Valet Parking at Dortmund Airport: Hand Over the Key, Check In Straight Away
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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.
Dortmund Airport lies in the east of the city, right on the border with Holzwickede, only a few minutes from the junction of the A44 and the A1. There is no railway station at the terminal: if you come by public transport, you take the AirportExpress bus from Dortmund main station or a shuttle bus from Holzwickede station. For many travellers from the Ruhr area, the Sauerland, the Münsterland and East Westphalia, their own car is therefore the obvious way to get there. Valet parking makes the last step particularly easy: you drive up to the terminal, hand over the key and go straight to the counter.
Key facts at a glance
- Handover at a meeting point near the single terminal.
- No railway station at the airport – most people arrive by car.
- Plan for the low-cost and holiday airlines’ deadlines for luggage and boarding.
- Allow more time on the A44 and B1 on BVB home match days and in rush hour.
Valet in a few steps
On the day of travel, you head for the handover point from your confirmation. A driver from the provider is waiting for you, you look at the car together, and the key changes hands against a receipt. While you check in your suitcase, the driver takes the car to the provider’s site. When you are back, a short message is enough, and the car is in front of the door again – ready for the drive to Bochum, Hamm or the Sauerland.
You will find a comparison with the bus model in the guide Valet or shuttle at Dortmund Airport.
Why valet is in particular demand here
Because Dortmund Airport has no railway station of its own, changing with luggage from train to bus is awkward for many travellers – especially with children or at early and late hours. If you come by car, you do not want to lose any extra time at the airport. That is exactly what the driving service offers: no searching for a space, no bus transfer, short distances. You will find a comparison between bus and car in Bus or car to Dortmund Airport.
Airline deadlines
From Dortmund, mainly low-cost and holiday airlines fly, many of them to eastern and south-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. They often work with fixed closing times for bag drop and boarding. Read your airline’s conditions and plan the handover so that enough buffer remains. With valet, hardly any time is lost at the airport itself – an advantage if the journey took longer because of traffic jams.
On the day of travel
- Have the confirmation ready: meeting point, time, phone number.
- Approach: via the A44, exit Holzwickede/Dortmund Flughafen, or from the city centre via the B1. Put the address from the confirmation in the sat nav.
- Get in touch: many providers ask for a call before arrival – see frequently asked questions about calling the provider.
- Handover: walk-around, photos, key, receipt.
- Check-in: on foot into the terminal.
Match days at the Westfalenstadion
Dortmund is a football city. For Borussia Dortmund home matches, tens of thousands of fans come to the south of the city, and the B1 and the approach roads around the stadium are then congested for hours. If you drive to the airport via the B1 from the city centre or the west on a match day, plan considerably more time or switch to the motorways. The fixture list is public – a quick look when planning your trip is worthwhile. More on the route: Driving to Dortmund Airport.
Preparation
- Remove valuables, documents and garage door openers from the car.
- Only hand over the vehicle key.
- Take photos: all around, wheels, interior, mileage, fuel or battery gauge.
- Note special features: electric car, tow bar, roof box.
In detail: Vehicle handover at Dortmund Airport.
Where the car is parked
Around the airport there are fields, business parks in Holzwickede and Unna and the districts of eastern Dortmund. Private providers have their parking areas in this area. How they are secured – fence, lighting, cameras, staff, hall or open-air area – should be stated in the offer. Your car is normally only moved for the drive to the area, the return and any repositioning.
Return after landing
After landing you collect your luggage, first going through passport control after flights from outside the Schengen area. Then you contact the driving service. Many return flights land in Dortmund in the evening; so check before booking until when the provider returns cars. More: Return: collecting your car at Dortmund Airport.
Who valet suits
- travellers with a long journey from the Sauerland, the Münsterland or East Westphalia,
- families with children and a lot of luggage – see with the family to Dortmund Airport,
- early risers – see Early flight from Dortmund,
- anyone with tight airline deadlines.
Recognising good providers
A clearly described meeting point, suitable times, information on the parking area, a transparent final price and a phone number that can be reached – further criteria are offered in Choosing a parking service at Dortmund Airport.
A morning with valet
This is how it could look for a traveller from Essen-Rüttenscheid: her flight to the Balearic Islands leaves in the first morning wave. She calculates backwards – according to the airline, bag drop closes at a fixed time; before that, a quarter of an hour for the key handover; before that, the drive via the A40 and A44, which takes a good half hour at night; and on top a buffer for possible night roadworks. In the end the alarm is set for shortly after half past two. The calculation is a template, not a rule.
What the driver should know
Tell the driver what they need to know about your car: does it have a low front spoiler, a detachable tow bar, an idiosyncratic handbrake? Are there things in the boot that should stay there? One sentence at the handover prevents misunderstandings.
Valet for family visits in eastern Europe
A large part of Dortmund’s flight schedule goes to Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Western Balkans. If you have family there, you often travel with two large suitcases per person, with presents, with children and sometimes with grandparents who no longer walk well. It is on such trips that the driving service shows its strengths: you unload the luggage right in front of the terminal, nobody has to heave suitcases into a bus, and the grandparents only walk a few metres. For trips of two or three weeks the driving service is usually more expensive than the bus model, though – compare the total before you decide.
Valet and winter trips
In winter, when it is still pitch dark and perhaps icy at five in the morning, many people particularly appreciate the short distances. No scraping on an outdoor car park after your return, no waiting at a draughty stop. Ask whether the provider parks in a hall or outdoors – after two weeks in January, that makes a difference on your return.
Common misunderstandings
“Valet means the car is parked right at the terminal.” No. The handover is at the terminal; the car is parked on the provider’s area in the surrounding area.
“I can come at any time.” Not quite. The booked time is important for scheduling staff. If you arrive much earlier or later, call beforehand.
“The driver automatically waits if my flight is delayed.” Many providers track the flight number, but not all. Report delays yourself, then you are on the safe side.
When valet makes less sense
If you are away for three weeks, have little luggage and fly at a relaxed time in the morning, with the driving service you pay for a convenience you hardly need. Anyone who does not like handing over their car is also better served by a bus model with self-parking. The decision is not a question of right or wrong, but of the type of trip and personal preferences.
Three questions before booking
- Where exactly is the meeting point, and how do I find it in the dark?
- What does a return outside regular hours cost?
- How is the area where my car is parked secured?
Valet via Friend-Park
Friend-Park arranges the booking; the actual service – collection, parking, return – is provided by the connected parking business. As soon as a valet partner is activated for Dortmund Airport, it appears at Parking at Dortmund Airport with its meeting point and total price.
