Berlin Flights

Of course, Air Berlin is not limited to Berlin, but I have to write this somewhere!!
In the last trip, I traveled in Air Berlin twice. No issues. I mean no problem with checkin, no lost luggage, no delayed flight. The point is I get the same level of satisfaction that I have got with pretty much any other airline, but for a MUCH lesser price here. In fact, I should say better considering that they serve "food", i mean coffee, cake or sandwich or something even on short trips. I will definitely fly again. For what you pay, you definitely get better service here.

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I was flying from Brussels with SN Brussels airline. Our new 'national' company is now plain crap. I never had the chance to fly with Sabena (bitten, sucked and killed by these bloody Swiss vampires) but I suspect there was a world of differences!

Anyway whining is not the purpose of this post, the good thing about SN is that they have quite small aircraft in their fleet such as the 'silent' Avro RJ85. This particularity allows them to land in the Tempelhof airport, right in the center of the city!

At the same time, this provides a free trip back to the past to their passengers! I really had the feeling of arriving in a communist country 20 years ago... getting off the plane and simply walking to the gate (not even a bus!) was already quite amazing. Even if there is some more modern elements, the airport is so old, it's like arriving in a working museum!
This is quite a big place but only a few companies are still flying there so it is rather empty as well adding to the weird feeling...
...definitely worth the experience but better do it quickly, they are planning to close this airport!

The closest airport to the city centre. Arriving here is easy and customs were not as miserable and poe faced as they are in most airports!

NB - When you depart from Tegel : You will find your gate next to your flight's check in desk and they want to get you through to the gate as quickly as possible.
One through to your gate you will find yourself in a glass enclosed room which is probably only big enough for one flight but may have to hold enough people for 2!

Our gate (3) had a rather rubbish duty free shop, 2 toilets per sex and a coca cola vending machine (from which you could buy small bottles of various drinks for a ridiculous sum of money - something like 3,60EUR. As I was out of Euros and relying on purchasing on my card from the shops in the gate I could not get adrink from the vending machine and was horribly thirsty.... and then, of course I was delayed!

The gate next to us (we could see one another through the glass) had a bar from which they could get tea, coffee, soft drinks and I think some alcohol.... but no duty free shop!

All in all Tegel experience was absolutely pants!

We went with Ryanair from Dublin to Berlin Schoenfeld. Surprisingly for Ryanair, this airport is actually near the advertised city. WOW. :)

You can get a direct Regional express train which comes on the hour, taking you to the centre in 20 mins. Or the standard s-bahns, which take 40mins. Either way, the ticket still costs €2.10.

Schoenefeld Airport is about 20km from the city centre but it's very easy to get there using the excellent train service.

There are Airport Express services (RE7 and RB14) which run to Berlin's major stations until about 11pm daily but if your hotel is not near any of those, or if, like me, you arrive late at night, the S9 service takes you right through the city, links with many other stations and runs until well after midnight. Most railway stations in Berlin have lifts from the platforms to street level so there is no problem if you have heavy luggage.

Make sure you have some euro coins with you because late at night you'll need to buy your ticket from one of the machines. They have instructions in English and a 1-way ticket to the city centre costs 2.10 euros.

Full information, timetables, a route planner and useful maps can be found on DBB's excellent website - http://www.vbb-fahrinfo.de/hafas/query.exe/en?L=vs_intermodal&

With three airports all within easy reach of public transportation, enjoy Berlin! Tegel Airport has an amazing observation deck, making photographic easy. Expect to see something exciting - not every city is served by Mongolian Airlines! Tempelhof Airport is architecturally interesting and served by smaller business traveler airlines. Schoenefeld, in East Berlin, still thrives as a charter airport and served by a few scheduled low cost carriers. All in all a wonderful city for the plane spotter! And... Germany still has timetables to collect (unlike North America).

Last time at the airport we flew in from Kralow and had 3 hours to kill for connecting flight to Newcastle.
WE decided to board the free bus to Holiday Inn at the airport just outside the arrivals.( with Cases)
We enjoyed a 2 hour break IE a meal and wash up in a relaxed atomsphere then the free bus returned us to the airport in time for the flight.
THe Mini bus runs every 20 minutes try it, better then sitting around the airport

its really cheap to get to berlin these days.
i flew in with air berlin and out with easyjet. this meant travelling into and out of different airports. Both were in easy reach of the city by public transport.
try to buy a weekly ticket before boarding the bus - most services stop at U bahn or S bahn stations to link with the network.

unlike other cities - you don´t pay a higher transport price because you are travelling to the airport - which is really good!

have a look on google and you can find a berlin transport website that will plan your journey for you if you are still unsure.

transport maps are available at most stations.