Has anybody had any recent experience of this airport? I am reading a lot of bad things about it. I am almost wondering whether it would be better to fly in and out of Prague, in this way avoiding an airport with a very bad reputation and seeing another interesting city.
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Berlin airport
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In terms of a departure experience, BER (Berlin-Brandenburg) is...fine. But I wasn't overly impressed by it either. I used Terminal 2.
The space between the upper landing of the escalator and the gates to scan boarding passes is tiny - it wouldn't take much for a crowd control incident up there with people backing onto the escalators.
Security is bizarre. So much space, but you can't use it unless you have a member of staff staring at you the entire time and making sure you're doing things correctly. So you might have a belt with five spaces, but only one in use as there's only one staff member.
The body scan afterwards is also painfully slow. The two staff members apparently can't share the job (i.e. one person monitors the scanner and one does the frisk) so it takes a considerable amount of time. They also had a habit of just wandering off or staring into space at random intervals.
After security, there's a bit of a dearth of seating. The only positive was that passport control was well-staffed and quick.
It's like the airport could be good, but it's bogged down with needless inefficiencies and some kack-handed design.
The space between the upper landing of the escalator and the gates to scan boarding passes is tiny - it wouldn't take much for a crowd control incident up there with people backing onto the escalators.
Security is bizarre. So much space, but you can't use it unless you have a member of staff staring at you the entire time and making sure you're doing things correctly. So you might have a belt with five spaces, but only one in use as there's only one staff member.
The body scan afterwards is also painfully slow. The two staff members apparently can't share the job (i.e. one person monitors the scanner and one does the frisk) so it takes a considerable amount of time. They also had a habit of just wandering off or staring into space at random intervals.
After security, there's a bit of a dearth of seating. The only positive was that passport control was well-staffed and quick.
It's like the airport could be good, but it's bogged down with needless inefficiencies and some kack-handed design.
DanNCL
Established Member
I flew from BER airport two weeks ago. I had low expectations after reading lots of negative reports but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. It's not by any means the world's best airport and for a new airport it's a bit disappointing but there wasn't anything massively wrong with it, certainly it isn't any worse than any of the UK airports, and I'd be happy to fly from BER again.
BER Airport is well connected. The S-Bahn runs frequently from the centre of Berlin to the airport and there's also the Flughafen Express (FEX) from Berlin Hbf, Gesundbrunnen and Ostkreuz stations fast to the airport. Unlike most Airport Expresses there isn't any premium to use the FEX, local transport tickets are valid as is the Deutschlandticket.
My flight was from Terminal 1 however it's worth noting that both terminals are connected airside, so you can use the facilities of both terminals regardless which one you're departing from.
The regularly reported security chaos can be avoided by using the fairly new Runway Security in Terminal 1. Basically you book a time slot for security, turn up at the time you've chosen (you'll be accepted 10 minutes either side) and go straight through a dedicated security area without queuing. It's free of charge too.
Do however remember to buy anything you may need for the flight before passing through passport control if on a non-schengen flight, as the retail facilities after passport control are very limited.
I didn't find seating to be an issue at the gate, there was sufficient seating for 180 passengers on an A320.
I can't comment on arrivals at Berlin as I flew in to Frankfurt (not a fun arrivals experience but still better than Heathrow).
You may wish to be aware with Prague Airport that there's no rail link so the only public transport access to the Airport is a bus.
BER Airport is well connected. The S-Bahn runs frequently from the centre of Berlin to the airport and there's also the Flughafen Express (FEX) from Berlin Hbf, Gesundbrunnen and Ostkreuz stations fast to the airport. Unlike most Airport Expresses there isn't any premium to use the FEX, local transport tickets are valid as is the Deutschlandticket.
My flight was from Terminal 1 however it's worth noting that both terminals are connected airside, so you can use the facilities of both terminals regardless which one you're departing from.
The regularly reported security chaos can be avoided by using the fairly new Runway Security in Terminal 1. Basically you book a time slot for security, turn up at the time you've chosen (you'll be accepted 10 minutes either side) and go straight through a dedicated security area without queuing. It's free of charge too.
Do however remember to buy anything you may need for the flight before passing through passport control if on a non-schengen flight, as the retail facilities after passport control are very limited.
I didn't find seating to be an issue at the gate, there was sufficient seating for 180 passengers on an A320.
I can't comment on arrivals at Berlin as I flew in to Frankfurt (not a fun arrivals experience but still better than Heathrow).
You may wish to be aware with Prague Airport that there's no rail link so the only public transport access to the Airport is a bus.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
I flew there in April 21. Arrivals was fine. Transport to and from the airport was fine. Departures check in was fine. Security was an absolute zoo. There isn’t as many food retailers as you’d really want.
Whether Prague or Berlin is better depends on where you’re going.
Whether Prague or Berlin is better depends on where you’re going.
RailWonderer
Established Member
Berlin airport is a regional airport with mostly short haul flights to Europe, it's not an international hub like Frankfurt or even Munich. Catering will be limited as expected.
Cloud Strife
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Berlin's problem is that it's just designed badly. They appear to have taken design lessons from 1980s UK airports rather than modern ones, meaning that many catering outlets are located on the long, long walk to some gates rather than being in the large central area after duty free.
This is exactly why Berlin was better off with two separate airports serving two different types of customer. Schoenfeld did the job for LCC passengers who didn't necessarily care about airside catering, whereas Tegel was perfect as the business airport.
As it stands, BER has ended up being a hub for everyone but serving no-one.
Berlin’s fine. I flew from there yesterday without the slightest bit of hassle. Sure, it’s not a mega-hub, but transport links are top notch, security was swift, and wonderful beer was available! Much prefer it to the majority of UK airports – many of which are cramped, depressing, and not a great advert if you’re travelling from elsewhere and want to be impressed.
1D54
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T2 is dreadful, mostly used by LCC and hopefully with the increase in air travel they will get round to reopening the former Schönefeld which is now T5.
At least T1 and T2 are smoker friendly airside but the latter is the size of a couple of phone boxes cobbled together.
At least T1 and T2 are smoker friendly airside but the latter is the size of a couple of phone boxes cobbled together.
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