Opinions on Air Berlin?

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Not true. All Lounges in TXL are in the central area. (LH, BA, AF and the Airport Lounge) 5 Minute walk to all gates! You can use the AF or the BA Lounge in TXL. I use the lounge in most of my flights. If you arrive by taxi tell them to drop you off at the Main Hall (Haupthalle) for the use of the Lounge. Those "Exclusive Waiting Areas" are no lounges - they offer very basic service and you can only use them if you hold an AB Status or a Flex Ticket.

AB offer Prio-Checkin and Fast Track for all OW Elites. But: There is no proper Fast Track or Prio-Boarding for any Airline in TXL - that is due the old airport layout!
On my last 15 Flights I had 14 with an empty seat next to me and 14 seated in 1C.

On longer flights you can Per-Order good meals for a few Euro - which are quite good.

Seats are more comfortable than the ones on LH.

You are either flying very different flights to mine, or have mistaken it for another airline. The terminal in TXL for intra-EU flights is practically a tin shed. The 'exclusive waiting are' is apparently rubbish, although I'll never know as it is not extended to OW elites. I don't know about you, but when I'm in a foreign country, I'm not too comfortable being in a lounge in an alltogether different terminal from which my flight departs.

You have to buy a meal, it is an all-economy config. It is a LCC. You can put lipstick on a pig...

I believe their long haul which depart from the main terminal is a much better experience, but mine were all domestic or EU shenghen sectors.

I'm looking forward to when they finally open BER, as at least there will be a flagship lounge available.

All that being said, if you expect a basic LCC intra-EU product, that's what you get, and the pricing is very reasonable. I'd fly them again, but I prefer BA club europe, as it's the best of a bad bunch (and only good value when booked as a through-fare via LHR).