Early flight from Stuttgart: how parking at dawn works

Many holiday flights from Stuttgart depart in the early hours of the morning – to Mallorca, the Canary Islands, Greece or Turkey. Because the airport has night flight restrictions, the first departures of the day are concentrated in a narrow time window in the morning. For travellers that means: alarm at three, departure at four, and check-in and security are busy as soon as the counters open. If you take care of your parking planning the evening before, you will spare yourself unnecessary stress that night. This guide shows you how.

Why mornings are so busy in Stuttgart

At airports with night flight restrictions, the day begins for many aircraft at the same time. The planes that were parked overnight in Stuttgart take off for their destinations in the first hours of the day. Accordingly, many passengers are then in the terminal. It gets particularly busy at the start of the Whitsun and summer holidays in Baden-Württemberg and at weekends in high season. Stick to your airline's lead time – and add the time for parking before it, not after.

The evening before

Everything that takes time in the morning is done in the evening. This includes online check-in, boarding passes in your phone's wallet and a place by the front door for passports, wallets and the parking confirmation. If the car is in a garage or a secure parking space, the suitcases and child seats go in now. Check the fuel gauge or charge level, save the provider's address in the satnav, done. The road authority's roadworks reports tell you whether the A8 or the B27 will be closed overnight. And the provider's number is also written on a note in the glove compartment.

How early to set off?

Calculate backwards from the departure time: the airline's lead time, time for the handover or shuttle, driving time and a reserve. At night the journey is usually faster than during the day, but roadworks with full closures are preferably set up during these hours. An example from Reutlingen: departure at 06:00, two hours' lead time, so in the terminal at 04:00. With shuttle parking, you allow 35 minutes for check-in and transfer, arrival at the car park at 03:25. The drive via the B27 takes about 30 minutes at night, plus a 15-minute reserve: departure at 02:40. Your figures may differ.

Shuttle early in the morning

For shuttle customers, the most important figure is the departure of the first bus. Some providers start at a fixed time and then run at intervals; others pick up early customers on request. Because Stuttgart's early departures are concentrated within a few hours, several families board at the same time and the first bus may be full. If you are at the site ten minutes before the planned time, you are sure of a seat. The guide Shuttle parking at Stuttgart Airport explains the rest of the procedure.

Valet early in the morning

With valet, an early start is usually more relaxed, because the driver waits at the meeting point near the terminal and you go straight to check-in. The prerequisite is that the provider takes over at your time. Many ask for a call shortly before arrival so that the driver is ready. Follow the details in your confirmation. More on this: Valet parking at Stuttgart Airport.

The train at four in the morning?

The S-Bahn connects the airport with the region, and the U6 light rail line also runs to the terminal. For very early departures, however, the first connections don't always fit. Check the timetables for your starting point. If you are coming from the surrounding area, for example from the Black Forest, the Alb or Hohenlohe, there is often no alternative to the car at this time of day.

Setting off early with children

A family start at three in the morning works best with a routine. A tried-and-tested approach is to let the children sleep in comfortable travel clothes so that they can go straight to the car – blanket and cuddly toy are already on the back seat. Pretzels and fruit for breakfast at the gate make the early morning easier. At the meeting point, a clear division of tasks helps: one parent stays with the children, the other takes care of the handover or moving the luggage. Rather allow an extra quarter of an hour, because everything takes longer with tired children. More tips: With the family to Stuttgart Airport.

Early flights in winter

On the Filder plateau it is often colder and foggier in winter than in the city. Early in the morning, roads can be icy, especially on the approaches from the Alb or the Schönbuch. Allow time to scrape the windows, or put the car in the garage the evening before. If you are flying to the mountains, register ski luggage with the shuttle provider in advance. If you are flying to the sun, leave your thick jacket in the car – provided you can put it on again there on your return.

Overslept – what now?

If the alarm goes off too late, racing along the B27 won't help. Contact the parking provider on the way using your hands-free system and tell them when you will realistically arrive; some can then bring the handover forward or hold the shuttle briefly. In the terminal, use the bag-drop machines if your airline offers them, and if time is very short, go directly to its counter. For the future, a second, independent alarm clock proves its worth – and keeping your phone on the charger overnight.

Thinking about the return after an early start

If you fly early in the morning, you often land in the evening on your return. Check when booking whether the provider also returns cars at your landing time. More on this: Late arrival at Stuttgart Airport and Returning: collecting your car at Stuttgart Airport.

Security at peak time

When many departures are concentrated in the morning, a large proportion of passengers are at security at the same time. A few steps make it quicker: have liquids in containers of up to 100 millilitres ready in a transparent bag, laptop and tablet to hand, and take off your belt and jacket while still in the queue. If you only have hand luggage and have checked in online, you save the trip to the counter. With checked baggage you need the full lead time – and a parking service that gets you to the terminal on time is then doubly valuable.

Breakfast and coffee

Not every food outlet is open in the first hours of operation. A thermos of coffee for the drive and a lunch box for the children bridge the time until you find breakfast after security. Empty water bottles can be refilled after security. If you have eaten well, you will also cope calmly with a delay at the gate.

Up from the valley basin in the morning

If you live in Stuttgart-West, in the south of the city or in Bad Cannstatt, you drive to the airport via the Neue Weinsteige or the B27 up the slopes onto the Filder plateau. At night this takes a quarter of an hour, because there is hardly any traffic. Nevertheless, watch out for traffic light phases, temporary lights at roadworks and speed checks, which may also be active in the city at this time. Another reason not to plan your departure time too tightly.

In brief

With preparation, an early flight from Stuttgart is no great effort: the provider's opening hours checked, luggage in the car the evening before, route and roadworks checked, reserve planned in. Then all you have to do in the morning is reach for the car key.

Have a good trip – and enjoy your destination, where the sun is already shining while the fog still lies over the Filder plateau.

Checklist for the early flight

• Provider's opening hours checked against the handover time
• Online check-in done, boarding passes on your phone
• Luggage and child seats loaded the evening before
• Overnight roadworks on the A8, A81 and B27 checked
• Two alarms set

Which providers at Stuttgart Airport can be booked via Friend-Park is shown on the page Parking at Stuttgart Airport.