Returning to Stuttgart Airport: how to collect your car
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The wheels touch down, the plane taxis to the gate, and the holiday is officially over. Now all that remains is the way from Stuttgart Airport home – via the A8 to Ulm or Karlsruhe, via the B27 to Tübingen or down into the Stuttgart valley basin. To make this last stage as relaxed as the rest of the trip, a clear procedure helps. This guide describes the steps from landing to the drive home, for valet and for shuttle, and explains what to do in special cases.
Key facts at a glance
- First baggage and, if applicable, passport control, then contact the provider.
- Valet: the car comes to the meeting point. Shuttle: go to the pick-up point.
- A quick check at the car, comparing with the handover photos.
- Only set off well rested, and check the traffic situation.
After landing
After disembarking, follow the signs to baggage reclaim. If you are coming from a country outside the Schengen area, such as Turkey, the United Kingdom or Egypt, you pass through passport control first. Then you go through customs: green exit if you have nothing to declare, red exit for goods above the duty-free allowances. This can take a while, especially if several aircraft have landed in quick succession. Allow for this time before you contact the provider.
Contacting the provider
How and when you get in touch is stated in your confirmation – by phone, message or via a link. Give your name, booking number or registration number and, if asked, the flight number. Many providers ask you to get in touch once you have your luggage, not as soon as you disembark. That way you avoid the driver waiting with your car while you are still at the belt.
Return with valet
With valet, the driver brings your car to the agreed meeting point near the terminal. Depending on the distance to the parking site and the traffic, this takes a few minutes. During this time, go to the meeting point with your luggage. When the car arrives, walk around it briefly, take the key and drive off.
Return with a shuttle
With shuttle parking, you go to the pick-up point described by the provider. Depending on the frequency, you wait a few minutes. At the car park, you collect your car or the key. In high season a shuttle may be full; then you take the next one. Stay visible at the pick-up point and keep your phone to hand.
The quick check
Before you drive off, walk once around the car. Compare with your handover photos, especially the bumpers, wheel rims and doors. Check the mileage. In the dark, use your phone torch. If you notice anything, photograph it immediately and speak to the staff member. Have the comment recorded in writing before you drive away. More: Vehicle handover at Stuttgart Airport.
Landed early
A tailwind over the Alps, early boarding – sometimes a flight lands well ahead of schedule. Then you may be at the meeting point before the booked return time. Call the provider and ask whether they can have the car ready earlier. Many will do so if they know in good time.
Landed late
In the event of delays, the flight number in the booking helps. Nevertheless, send the provider a short message with the new landing time. If the landing is after their opening hours, clarify how the return will then work. More: Late arrival at Stuttgart Airport and frequently asked questions about a delayed return flight.
Luggage missing
If a suitcase is missing from the belt, report it at the baggage desk before you leave the secure area. Inform the parking provider at the same time that it will take longer. Most providers will wait if they know. Keep the loss report for resolving the matter with the airline.
Collection by another person
If the traveller cannot collect their car themselves, for example due to illness or a different return flight, the person collecting it must be known to the provider. Inform the provider in writing in advance with the person's name and mobile number, and give that person the booking confirmation. Without this clarification, the provider may not hand over the car for security reasons.
The car after a long time parked
After several weeks, it is worth checking the tyres, lights and windows. In summer the interior is hot – open the doors briefly or switch on the air conditioning. In winter the windows may be iced up on the Filder plateau. If the car doesn't start, ask the provider for a jump start. The first few braking manoeuvres may be a little rough due to light surface rust.
Safely home
After a long day of travel, tiredness is the greatest risk. If you don't feel fit, don't drive. Take turns, take a break or, if in doubt, stay overnight near the airport. Before setting off, check the traffic situation on the A8, A81 and B27; roadworks are often set up in the evening. Set the satnav to your home address before you leave the site.
After the trip
Once you are home, check your car again in daylight. If you notice damage you missed, report it immediately in writing with photos and your booking number. Keep the invoice and handover photos until everything has been resolved. If everything went well, an honest review helps other travellers.
An example of the return
A family lands at 20:40 from Antalya. After passport control and baggage reclaim it is 21:20. The mother contacts the valet provider, who has already been tracking the landing via the flight number. At 21:30 the car is at the meeting point; at 21:35 the family drives off via the B27 towards Reutlingen. Because the return time was booked generously, everything went without waiting. The times are an example.
When several planes land at the same time
In the evening, several aircraft often land in Stuttgart in quick succession. Then many travellers are waiting for their car or the shuttle at the same time. Be patient, get in touch right after baggage reclaim and keep your phone to hand. With children or lots of luggage, it is worth mentioning this when you get in touch.
Little helpers for the return
A charged power bank for the call to the provider, a warm jacket in your hand luggage for the cool evenings on the Filder plateau, water and a snack for the drive home – these little things make the last stage of the trip more pleasant.
Returning with children
After a family holiday, everyone is tired. Split up: one adult collects the suitcases from the belt, the other stays with the children. Only once everything is there do you contact the provider. At the car, the children get into their seats first, then you load up. For the drive home to the Alb or the Black Forest, plan a short break if the children get restless.
In brief
Collect your luggage, contact the provider, check the car, set off well rested – that is how returning to Stuttgart Airport works, even after a long day of travel.
If you can't find the meeting point
If you can't find the meeting point or pick-up point straight away after landing, call the provider and describe where you are – for example at which terminal exit or on which level. The driver can then guide you. Read the description in the confirmation before the trip and save it on your phone; then this rarely happens.
Customs and imports
If you are returning from a non-EU country, you should know the duty-free allowances for cigarettes, alcohol and other goods. If you have more with you, use the red exit and declare the goods. This takes a little time but avoids trouble. Customs publishes information on the duty-free allowances on its website. Allow for this time before you contact the parking provider.
Welcome back home – and have a good drive!
Checklist for the return
- Luggage complete, passport control and customs done
- Provider contacted
- Meeting point or pick-up point known
- Walk around the car, mileage compared
- Set off well rested and with the traffic situation checked
Which providers at Stuttgart Airport can be booked via Friend-Park is shown on the page Parking at Stuttgart Airport.
