Early flight from Munich Airport: parking, schedule and preparation

Many holiday flights from Munich depart early in the morning. That has advantages – you are already at your destination by midday – but also pitfalls: if you take off at six, you often have to be at the terminal before five. With a one-hour drive, the alarm then goes off in the middle of the night. So that the start of your holiday does not end in stress, it is worth planning the drive and parking particularly carefully for an early flight. This guide shows you what matters at Munich Airport.

Opening hours: the most important question

For an early flight, the first question is not the price but: can I reach the provider at my arrival time? Some parking services are staffed around the clock, others have fixed operating hours and offer a handover outside them for a surcharge or by arrangement. Read the offer description carefully and plan on the basis of the actual times. Once you have booked, everything relevant is in your confirmation. How to compare providers is explained in the guide Choosing a parking service at Munich Airport.

Valet or shuttle early in the morning?

Valet parking is often the more relaxed choice for an early flight: you drive to the meeting point near the terminal, hand over the car and go straight to check-in. No waiting for a bus, no reloading suitcases in the dark. More in the guide Valet parking at Munich Airport.

Shuttle parking also works if the first shuttle runs early enough. Factor in the waiting time for the next shuttle. If you have to take the first bus of the day, you have no leeway left – in that case it is better to take a shuttle earlier. Details in the guide Shuttle parking at Munich Airport.

Sample schedule for a departure at 6:05

• Departure: 6:05, European flight from Terminal 1
• At the terminal: two hours before according to the airline – 4:05
• At the car park or meeting point: with valet about 15 minutes earlier (3:50), with shuttle 30 to 45 minutes earlier depending on the frequency
• Drive: 50 minutes plus a 25-minute buffer – set off at around 2:55

That sounds early – and it is early. Precisely for this reason a clear plan helps. Which lead time applies to your flight is decided by your airline; on days when the holidays start, a longer lead time can make sense.

The evening routine before an early flight

1. Finish packing your suitcases and load them into the car already if it is safe to do so.
2. Check in online and load the boarding passes onto your phone.
3. Open the booking confirmation for the car park and save the address in the sat nav.
4. Refuel or charge – not all petrol stations are open at night.
5. Check traffic reports for the A9 and A92; night-time roadworks are not unusual.
6. Set two alarms.

Driving at night

At night the motorways around Munich are usually clear. Even so: roadworks and closures are often set up at night, and diversions can cost time. So plan a buffer even on empty roads. Drive well rested – if you have to set off early, you should go to bed correspondingly early the evening before. More on the route in the guide Driving to Munich Airport.

At the airport at four in the morning

Even early in the morning, check-in and security can be busy because many holiday flights depart within a short period of time. If you only have hand luggage and have checked in online, go straight to security. With checked baggage, head first to your airline's baggage drop-off – in the right terminal.

And the return?

With an early flight, also think about the return flight. If you land late in the evening, the provider's operating hours apply again. Read the guide Late arrival at Munich Airport.

Staying overnight near the airport – an alternative?

If you come from far away and fly very early, you sometimes consider spending the night before near the airport. There are hotels in the towns around the Erdinger Moos, and at the airport itself as well. This shortens the night-time drive but raises its own questions: where is the car during the night, and how do you get to the car park or valet meeting point in the morning? Some hotels offer their own parking packages. Work out whether this is worthwhile compared with an early drive from home – often a well-planned morning with valet is the simpler solution.

Early flight with children

Waking children at three in the morning is a challenge. A few tricks have proved their worth: the children sleep in comfortable clothes that they also wear on the journey. The car is packed the evening before and the child seats are installed. The children are carried straight from bed to the car and keep sleeping during the drive. At the airport, a small breakfast that you bring with you helps, because not all shops are open yet. With valet there is no reloading into a shuttle, which saves a lot of stress, especially with sleepy children. More tips in the guide With family and luggage to Munich Airport.

If the alarm fails

Every early flyer's nightmare: oversleeping. The countermeasures are simple. Set two alarms on different devices, one of them not in the bedroom so that you have to get up. Ask someone to call you at the agreed time. And put everything you need in the morning in a fixed place: ID, phone, keys, confirmation. If it happens anyway, call the parking provider immediately and check in the airline's app whether you can still arrive in time. With a valet meeting point near the terminal, the chances are better than with a shuttle transfer.

Security control in the morning

Early in the morning, many holiday flights depart within a narrow time window. Baggage drop-off and security can be correspondingly busy. Be prepared: liquids packed according to the applicable rules, laptop to hand, no prohibited items in your hand luggage. With online check-in and only hand luggage, you can go straight to security. With checked baggage, go first to your airline's counter in Terminal 1 or 2. Munich Airport publishes current information on security control on its website.

Breakfast and coffee

Not every café in the terminal opens for the first wave of departures. If you are travelling early, take a small breakfast and an empty water bottle that can be refilled after security. For the drive home after the holiday, a snack in the car is worthwhile so that you do not have to get onto the motorway hungry after landing.

Early flights in winter

In winter, an early flight is doubly demanding: darkness, cold and possibly icy roads on the way. Clear the windows completely before you set off and expect slower traffic. If the weather forecast for the night is bad, it is better to set off earlier. For the return flight in winter: if your car is parked outdoors, it may be covered in snow after the trip. A hand brush and an ice scraper in the boot will help.

After the early flight: planning the return

If you fly early, you arrive at your destination early – and often have an evening flight on the way back. So think of both ends of the trip when booking: do the provider's return times match the landing, even if the flight is delayed? State the flight number and save the phone number. That rounds off a well-planned trip from Munich.

If you tick off these points, you will start relaxed – even if the alarm goes off in the middle of the night and the A92 is still dark.

Early flight checklist

• Provider's opening hours or first shuttle checked
• Online check-in done
• Luggage packed the evening before
• Sat nav prepared with the address from the booking
• Buffer planned for night-time roadworks

Which parking offers at Munich Airport can be booked through Friend-Park and what operating hours they have is shown on the page Parking at Munich Airport.