The BER debacle continues

[OATEK]

It really has been a perfect storm for BER. Build a white elephant and then watch while a once in 100yrs pandemic takes away nearly all business.

 

[RooFlyer]

I am in EU in a few months. I might have to transit BER before the creditors march in! *sigh*

Just not be on a plane on the ground there when the administrators take control and seize everything in sight to ensure payment!

 

[Berlin]

I'm thinking the same!

Not going to happen- that thing will be bailed out until eternity.

Right now it’s the train station in Stuttgart, another hallmark of German inefficiency, that’s more and more running beyond budget. And before BER, it was the Philharmonic in Hamburg (which in the end turned out quite spectacular).

Germans are well used to suffering, mostly due to their own doing. Explains quite a few things about my birth country if you ask me…

 

[OZDUCK]

Not going to happen- that thing will be bailed out until eternity.

Right now it’s the train station in Stuttgart, another hallmark of German inefficiency, that’s more and more running beyond budget. And before BER, it was the Philharmonic in Hamburg (which in the end turned out quite spectacular).

Germans are well used to suffering, mostly due to their own doing. Explains quite a few things about my birth country if you ask me…

Our friends live just outside Stuttgart and when we into the centre of town with them in 2011 they were already complaining about the problems that were occurring and the cost overruns. This was only a little over a year after the construction phase began.

Berlin, as fascinating and fun as it is, seems like the least stereotypically 'German' city in Germany to me.

 

[Berlin]

Berlin, as fascinating and fun as it is, seems like the least stereotypically 'German' city in Germany to me.

Oh yes, Germans complain a lot (ask my Aussie partner!). But that’s the problem, you never know what is justified (Stuttgart 21) and what is not (the weather, public transport, the awful state of the German automotive industry etc.).

And about Berlin- well that depends on who you ask. If stereotypical German is South-German “Gemütlichkeit”, then you’re definitely correct. But if you ask any of the Prussians from up North, I think most people will tell you that Berlin is the capital for a reason.

 

[OZDUCK]

Oh yes, Germans complain a lot (ask my Aussie partner!). But that’s the problem, you never know what is justified (Stuttgart 21) and what is not (the weather, public transport, the awful state of the German automotive industry etc.).

And about Berlin- well that depends on who you ask. If stereotypical German is South-German “Gemütlichkeit”, then you’re definitely correct. But if you ask any of the Prussians from up North, I think most people will tell you that Berlin is the capital for a reason.

I did struggle to find the right word and I was worried that stereotypical might imply that I was thinking of the "Gemütlichkeit" fairy-tale type Germany. That was not my intention and I am not really comparing it to Munich etc. Especially as it has been over 40 years since I was there. We have spent more time around Frankfurt and Stuttgart and it certainly feels a lot different to those cities. As regards the north we again haven't been in Hamburg for 40 odd years. Places like Lubeck, Wismar Stralsund in the far north do seem very different to Berlin and I realise that they are a lot smaller. And other cities like Bremen and Dresden are again very different. We haven't been to Dortmund, Dusseldorf Cologne etc- cancelled 2020 trip - but they may have a different feel.

To me the sort of 'anything goes' slightly anarchical vibe lots of Berlin gives off is what makes it feel different. I think a lot of it is left over from the days of the DDR and West Berlin. I gather the western part of the city was apparently a magnet for those who didn't feel at home in West Germany. As our friend from Bad Homburg, who loves Berlin, said the Berlin Mitte is the place where the bear dances - a saying that initially confused me but which I understand a lot better these days.

As regards the complaining bit, yes we certainly heard a lot of that. Especially about the roads and the truck traffic.

 

[Berlin]

I did struggle to find the right word and I was worried that stereotypical might imply that I was thinking of the "Gemütlichkeit" fairy-tale type Germany. That was not my intention and I am not really comparing it to Munich etc. Especially as it has been over 40 years since I was there. We have spent more time around Frankfurt and Stuttgart and it certainly feels a lot different to those cities. As regards the north we again haven't been in Hamburg for 40 odd years. Places like Lubeck, Wismar Stralsund in the far north do seem very different to Berlin and I realise that they are a lot smaller. And other cities like Bremen and Dresden are again very different. We haven't been to Dortmund, Dusseldorf Cologne etc- cancelled 2020 trip - but they may have a different feel.

To me the sort of 'anything goes' slightly anarchical vibe lots of Berlin gives off is what makes it feel different. I think a lot of it is left over from the days of the DDR and West Berlin. I gather the western part of the city was apparently a magnet for those who didn't feel at home in West Germany. As our friend from Bad Homburg, who loves Berlin, said the Berlin Mitte is the place where the bear dances - a saying that initially confused me but which I understand a lot better these days.

As regards the complaining bit, yes we certainly heard a lot of that. Especially about the roads and the truck traffic.

I know we’re getting off topic but Cologne and Düsseldorf have their very own beer hall “Gemütlichkeit”- highly recommended as very different from Munich but still involves beer which is always a plus in my books

And the complaining- I have a very distinct memory of my childhood which I’d think is funny to Aussies too: My dad, grumpy as ever, flying on the outer lane of the motorway in his Audi and cursing “STAU” which means “traffic jam” at the slightest sight of anyone slower daring to move into that outer lane in front of him. Once the one car “traffic” had cleared, he’d then follow this up mumbling something about the motorway urgently needing a forth lane per direction

 

[Mattg]

I finally got a chance to fly out of BER today! Here are a few impressions.

The airport has good train connections, but it took me an hour to get there using the S-Bahn from Prenzlauer Berg. It would never have taken that long to get to TXL

From the train station you walk through a "marketplace" (shopping centre) to get to the check-in hall. The terminal itself looks new, has lots of space and seems quite modern (as you would expect). The flying red carpet is still above the check-in area.



I discovered after checking in for my easyJet flight that there is a viewing terrace accessible for €3. I got a ticket and checked it out - there was a nice view over the airport etc. You can use this even if not flying as the entry point is landside.



There are several security checkpoints and being a quiet Tuesday afternoon, only a couple were open. There wasn't much of a queue but the security staff were quite rude. My tray somehow came out of the x-ray machine with somebody else's wallet in it (along with the rest of my stuff), and the security staff yelled at me when I tried telling them it wasn't mine. That was a weird experience.

All of the security points spit you out inside a large duty-free area. From there, you have to walk through another shopping area and a food court to get to the gates.




Flying easyJet, I didn't get lounge access. But there are two LH lounges and I found third-party/Priority Pass lounges at both ends of the Schengen terminal. I didn't bother paying to use any of them so can't comment further.




Frustratingly, there is nowhere to fill up a water bottle in the airside area. I would normally fill my bottle in the bathroom, but I remembered the news reports of the BER tap water not being safe to drink. The cheapest bottle of water I could find was €3.50 for 500mL, which works out to be over AUD10/litre for drinkable water. Ridiculous.

There were plenty of charging stations though.

The easyjet gates were a good 15 minute walk from the central security checkpoint.



This afternoon’s departures:



Overall, a modern and functional airport. As much as I hate to admit it, it is way nicer than TXL and SXF. (Schönefeld Airport has been rebranded as BER Terminal 5, but is not currently operational.)

 

[OATEK]

Thanks for the update mattg. I am booking LCY-BER for early September, will be interesting to finally get a look inside.

 

[Berlin]

I finally got a chance to fly out of BER today! Here are a few impressions.

The airport has good train connections, but it took me an hour to get there using the S-Bahn from Prenzlauer Berg. It would never have taken that long to get to TXL



Overall, a modern and functional airport. As much as I hate to admit it, it is way nicer than TXL and SXF. (Schönefeld Airport has been rebranded as BER Terminal 5, but is not currently operational.)

Thanks for the great update @Mattg I still haven't seen this new airport in my former home city so it's good to hear that it's not quite as bad as it sometimes sounded- I'll finally get the chance to check it out myself in September.

I'll forever miss Tegel- its ugliness was almost of cult like proportions and the convenience just unbeatable. At least the rude security staff have been taken over which will be a, cough cough, lovely memory. Sounds still very Berlin to me- the delay, the rudeness, the locked up duty free shops. Can't wait to see for myself!

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for the great update @Mattg I still haven't seen this new airport in my former home city so it's good to hear that it's not quite as bad as it sometimes sounded- I'll finally get the chance to check it out myself in September.

I'll forever miss Tegel- its ugliness was almost of cult like proportions and the convenience just unbeatable. At least the rude security staff have been taken over which will be a, cough cough, lovely memory. Sounds still very Berlin to me- the delay, the rudeness, the locked up duty free shops. Can't wait to see for myself!

I really enjoyed my two visits to Berlin and thought it great fun but your comments certainly bought a laugh of recognition from me. It just feels like it is in a different country than the rest of Germany. Our German friends , even those who love Berlin, seem to think along the same lines as you. I assume that it is mostly a hangover from the East/West Divide days. But then again the naz_'s also hated it because the population, especially in the early days, were always trying to go their own way. Perhaps it is at least partly due to the loss of its ascendancy as the Imperial Hohenzollern capital.

 

[OATEK]

I really enjoyed my two visits to Berlin and thought it great fun but your comments certainly bought a laugh of recognition from me. It just feels like it is in a different country than the rest of Germany. Our German friends , even those who love Berlin, seem to think along the same lines as you. I assume that it is mostly a hangover from the East/West Divide days. But then again the naz_'s also hated it because the population, especially in the early days, were always trying to go their own way. Perhaps it is at least partly due to the loss of its ascendancy as the Imperial Hohenzollern capital.

And to add to this, it is now the centre of Government (who remembers Bonn) and yet the national carrier does not fly their direct from other capital cities.

 

[SYD]

I was booked to fly in/out of the newly opened BER Easter 2012. I get to do it for the 1st time Easter 2022…

 

[SYD]

I was booked to fly in/out of the newly opened BER Easter 2012. I get to do it for the 1st time Easter 2022…

Made it! 10 yrs later than first booked but as @Mattg reported the new airport is very good albeit very far from town. But €3.80 each way to pretty much anywhere in Berlin on the metro will keep the tight a’s (including SYD+1) happy!

We’re flying back to the UK on BA so we get to use one of the contract lounges here. For OW, it’s the Lounge Templehof (open for F/J pax and OWE/S flying BA, AY, IB and QR):

Airport Lounges: oneworld Lounges & Airport Lounge Access

Enjoy airport lounge access at nearly 700 airport lounges worldwide through your oneworld Priority tier. Exceptions may apply.

www.oneworld.com

Opening times 05:00 to 21:00. According to this, you can pay to enter for €45:

BER Lounge Tempelhof - Tooltip

Relax in our Business Lounge

ber.berlin-airport.de

This review (in German) pretty much covers the look of the place. Food has moved onto to a more pre-Covid buffet of modest hot and cold selections. Self serve bar of wine, spirits and Becks on tap.

Review: Lounge Tempelhof, BER Flughafen | Betty's Vacation

Mein erster Besuch in der Lounge Tempelhof am neuen Berliner Flughafen BER. Eine Bewertung unter Coronabedingungen.

www.bettysvacation.com

Another review here with something I didn’t know until I read it (we’re still in the Lounge), you exit at the rear to dedicated (priority) passport control and gate access - which apparently saves 20 mins! Which I can imagine since this lounge is at one end (A gates) and we’re departing from the D Gates!

My review of Tempelhof Lounge, Brandenburg Airport Berlin | Verylvke

And since BA cancelled our 12:30 flight to LHR and we’re now on a 16:50 to LCY - there’s plenty of time to sample the bar…

 

[SYD]

As an aside, it’s still mandatory to wear an FFP2 mask throughout the terminal - unless you’re staff (it seems) or most peeps in the lounge

 

[Mattg]

I’m back at BER today and got to try out the Lufthansa Business Lounge, which is quite nice. (The neighbouring Senator Lounge is currently closed.)

I see they are now selling water again at duty-free for €1.50.



Perhaps also of interest, there is also a free exhibition about the history of the airport site opposite the Rewe supermarket on the ground floor. (I didn’t get time to have a look.)

 

[Berlin]

We finally made it into the infamous BER (coming from Doha- one of the few truly "international" flights arriving there from anywhere but Turkey) and I must say, after all the hick hack and ridiculous reports about this airport and its borderline comical delays, once I finally saw it, I was utterly disappointed. It looks super boring in real life and much smaller than what I had expected from all those renderings. A distinctly boring third grade airport, totally inappropriate for anything that wants to be a
'capital" and particularly boring- especially for a "hip and happening" city like Berlin: It's all very very meh and I wish the gritty, unique and sometimes admittedly annoying Tegel back.

Also be warned- this airport sports typical German arrogance wherever you go: Luggage carts work like at ALDI but of course you need an Euro coin for it which many arrivals from overseas won't have (I saw some ridiculous scenes of Americans trying to somehow untangle the carts, or in vain searching for a credit card slit somewhere). Aircon, like in many places in Germany, doesn't work due to a misguided attempt to save energy (you now, Putin) so you're in this muggy sweaty terminal waiting for aaaaages for any luggage to arrive (you know, workers shortage). And then trying to get the right ticket for the S-Bahn was an ordeal as well (and I'm a native speaker of German).

 

[OATEK]

I went through BER in early September. Just another airport, but I had no trouble getting a ticket out of the machine for the U-Bahn, for departures there are signs giving the length of time at the various security lines, and we followed their directions to what seemed a fairly short queue and were through quite quickly. Needed a bite to eat and we made the mistake of going to the mezzanine dining section in the main departures hall which was busy and ordinary. But once through immigration into the non-Schengen section we found a nice bistro style restaurant. But with so few non-Schengen international flights at the time, that part of the terminal had a fairly deserted feel to it.

 

[Mattg]

Local press is reporting that the airport has abandoned plans to bring Terminal 5 (the old Schönefeld Airport) back into operation.

 

[Berlin]

Local press is reporting that the airport has abandoned plans to bring Terminal 5 (the old Schönefeld Airport) back into operation.

For the better it will be. What an awful airport it was…