I am flying out of Munich at 14:05 on Monday, Sept 9. Train ticket times are limited, and the trip I'm looking at has 3 changes from Braunau Am Inn, Austria, leaving at 9:42 and arriving at the airport terminal at 12:15. Is this too late? If I don't take that one, I will have to leave/arrive 2 hours earlier. I was hoping to take a good stroll/look around my son's school (where I will be leaving him for the year). (we won't arrive until about 6:30 PM the night before).
Thanks! Tina
If I remember, I usually allow 2 hrs time at the airport, and I think I've always had enough time. I'm usually coming by bus from Freising, or the last time by S-Bahn from Munich.
I would be most concerned about your making the 4 minute change in Simbach. It's a very short, 3 min, train ride from Braunau to Simbach (all you do is cross the river), but if the depaprture from Braunau is delayed for any reason, you don't have any time to make it up. You would have to hope that the train at Simbach waits.
The change at Muhldorf is longer, 8 minutes, but that could be shortened if the train from Simbach has to wait for the Braunau train.
It seems to me that there are too many possibilities for things to go wrong.
This is a frequently asked question with the same answer. There is risk with three train changes. What happens if you miss one? You have less than a two hour margin. If it is an international flight they like to see you around the three hour mark just get through all of the processing. The Germans are pretty good so you might cut that to two hours or maybe two and half but you are under that. What is the back up if you miss the the 14.05? I would not attempt it.
arriving at the airport terminal at 12:15. Is this too late?
Maybe, it depends on if you have checking in already online and are checking luggage or not. If you are not checking a bag and have the ability to check in online and get your boarding pass then 12:15 should work. Otherwise I'd plan on the earlier train.
Regarding the three changes, If the short connection in Simbach bothers you you can easily take a taxi across the river and start your (its is only 2-3km from station to station).
If it were me I would catch the train in Simbach and arrive at 12:15 but I'm also very familiar with MUC, never check a bag and can use the priority security lanes.
DJ
"What is the back up if you miss the the 14.05?"
I agree, that's the key question. What will you do if something doesn't go according to plan?
"If I don't take that one, I will have to leave/arrive 2 hours earlier."
I understand that you really don't want to do that, but that's what I'd recommend. You certainly don't need to be at the Munich airport four hours early, but this gives you a cushion if something should go wrong and you get delayed, or if the airport formalities take longer than normal, or there's any other snag.
I'm fond of the aphorism, "At airports you can be either stressed or bored. Choose bored."
As Frank says, different people do this differently. One poster here was very angry that everyone recommended a conservative timing, and that he had lots of extra time wasted due to getting to the airport so early. Others would be much angrier at missing their plane. Having once almost missed a plane, I know how I would do it - but you have to do what you feel most comfortable with.
