Length of time to exit DUS?
 

Hi,

Did a quick search but didn't find anything particularly relevant - I'm thinking about watching a football game (Gladbach-Stuttgart) on the 24th of next month and Düsseldorf's the closest place I can fly to (out of Manchester) - I could fly the day before but I'd rather not if possible given that the cheapest flight is an early one for an extra £40 at least + another night's hotel expense.

Earliest arrival on the 24th I can see is an SAS flight transferring at Copenhagen, but it doesn't arrive until 1525 - with a fixed 1730 appointment which'd require me getting to the Flughafen train station at 1600 at the very latest, I'm thinking that is being overly optimistic? I've taken this flight before and it came in at a remote gate requiring a bus transfer to the terminal which doesn't help, but I can't remember whether I entered Schengen at CPH or not which could save a bit of time when arriving into DUS, plus I'd just have hand baggage and know where I'm going once landside from previous trips. Is getting out in this time feasible, or should I look for another option?

Normally this should be possible without problems if there aren`t any delays

You'll enter the Schengen area at CPH, so leaving the airport is very easy.

There are three potential issues:

1) even a minor delay would seem to interfere with your plans
2) it's unfortunately not uncommon to arrive at a bus gate at DUS further delaying your exiting the airport
3) getting to the actual train station can be nuisance since the skytrain doesn't run that often and occasionally is out of service (forcing you to take a bus)

Whether it's worth the risk / whether you're willing to pay for a car/taxi if necessary is something obviously only you can decide.

The last time I flew to DUS (from the UK, so non-Schengen), I was out of the airport within 5 minutes of the plane arriving at the gate and ten minutes of landing.

I'm out of DUS within less than five minutes arriving on BA flights from LHR. Always.

Same here.

The Skytrain runs every 3.5 to 7 minutes, and you can take it in either direction to connect to something, though if you have a tight schedule you should probably copy down the timetables of all possible trains/trams that you may need.

I think this is doable if there are not unexpected delays. The skytrain is on the level above departures (arrival is lowest level). To get there, I've always taking a set of escalators up that are accessible from inside the terminal. I've found that not all of the exit doors have the set of escalators going up so you may need to follow some signs and talk. Once arriving, I would immediately go up one level as the departures level is less hectic than arrivals in the afternoon.

DUS essentially one big terminal with two ends and the Skytrain makes a stop in each area (although not necessary at the end of the terminal).

thanks for your input people, i tend to agree with your opinions that if there's no problems this should be absolutely fine, but if there's the slightest hitch then problems could escalate quickly. i'm investigating alternatives but it's good to hear that my projected timetable isn't too ambitious

That`s your risk - in the end you must be ready for example paying a taxi

Opted in the end to see a friend in London the day before instead and fly from LHR which'll give a bit more time