofen or Immenstadt for an early flight, you are first on the B19 at night before reaching the A7 near Kempten. In winter the route through the Iller valley can be snow-covered, and snowploughs are not everywhere at the same time. Plan generously for this drive and rather set off earlier. A thermos flask of tea or coffee is part of such a start.

Check hand luggage the evening before

Many low-cost airlines check the size and weight of hand luggage at the gate. If you only notice there that your trolley is too big, you pay extra. Measure your luggage the evening before and compare it with your airline’s requirements. A luggage scale at home also helps with checked baggage.

Overslept?

If the alarm goes off too late, speeding on the A96 will not help. Call the parking service on the way and give your expected arrival time. At the airport, if time is very short, go directly to the airline staff. A second alarm and a charged phone are the best precaution.

Preparing the children

Tell the children the evening before that you will be setting off in the middle of the night and that they can carry on sleeping in the car. A familiar pillow on the back seat makes the start easier.

Breakfast before take-off

Early in the morning, not every café in the terminal is open, and on board many low-cost airlines every drink costs extra. A sandwich and an empty drinking bottle in your hand luggage are therefore a good idea. Fill the bottle after security.

In short

An early flight from Memmingerberg works out with an eye on the airline deadlines, a parking option with suitable times, the right sat-nav address and – in winter – enough buffer for snow.

Weigh your luggage the evening before

With low-cost airlines, excess baggage gets expensive. Weigh your suitcase and hand luggage the evening before with a luggage scale and compare with your booking. If you only notice at the desk that the suitcase is too heavy, repacking costs you exactly the minutes that are missing early in the morning.

Who drives?

After a short night, not everyone is fit to drive. Decide the evening before who will drive and make sure that person goes to bed early. On long drives from Munich or Lake Constance, take turns.

Thinking of the drive back

If you fly early, you often land in the evening. When booking, also check until what time the provider returns cars.

Fog in the Iller valley

In autumn and winter there is often thick fog in the Iller valley and over the Unterallgäu in the morning. Visibility can drop to a few dozen metres. If you drive to an early flight in fog, switch on your dipped headlights, keep your distance and drive more slowly – and allow an extra ten to fifteen minutes for this. The rear fog light may only be switched on when visibility is below 50 metres.

Unlit country roads

Many access roads in the rural Allgäu are not lit at night. If you do not know them, it is best to drive them once in daylight or look at the route in the map view.

A coffee at the gate

Once security is done, there is usually still time for a coffee. Save a photo of your parking receipt on your phone so that you have it to hand immediately on your return.

Car-sharing to an early flight

If friends or neighbours are flying at the same time, a shared drive is worthwhile. If you take turns driving, you arrive more rested, and one parking space instead of two saves money.

Have a good trip – and plenty of sunshine at your destination while the fog may still be lying over the Allgäu.

The bonus of an early start

If you fly early, you gain a whole extra day of holiday at your destination. With a well-planned departure, a suitable parking option and enough buffer, the early start in Memmingerberg is a price you will gladly pay for it.

Checklist

• Airline deadlines checked
• Online check-in done, hand luggage within limits
• Sat nav set to Memmingerberg
• Weather checked, winter equipment in the car
• Provider’s operating hours suitable

Which providers at Allgäu Airport can be booked via Friend-Park is shown at Parking at Memmingen Airport.