The BER debacle continues

[daft009]

its a forbidden topic, talking to a Berliner about the new airport lol

 

[kelvedon]

I was amused at the board game based on actual events where the winner was the one who wasted the most money.

 

[daft009]

lol i laughed at that too

 

[badseed]

I had a flight booked to arrive there for late 2012! BA990 LHR to BER. It was switched back to TXL around 2 months prior, so wasn't exactly a surprise ;-) Have flown in and out of Tegel many times subsequently, and will likely get through there at least once more!

 

[Cossie]

I had a flight booked to arrive there for late 2012! BA990 LHR to BER. It was switched back to TXL around 2 months prior, so wasn't exactly a surprise ;-) Have flown in and out of Tegel many times subsequently, and will likely get through there at least once more!

Flew into Tegel 2 times in the last couple of weeks, and once out, and once out of Schönefeld. Much prefer Schönefeld, Tegel is way past it's use by date.

 

[boomy]

Flew into Tegel 2 times in the last couple of weeks, and once out, and once out of Schönefeld. Much prefer Schönefeld, Tegel is way past it's use by date.

I was thinking exactly the opposite. Tegel was bearable but Schonefeld is absolutely miserable with long queues, limited seating options and one very bad PP lounge.

 

[Cossie]

I was thinking exactly the opposite. Tegel was bearable but Schonefeld is absolutely miserable with long queues, limited seating options and one very bad PP lounge.

Actually the easyjet check in and arrival at Tegel isn't too bad as a quick fix. I would dearly have loved to have flown in and out of Tempelhof.

 

[boomy]

I would dearly have loved to have flown in and out of Templehof.

Me too!
At least they run interesting tours there. So much history.

 

[Himeno]

The only Berlin airport I've used was an arrival at TXL in 2006 during my first round the world trip (Qantas SIN-FRA, AB FRA-TXL, train out of Berlin to the Netherlands a few days later).

Once they worked out the extent of the problems with the BER terminal, they should have just knocked it down and started over. Likely would have been quicker and cheaper then this years long comedy of trying to fix problems only to find more problems.

 

[Scarlett]

The sorry saga really just reinforces the German prioritisation of quality: in many places around the world the airport would have just been opened by a demanding politician, hang the problems. They would have tried to solve them incrementally whilst operating probably without a care that fire systems didn't work properly or that elements might be structurally unsound... Maybe that's just a larger appetite for risk in those 'other' countries. Or the convenient presence of appropriate fall guy(s) if the risk did manifest itself and something bad did happen.

 

[OZDUCK]

The sorry saga really just reinforces the German prioritisation of quality: in many places around the world the airport would have just been opened by a demanding politician, hang the problems. They would have tried to solve them incrementally whilst operating probably without a care that fire systems didn't work properly or that elements might be structurally unsound... Maybe that's just a larger appetite for risk in those 'other' countries. Or the convenient presence of appropriate fall guy(s) if the risk did manifest itself and something bad did happen.

I have read, in several places, that Germany is very, very cautious about Airport Terminal fire safety because of the Dusseldorf Terminal fire in 1996 which killed 17 people. The fire precautions at the terminal were found to have been very poorly organised - if at all. So once the problems with the fire safety at the new Berlin Terminal were discovered there was no way it would be allowed to operate without upgrades.

Düsseldorf Airport fire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[codash1099]

Maybe light at the end of the (long, long) tunnel

Berlin airport October 2020 opening “on schedule” – Business Traveller

The much-delayed airport was originally scheduled to open in 2011…

www.businesstraveller.com

 

[Mattg]

Maybe light at the end of the (long, long) tunnel

Berlin airport October 2020 opening “on schedule” – Business Traveller

The much-delayed airport was originally scheduled to open in 2011…

www.businesstraveller.com

I would be skeptical...

I just finished listening to the podcast series mentioned in the BBC article and found it really interesting and informative. I loved the part where they discovered there was an escalator with a passport control booth right at the end.

 

[Peter D]

I would be skeptical...

I just finished listening to the podcast series mentioned in the BBC article and found it really interesting and informative. I loved the part where they discovered there was an escalator with a passport control booth right at the end.

That’s taking the usual a pile up of passengers at passport control a bit too literally.

 

[JessicaTam]

There is light at the end of the (very long) tunnel.

https://www.thelocal.de/20191129/berlins-ber-airport-to-finally-open-in-october-next-year

 

[TonyHancock]

There is light at the end of the (very long) tunnel.

https://www.thelocal.de/20191129/berlins-ber-airport-to-finally-open-in-october-next-year

AFF meet up on the 31st Oct 2020 at BER then?

 

[Mattg]

AFF meet up on the 31st Oct 2020 at BER then?

I'll believe it when I see it!

But if BER does indeed open on 31 October 2020, I will be there.

 

[JessicaTam]

AFF meet up on the 31st Oct 2020 at BER then?

I'll believe it when I see it!

But if BER does indeed open on 31 October 2020, I will be there.

I’ll be in that, too. But I might wait awhile before starting a thread. Maybe October 1 2020.

 

[codash1099]

There is light at the end of the (very long) tunnel.

https://www.thelocal.de/20191129/berlins-ber-airport-to-finally-open-in-october-next-year

That light could be an oncoming train

or

it's just a light at the end of a cul-de-sac.

 

[tyrolean]

I believe it when it really opens. Too many delays yet. It is just a national disgrace.