Reserving a parking space at Hannover Airport: timing, details, planning

A parking booking is done in a few minutes. To make sure it really fits on the day of travel, three things matter: the right timing, correct details and a look at the general conditions. At Hannover Airport, these include the Lower Saxony school holiday calendar, the major trade fairs in the city and the special feature of the three terminals with their own security areas. This guide shows you how to proceed step by step, so that on departure day there is nothing left to do but set off.

When to book?

It is best to make the parking booking in the same breath as the flight booking. At that moment all the key data are fixed – days, times, terminal, flight numbers – and you can choose from all the available offers. You are not taking a risk, because spaces booked via Friend-Park can be cancelled free of charge up to one day before the drop-off time. This pays off especially for the summer holidays and for weeks with major trade fairs in Hannover: good offers are often gone long beforehand.

School holidays in Lower Saxony

The summer holidays in Lower Saxony shift every year in rotation with the other federal states. On top of that come the Easter, autumn and Christmas holidays, as well as bridge days in May and June. The dates are published by the Ministry of Education. If you fly at the start of the holidays, book especially early. Families from Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt or North Rhine-Westphalia also sometimes fly from Hannover – their holidays influence demand as well.

Trade fairs in the calendar

During major trade fairs in Hannover, many business travellers are also on the move. Check the Deutsche Messe AG calendar when planning your trip. If you are flexible, choose a week without a major event; if you cannot avoid it, book early. More: Parking at Hannover Airport during trade fairs.

Parking times instead of flight times

Time and again, the departure time ends up in the "parking start" field. What is needed, however, is the time at which you are at the site or meeting point with your car. You work it out backwards: departure minus the airline's lead time minus minutes for the handover or bus ride minus a little buffer. The counterpart applies to the parking end: landing plus disembarking, baggage reclaim, border control if needed and the way to the pick-up point. If the return flight arrives in the evening, feel free to plan an extra half hour here – otherwise even a small delay can trigger additional charges.

Checking operating hours

Before you book, check whether your times fall within the provider's operating hours. With early flights and late landings, this cannot be taken for granted. More on this in Early flight from Hannover and Late arrival at Hannover Airport.

Stating the terminal

At Hannover Airport, the terminal is more than a formality. Because A, B and C each have their own security areas, the valet meeting point or the bus stop should match your terminal. State it when booking and check it again on the day of travel. More: Terminals at Hannover Airport.

The other details

• Number plate, model, colour: to identify your car.
• Flight numbers: so that delays are recognised.
• Number of people: important for the bus.
• Driver's mobile number: for queries.
• Special features: electric car, large vehicle, bulky luggage.

How booking with Friend-Park works is explained in the frequently asked questions about booking.

Booking for others

If you book for parents, children or colleagues, make sure that the number plate, flight details and the mobile number of the person actually driving are correct. Forward the confirmation to them. With older relatives, it helps to go through the meeting point and procedure together on the map once.

After booking

The booking email is your most important document. Read it through once in full, save it offline on your phone and note down the parking service's phone number. If no email has arrived, you will find help under frequently asked questions about a missing confirmation. Until the trip, it is worth checking your flight booking now and then: if the airline has changed the time or terminal, adjust the parking booking.

The evening before the trip

Read the confirmation again, save the address or meeting point in the satnav, check the traffic for the morning, have your documents ready. Once you have done that, you can set off relaxed.

If something changes

If your flight is moved, cancel within the deadline and rebook, or inform the provider of minor changes. Details: Cancelling or rebooking a parking space at Hannover Airport.

Day trips

A reservation is worthwhile even for one day, especially with an early departure. Valet and the terminal car park are usually the best choice for this. More: Business trip from Hannover.

No offer available?

If nothing suitable appears for your period, it is sometimes only due to an unusual time or fully booked capacity. Try moving the start or end by half an hour, or compare with the airport's multi-storey car parks. For Hannover, there is also this: offers only appear on Friend-Park once a partner in the region has been activated. Whether that is already the case is shown on Parking at Hannover Airport.

A planning example

A teacher from Hildesheim books a flight for the Easter holidays in February: departure on a Saturday at 06:55 from Terminal C, return flight a week later landing at 22:05. Straight afterwards she checks the trade fair calendar – there is no major event that week. As the parking start she enters 04:35, as the parking end 23:15, to cover luggage and a possible delay. She chooses an offer whose hours cover both points, states Terminal C and notes the end of the cancellation period. The figures are an example.

Several trips a year

If you fly from Hannover regularly, notes save time: which company worked well, how long did the drive take, which terminal does your usual airline use? After a few trips, you can plan in a few minutes.

For special occasions

Honeymoon, anniversary, a long-awaited long-haul trip – then everything should go smoothly. Contact the parking service weeks in advance and clarify any open questions about the meeting point, luggage and return. For trips with delicate luggage, valet is particularly convenient.

With uncertain plans

If your holiday is not yet final because your employer still has to approve it, you can still reserve. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the parking start gives you leeway. Decide in good time, before the deadline expires.

Reserving for groups

If you are travelling with several cars, for example as a club or family reunion, it is best for each party to book individually. That way the details are correct, and a cancellation affects only one booking. Agree whether you will park with the same provider.

In brief

Book early, enter parking times instead of flight times, check operating hours, state the terminal and note the cancellation deadline – and your planning for Hannover is done.

If the flight time changes

Holiday airlines sometimes move their times weeks in advance. So check your airline's emails regularly. If the new time is within the operating hours, a message to the parking service is enough; otherwise cancel within the deadline and rebook.

Reserving for your parents

If children book the parking space for parents who are driving to the airport themselves for the first time, it helps to go through the confirmation together. Show the meeting point on the map, write the parking service's phone number in large letters on a piece of paper and explain at which terminal the airline checks in. That way, first-time travellers feel confident too.

With flight time changes

If the airline changes the times only shortly before the trip, inform the parking service immediately. The sooner it knows, the sooner it can reschedule its staff.

Good planning and a relaxed trip from Hannover!

Sharing the confirmation

If you are travelling as a couple, also forward the confirmation to the second person. If one phone is flat or lost, the other has all the details to hand – meeting point, phone number, booking number.

Checklist

• Parking times entered instead of flight times
• Times within operating hours
• Terminal stated
• School holidays and trade fairs checked
• Cancellation deadline in the calendar