Reserving a Parking Space at Dortmund Airport: Your Timeline Until Departure
Published on · updated on
No car parks can be booked through Friend-Park at Dortmund Airport yet.
As soon as a partner is activated, you will find their offers with real prices on the airport page.
If you plan your parking space at Dortmund Airport well, all you have to do on the day of travel is get in. To make this work, we do not organise the planning by topic here, but by point in time: what you take care of right after booking your flight, what matters in the weeks before the trip, what is due the evening before and what is left on the morning of departure. That way you keep track – even on family trips with many people involved.
Key facts at a glance
- Book right after the flight – free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
- Enter parking times, not flight times.
- Check for flight schedule changes in the weeks before the trip.
- Check the confirmation and route the evening before.
Right after booking your flight
Now all the details are known: departure, return flight, flight numbers. Book the parking space at the same time – the choice is greatest now, and thanks to free cancellation up to 24 hours before the service starts, you take no risk. Good offers for the start of the NRW summer holidays in particular are taken early.
Entering the times correctly
The start of parking is the moment you are at the site or meeting point – not the departure. Work back from the bag-drop deadline, subtract the minutes for the handover or bus and plan in a buffer. For the end of parking, add to the landing time the time for getting off, passport control, luggage and the way to the collection point. In the evening, be generous.
Matching business hours
Many flights depart early, many land in the evening. Check whether your times fall within the provider’s business hours. More: Early flight from Dortmund and Late arrival at Dortmund Airport.
The other details
- Licence plate, model and colour
- Flight numbers for the outbound and return flight
- Number of fellow travellers
- Mobile number of the person driving
- Special features such as a motorhome, an electric car or a lot of luggage
How booking at Friend-Park works is explained in the frequently asked questions about booking.
Note the cancellation deadline
Enter the end of the free period in your calendar, with a reminder the day before.
In the weeks before the trip
Low-cost airlines occasionally change flight times or cancel connections. Read your airline’s emails straight away and check the booking now and then. If only the time changes slightly, a message to the parking provider is enough. With bigger changes, cancel within the deadline and book again. More: Cancelling or rebooking parking at Dortmund Airport.
Note the flight days
Some destinations are not served daily from Dortmund. The length of the trip then depends on the flight schedule. Enter the actual days in the parking booking.
Holidays and events
The dates of the NRW school holidays are published by the Ministry of Schools. Also check the BVB fixture list and the events at the Westfalenhallen if you travel via the B1.
The evening before
Read the confirmation again, save the address in the sat nav, check the traffic for the morning, put the boarding pass on your phone, measure the hand luggage. Forward the confirmation to fellow travellers in case a phone fails.
On the morning of departure
Set off, briefly inform the provider on the way if they wish, hand over or park the car, take photos – and off to the counter. More on the handover: Vehicle handover at Dortmund Airport.
Booking for others
If you book for parents or colleagues, pay attention to the licence plate, flight details and the mobile number of the person who will actually drive, and forward the confirmation to them.
An example from Hamm
In January, a couple from Hamm books a flight to Málaga for the Easter holidays: departure on Saturday at 6:40, return a week later at 22:10. That same evening they reserve the parking space – start 4:25, end 23:20 – and enter the end of the free cancellation period in their calendar. The figures are an example.
Public holidays and family celebrations
Besides the school holidays, periods around family celebrations are also popular travel times, for example over Christmas, Easter or the Muslim festivals. If you fly at such times, book early.
For groups
If half the extended family flies with several cars, each party books separately. That way the details are correct, and a cancellation only affects one booking.
Twelve weeks before
The flight is booked, and so is the accommodation. Now is a good time to reserve the parking space – especially if the trip falls in the NRW summer or Easter holidays. You compare offers at leisure, read reviews and check the return times for your landing. The booking costs you nothing as long as you can cancel in time.
Four weeks before
Check whether your flight times have changed – airlines sometimes adjust their schedules. Do the start of parking and the return still fit? If not, pass on the new times or book again.
One week before
ID documents, luggage rules, online check-in: now you take care of the details. Save the booking confirmation on your phone and note the provider’s phone number.
The day before
Check traffic and roadworks, set the alarm, weigh the suitcases. Shortly before the free cancellation period ends, you decide finally whether the trip will go ahead.
On the day of travel
Set off with a buffer, check in with the provider, hand over or park, check in for the flight. If you have planned well, you now notice how relaxed the day can begin.
Travelling spontaneously
Not every trip is planned long in advance. If you fly at short notice, some providers still have spaces, but not everywhere. The airport’s areas are an option if private offers are fully booked.
Why early reservation matters especially in Dortmund
Around Dortmund Airport there are fewer private providers than at large hubs such as Düsseldorf or Frankfurt. At peak times – on the first weekend of the NRW summer holidays, on bridge days or around the major festivals – the most popular offers are therefore taken quickly. If you only search a week before, you may find only more expensive options or providers with unfavourable return times. An early reservation with free cancellation secures your choice without committing you.
Entering the right time
For the start of parking, enter the time you arrive at the provider – not the departure. For the end of parking, the time you will be at the provider with your luggage after landing. If you calculate generously here, you avoid misunderstandings. For flights from non-Schengen countries, allow more time for passport control and luggage.
Vehicle details
Licence plate, make, model and colour help the provider identify your car. For large vehicles, state the dimensions. If you drive a different car than planned, tell the provider before the trip.
Stating fellow travellers
With the bus model, the provider plans the seats according to the number of travellers. State all fellow travellers, including children.
Checking the confirmation
Read the confirmation email straight away: are the date, time, licence plate and service correct? A mistake is easy to correct now, but no longer on the day of travel.
Common mistakes when reserving
- Departure entered as the start of parking instead of arrival at the provider.
- Landing time entered as the end of parking instead of collection time.
- Wrong licence plate or a different car than planned.
- Fellow travellers forgotten with the bus model.
- Cancellation deadline not noted.
All these mistakes can be avoided if you read the confirmation calmly right after booking. Help with incorrect details: frequently asked questions about incorrect details.
Planning for family visits
If you visit relatives in Poland, Romania or the Balkans at the same time every year, you can make the reservation almost a routine: book the flight, reserve the parking space the same evening, put the cancellation deadline in the calendar. Note which provider was good last time and ask whether anything has changed in times or services. That way the annual trip becomes a well-practised routine that hardly takes any effort.
If the trip does not happen after all
An early reservation only makes sense if you can get rid of it again in an emergency. At Friend-Park you cancel free of charge up to one day before the booked start of parking via the link in the confirmation email or in your customer account. The amount is returned to your payment method. This means you take hardly any risk with an early booking – provided you keep an eye on the deadline.
Summary
Reserve early, enter exact times, check the confirmation, note the deadline – good planning needs no more than that.
No offer found?
Try shifting the times slightly or check the airport areas. For Dortmund: Friend-Park shows offers as soon as partners are connected. You can see the status at Parking at Dortmund Airport.
