Returning to Dortmund Airport: Seven Stages to Your Own Car

After the holiday, one thing matters above all: getting home quickly. At Dortmund Airport, where there is no railway station and only a few buses run in the evening, your own car is usually the best solution for this. A clear sequence helps to make sure it is ready after landing and the return goes smoothly. We have divided it into seven stages – from getting off the plane to the drive to Bochum, Hamm or the Sauerland.

Stage 1: Getting off and passport control

After landing, the signs lead to the arrivals area. If you come from a country outside the Schengen area – such as Turkey, Kosovo, North Macedonia or the United Kingdom – you first queue at passport control. If several planes land shortly after one another, this can take a while.

Stage 2: Luggage and customs

You wait for your suitcases at the belt. Bulky items such as pushchairs often come out at a separate point. Then you go through customs: green with nothing to declare, red for goods above the allowances. Customs publishes the duty-free allowances.

Stage 3: Contacting the provider

How you get in touch is stated in your confirmation – by call, message or link. Give your name, licence plate or booking number. Most providers want to hear from you once you have your luggage.

Stage 4: To the car

With the driving service, the employee brings your car to the meeting point at the terminal. With the shuttle, you walk to the stop and take the bus to the site. If the bus is full, the next one comes.

Stage 5: The quick check

Before you set off, walk once around the car, compare it with your departure photos and read the mileage. If you notice anything, photograph it and mention it. More: Vehicle handover at Dortmund Airport.

Stage 6: Getting ready to go

After several weeks, it is worth checking the tyres and lights. In summer the interior is hot; in winter the windows may be misted up. If the car does not start, ask the provider for a jump start. Set the sat nav to your home address.

Stage 7: The drive home

After a long day of travel, tiredness is the biggest risk. Check the traffic on the A44, A1 and A40 – night roadworks are common in the Ruhr area. If you are tired, take turns driving or stay overnight nearby.

Special case: landed early

If your plane arrives early, call the provider. The car can often be brought forward.

Special case: landed late

The flight number in the booking helps. Still send a short message with the new time. If it is after closing time, clarify how to proceed. More: Late arrival at Dortmund Airport and frequently asked questions about a delayed return flight.

Special case: suitcase missing

Report it at the baggage desk in the arrivals area, send a short message to the parking service, keep the loss report.

Special case: someone else collects the car

The person collecting must be named to the provider in writing beforehand, with name and mobile number. Without prior agreement, the provider will not hand over the car.

With children

One adult stays with the children in the arrivals hall, the other collects the luggage. At the car, the children are buckled in first.

An example from Bochum

A family lands from Hurghada at 22:05. After passport control and the baggage belt it is 22:45. The mother contacts the valet service, which has already been tracking the landing via the flight number. At 22:55 the car is ready, and at 23:00 they head home via the A44. The times are an example.

Souvenirs and heavy luggage

If you are returning from a family visit, you often have more luggage than on the way out – specialities from home, presents from relatives. Plan enough space in the car and fold down the rear seats if necessary. With the bus model, say how many suitcases you have when you get in touch.

Cannot find the meeting point?

Call the provider and describe where you are. The employee will guide you.

Several planes at once

In the evening, several planes often land shortly after one another. Get in touch right after the baggage belt and stay reachable.

Step by step – what happens in which order

Many people underestimate how many small steps lie between the plane touching down and starting your own engine. In Dortmund the distances are short, but the order remains: taxiing to the parking position, getting off – often down steps onto the apron and then on foot or by bus to the building –, passport control if applicable, the baggage belt, customs. Only after that does the part begin that your parking provider can influence. If you know this sequence, you get in touch at the right time and do not get annoyed about supposed waiting times.

The right time to call

If you call too early – for example right after landing, still on the plane –, the driver may wait in front of the terminal for a long time while you are standing at the belt. If you call too late, you are the one waiting. What has proven effective: with valet, get in touch as soon as your suitcase appears on the belt; with the bus model, as soon as you leave the baggage hall. Some providers prefer a different order – then what is in the confirmation applies.

If your luggage is missing

If your suitcase does not arrive, go to the lost-and-found baggage desk and have a loss report drawn up. This takes time. Let your parking provider know briefly that it will be later. Keep the report safe; it is the basis for further clarification with the airline.

Home through the Ruhr area

Late in the evening the motorways around Dortmund are clear, but roadworks are set up especially at night. A look at the traffic before you set off saves detours. If you come back on a Sunday evening, you will meet weekend returners and lorries on the A1 and the A2 that are back on the road after the Sunday driving ban.

Back home

The next morning, walk around the car again in daylight if you could not see everything in the dark the evening before. If you notice something then, report it immediately in writing with photos and the booking number. Keep the booking documents until everything has been clarified.

Returning with toddlers

With tired children every minute of waiting is long. A small snack, a toy in the hand luggage and the infant car seat ready in the car help. With the driving service you get in right in front of the building; with the bus model you plan in the transfer.

When the return goes differently than planned

A flight is cancelled, you land a day later or at a different airport. Then inform the parking provider as early as possible. If your car stays parked longer, additional days usually apply. If you are diverted to Düsseldorf or Cologne/Bonn, the airline usually takes you to Dortmund by bus – then replan the return with the provider.

Being collected instead of driving yourself

After a long flight, some people do not feel fit enough for the drive home. Then a family member can come with the spare key and drive the car – provided this has been agreed with the provider.

Summary

Collect your luggage, contact the provider, check the car, set off. If you know the order and get in touch at the right time, you will quickly be on your way home after landing. If there are problems with Friend-Park bookings, support helps via the contact form.

Returning on a Sunday evening

On Sunday evenings many holidaymakers land in Dortmund, and weekend commuters are on the motorways. If you come back at this time, plan a little more time for the way home.

Returning in winter weather

If the car has been outdoors for two weeks in January, it needs a few minutes of scraping after your return. An ice scraper therefore belongs in the car, not in the suitcase.

Checklist

• Luggage complete, controls done
• Provider contacted
• Walked around the car
• Set off rested

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