Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg BER Photos
Recommended Reviews - Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg BER
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Flying to Germany to run the Berlin Marathon we had no problems here. German efficiency as expected. Clean, well maintained, and easy to maneuver around despite it's a large airport. Good signage. There were plenty of dining and shopping options available but we didn't use any as we just heading to our boarding gate. Getting though check in and security screening was fast and the people checking ID's and passports were all business. Plenty of seating at gate areas and the airport is very functional overall with an industrial feel and design.
A great new airport - took a long time to build. I was here in July. BA lounge has a direct passport control from the lounge and has a variety of food. The security is easy - if you have priority pass it is in and out in a couple of minutes. No need to take out anything like Dublin airport. The Lufthansa senator lounge is by B20. For Europe bound flights these Star alliance lounges are very convenient. Today is New Year day so it opens at 6 am. All in all I think this is a very good airport. Not as busy as Frankfurt or Munich but it has the same vibe. I like Berlin airport as it is not as crowded.
Small airport but happy to land safely here in Berlin. There are places to eat, treats to buy at this airport and glad that I'm able to fly into Berlin instead of use the train from Salzburg!
For a brand new airport one would believe it would be incredibly designed with great architecture, and still focused on easily getting passengers from check-in to gate. Nope. It's just an uninspired German functional industrial design from the outside. The gate areas do have some natural looking wood to warm the interior. On the positive side it is easy to get from almost anywhere in Berlin using the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and regional trains. The airport station is directly underneath. Getting to International departures is inefficient and confusing with multiple security entrances. Many international lounges and most restaurants are pre-passport clearance instead of airside, so you'll need to take a chance on how long the line will be. Since I had no idea, I skipped the lounge. There are super long corridors getting to the gates. Departure gates are two levels. Even with many open upper gates, the lower level which our jet was assigned meant no jetway, a bus ride outside and an open-air climb up the steps to the plane door. Make sure you leave time for that or you'll be doing an Olympic sprint with your carry-on.
One of the most inefficient and unwelcoming airports I have ever been to! The good thing is that it's connected well with trains to easily get to for low cost. This airport is newer and looks very nice and clean. However, there are limited options for restaurants or dining, there aren't many places to sit and the process of getting to the flight are tedious, confusing and slow. When I arrived I checked in, showed the passport, answered questions and dropped off the bag. Fine. Then I had to go to a large line to get to security and scan the boarding pass to get through and then go through standard airport screeners. Fine. After that there are limited places in wait or get coffee or food. They have some good shopping. Here's where it gets bad. For international flights, you have to go through passport control and they have a huge line for EU and non EU that is long and slow. Someone is directing people to the line. Then they allow you to get into your line and wait more. I had to wait over 30 minutes and when I got to the front, the person in front of me overstayed the visa and it took another 15-20 minutes to deal with them. They should have pulled the person aside to deal with this instead of holding up the line. I asked the clerk in the next window if we could go through I got a shrug. After finally getting through and walking down long corridors, my wife went to the restroom and put down her bag and I was standing next to it waiting. Nobody else was around it was almost empty. Some security staff walked by and asked about the bag I said my wife was in the testimony waiting. The idiot said that's not allowed it has to be with someone because nobody knows what is in it and they will have to call the police. HELLO it was my bag and I was standing right there with it! I went through security! After that I had to show my passport again and answer questions before going to the gate where there was a table full of people and no seats or benches, so dozens had to stand there. So after waiting to board, I showed the passport again and went on. There are no instructions or information on the website or airline about all of this. I had to show my passport 4 times and wait hours and stand a long time. Good thing I went an extra hour earlier than planned. Sitting on the plane, we had to wait for 55 passengers who were going through all of this security and delayed takeoff. I expect bureaucracy and security I support it. This airport is confusing, slow, frustrating and tedious. I expect better from the Germans this airport is poorly run. Avoid this airport if possible go to Frankfurt or Munich instead they are way better!
I have flown through here a few times now. Very well designed and efficient airport. This airport sees heavy traffic but despite that things are well manage he's during the busy hours.
Pro: The lights are on and the waters are flowing. Have direct link to subway system Con: No customer service, no signage, staff are short changed by management. 18 years to build this mess and just 3 years into operation, Berlin might just well kept Schönefeld open. The operation budget to this disaster have brought BER to it's knees with the complete lack of required staff to have a functioning airport. Normal flight will have the desk open 3 to 4 hours before take off, not here, 1.5 hours, with just one person. Then it's off to get thru security. BUT wait, security on left or right side will just randomly close as they are running low on staff, so good luck going back and forth. If you need wheelchair assist, you will rely on your follow men to help you around since there are barely any runners. Bathroom was a mess from lack of staff, big surprise. I was shocked the luggage even got on the plane. Fly out of Frankfurt or Munich.
6/27/24 - flying out of Berlin Airport for the first time. When in doubt, go to the information booth. They speak several languages. Norwegian Airlines is located at number 526 and you can't check in for 2 hours before the flight leaves. You must use a kiosk to check in your bag before you go to the desk. The baggage kiosk is located in the other side of number 5. See interior photos and a map of terminal one.
After such a long wait for its opening, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the new Brandenberg Airport. First, location. Okay, so Tegel was always going to be hard to beat in terms of convenience, because it was so close to the city centre (even though it did not have a rail connection, the express bus was okay and a taxi ride was relatively cheap.) Brandenburg is much further out and the S-bahn line takes a good hour to get to the western part of the city, given it stops frequently on the way. Most journeys anyway require a change onto the U-bahn, which is no fun with luggage. From the Zoo station, even the advertised time for the airport express is 50 minutes. If the traffic is flowing freely, a taxi ride will cost about €50-€60. Overall, it seems like the have not really thought through the transit options, despite building a large rail station. (The bus options are very limited indeed.) The main check-in hall itself is nicely laid out, though I was surprised to see nowhere at all to buy a snack. Check-in was straightforward, but the current operation of security (which only allows one person to put their possessions onto the belt at a time) means one unprepared person holds everyone up. Although our queue was not very long, we seemed to be behind people for whom the idea of not carrying excessive quantities of liquids, drinks, or the need to remove coats, jewellery, watches, belts and shoes, seemed to be a complete surprise. They operated the strictest policy on liquids/gels I've seen, adhering to nearest millilitre the overall 1000ml limit, with no single item over 100ml (or 100g for creams, soap and aerosols). While I have no problems with the rule generally, everyone in front of us had at least one item confiscated and binned - so be warned to slim down your wash-bag if you are travelling with hand luggage only. (I was even asked to take my handkerchief out of my pockets to go through the scanner.) In contrast, once through security things brightened up a bit, though I was surprised at how cramped the main waiting area is, for such a large new airport. But there is a balcony level food hall, and quite a lot of shops, once you navigate the slightly labyrinthine layout. (Sight lines are not good and it is not intuitive.) It seems as though they anticipate passengers moving straight onto the gates, as seating seemed very limited too. Still, all the basics (newsagents, snacks, gifts and pharmacy) were there, albeit it at a hefty airport markup (my takeaway sandwich + water came to €9.25; I thought €1.95 for bag of crisps too much). Things improved further at passport control (easy to find and very swift) after which is a large duty free shopping area. Then you face an enormous corridor - I'm guessing 0.5km long - so how far you have to walk depends on which gate you're departing from. Ours had a nice cafe and a few convenience shops. But do leave enough time, just in case you've a long walk. The overall experience was one of slight disappointment. It all works up to a point, but for such a new airport it is not the best, and I'd hate to be delayed here, as there seemed to be very little seating anywhere, and security is a real potential pinchpoint (so arrive in plenty of time). A big plus is cleanliness: the whole place was gleaming.
My SO and I had an easy experience flying into Berlin--zero issues getting through the checks, getting our bags, and catching the train. Leaving, that was another story. This airport is absolutely horrific and filled with useless employees. Going through security, the employees let people hold up lines instead of telling them to move to the side to allow other passengers to make their way through. The employee who was searching through my items asked me which language I spoke, I replied "English," and the next thing I know, she's giving me this weird look and I'm being pulled to the side for further screening. The passport check employees were utterly useless, sitting on their asses and not letting people know if they could approach. Next up, we made our way to go sit at our gate which had an additional security checkpoint where they would pull certain passengers to get screened again, which is stupid. The area was open, and we saw a woman sitting, doing nothing but texting on her phone. We approached and I started to ask her where to go in the checkpoint, but she jumped out of her seat and started yelling at us in German. She was aggressively getting us out of the area and wouldn't answer us when we asked anything, literally shooing us before closing off the area to us. Let's just say, she's very lucky we weren't on the streets. This crusty looking Amy Schumer knockoff really annoyed me and solidified how bad the airport is. This was without a doubt the only bad experience I had while in Berlin, the employees' behavior was disgusting and shameful. I was in a terrible mood up until we got on the plane, what an awful excuse for an airport.
1 month ago
We were very impressed by the Berlin (BER) Flughafen Brandenburger. It huge and relatively easy to navigate. We found Customs was also straightforward and we were in & out in less than 30 minutes. The major positive is the U-Bahn station into Hauptbahnhof, Potsdamer Platz or Südkreuz was right outside, along with Express Buses, Taxis and Ubers. I've read all the negative stories about the previous airports and what went wrong here when it first opened. We didn't have any bad experiences. Everything was Easy Peasy read more
4 months ago
So far, so good. Departure experience from Berlin. Took about 30 min with Bolt for €50. No traffic. 80 KMH thru the barn. After initial security check, Delta and UA, make a right after the duty free. Go thru the door, UA 1st, then Delta. No signage at all or I missed it. After checking your bag in thru, follow the sign that says "all gates". If you are leaving EU, you will need to go through the border control again. Gate C and E. For EU residents, automated system. All 2nd class citizen including US, need to follow the sign and manually process. Once inside the C and D area, plenty of restrooms and stores to pick up goodies of needed. read more
Flying to Germany to run the Berlin Marathon we had no problems here. German efficiency as expected. Clean, well maintained, and easy to maneuver around despite it's a large airport. Good signage. There were plenty of dining and shopping options available but we didn't use any as we just heading to our boarding gate. Getting though check in and security screening was fast and the people checking ID's and passports were all business. Plenty of seating at gate areas and the airport is very functional overall with an industrial feel and design. read more
8 months ago
A great new airport - took a long time to build. I was here in July. BA lounge has a direct passport control from the lounge and has a variety of food. The security is easy - if you have priority pass it is in and out in a couple of minutes. No need to take out anything like Dublin airport. The Lufthansa senator lounge is by B20. For Europe bound flights these Star alliance lounges are very convenient. Today is New Year day so it opens at 6 am. All in all I think this is a very good airport. Not as busy as Frankfurt or Munich but it has the same vibe. I like Berlin airport as it is not as crowded. read more
For a brand new airport one would believe it would be incredibly designed with great architecture, and still focused on easily getting passengers from check-in to gate. Nope. It's just an uninspired German functional industrial design from the outside. The gate areas do have some natural looking wood to warm the interior. On the positive side it is easy to get from almost anywhere in Berlin using the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and regional trains. The airport station is directly underneath. Getting to International departures is inefficient and confusing with multiple security entrances. Many international lounges and most restaurants are pre-passport clearance instead of airside, so you'll need to take a chance on how long the line will be. Since I had no idea, I skipped the lounge. There are super long corridors getting to the gates. Departure gates are two levels. Even with many open upper gates, the lower level which our jet was assigned meant no jetway, a bus ride outside and an open-air climb up the steps to the plane door. Make sure you leave time for that or you'll be doing an Olympic sprint with your carry-on. read more
1 year ago
One of the most inefficient and unwelcoming airports I have ever been to! The good thing is that it's connected well with trains to easily get to for low cost. This airport is newer and looks very nice and clean. However, there are limited options for restaurants or dining, there aren't many places to sit and the process of getting to the flight are tedious, confusing and slow. When I arrived I checked in, showed the passport, answered questions and dropped off the bag. Fine. Then I had to go to a large line to get to security and scan the boarding pass to get through and then go through standard airport screeners. Fine. After that there are limited places in wait or get coffee or food. They have some good shopping. Here's where it gets bad. For international flights, you have to go through passport control and they have a huge line for EU and non EU that is long and slow. Someone is directing people to the line. Then they allow you to get into your line and wait more. I had to wait over 30 minutes and when I got to the front, the person in front of me overstayed the visa and it took another 15-20 minutes to deal with them. They should have pulled the person aside to deal with this instead of holding up the line. I asked the clerk in the next window if we could go through I got a shrug. After finally getting through and walking down long corridors, my wife went to the restroom and put down her bag and I was standing next to it waiting. Nobody else was around it was almost empty. Some security staff walked by and asked about the bag I said my wife was in the testimony waiting. The idiot said that's not allowed it has to be with someone because nobody knows what is in it and they will have to call the police. HELLO it was my bag and I was standing right there with it! I went through security! After that I had to show my passport again and answer questions before going to the gate where there was a table full of people and no seats or benches, so dozens had to stand there. So after waiting to board, I showed the passport again and went on. There are no instructions or information on the website or airline about all of this. I had to show my passport 4 times and wait hours and stand a long time. Good thing I went an extra hour earlier than planned. Sitting on the plane, we had to wait for 55 passengers who were going through all of this security and delayed takeoff. I expect bureaucracy and security I support it. This airport is confusing, slow, frustrating and tedious. I expect better from the Germans this airport is poorly run. Avoid this airport if possible go to Frankfurt or Munich instead they are way better! read more
2 years ago
Pro: The lights are on and the waters are flowing. Have direct link to subway system Con: No customer service, no signage, staff are short changed by management. 18 years to build this mess and just 3 years into operation, Berlin might just well kept Schönefeld open. The operation budget to this disaster have brought BER to it's knees with the complete lack of required staff to have a functioning airport. Normal flight will have the desk open 3 to 4 hours before take off, not here, 1.5 hours, with just one person. Then it's off to get thru security. BUT wait, security on left or right side will just randomly close as they are running low on staff, so good luck going back and forth. If you need wheelchair assist, you will rely on your follow men to help you around since there are barely any runners. Bathroom was a mess from lack of staff, big surprise. I was shocked the luggage even got on the plane. Fly out of Frankfurt or Munich. read more
6/27/24 - flying out of Berlin Airport for the first time. When in doubt, go to the information booth. They speak several languages. Norwegian Airlines is located at number 526 and you can't check in for 2 hours before the flight leaves. You must use a kiosk to check in your bag before you go to the desk. The baggage kiosk is located in the other side of number 5. See interior photos and a map of terminal one. read more
1 year ago
After such a long wait for its opening, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the new Brandenberg Airport. First, location. Okay, so Tegel was always going to be hard to beat in terms of convenience, because it was so close to the city centre (even though it did not have a rail connection, the express bus was okay and a taxi ride was relatively cheap.) Brandenburg is much further out and the S-bahn line takes a good hour to get to the western part of the city, given it stops frequently on the way. Most journeys anyway require a change onto the U-bahn, which is no fun with luggage. From the Zoo station, even the advertised time for the airport express is 50 minutes. If the traffic is flowing freely, a taxi ride will cost about €50-€60. Overall, it seems like the have not really thought through the transit options, despite building a large rail station. (The bus options are very limited indeed.) The main check-in hall itself is nicely laid out, though I was surprised to see nowhere at all to buy a snack. Check-in was straightforward, but the current operation of security (which only allows one person to put their possessions onto the belt at a time) means one unprepared person holds everyone up. Although our queue was not very long, we seemed to be behind people for whom the idea of not carrying excessive quantities of liquids, drinks, or the need to remove coats, jewellery, watches, belts and shoes, seemed to be a complete surprise. They operated the strictest policy on liquids/gels I've seen, adhering to nearest millilitre the overall 1000ml limit, with no single item over 100ml (or 100g for creams, soap and aerosols). While I have no problems with the rule generally, everyone in front of us had at least one item confiscated and binned - so be warned to slim down your wash-bag if you are travelling with hand luggage only. (I was even asked to take my handkerchief out of my pockets to go through the scanner.) In contrast, once through security things brightened up a bit, though I was surprised at how cramped the main waiting area is, for such a large new airport. But there is a balcony level food hall, and quite a lot of shops, once you navigate the slightly labyrinthine layout. (Sight lines are not good and it is not intuitive.) It seems as though they anticipate passengers moving straight onto the gates, as seating seemed very limited too. Still, all the basics (newsagents, snacks, gifts and pharmacy) were there, albeit it at a hefty airport markup (my takeaway sandwich + water came to €9.25; I thought €1.95 for bag of crisps too much). Things improved further at passport control (easy to find and very swift) after which is a large duty free shopping area. Then you face an enormous corridor - I'm guessing 0.5km long - so how far you have to walk depends on which gate you're departing from. Ours had a nice cafe and a few convenience shops. But do leave enough time, just in case you've a long walk. The overall experience was one of slight disappointment. It all works up to a point, but for such a new airport it is not the best, and I'd hate to be delayed here, as there seemed to be very little seating anywhere, and security is a real potential pinchpoint (so arrive in plenty of time). A big plus is cleanliness: the whole place was gleaming. read more
My SO and I had an easy experience flying into Berlin--zero issues getting through the checks, getting our bags, and catching the train. Leaving, that was another story. This airport is absolutely horrific and filled with useless employees. Going through security, the employees let people hold up lines instead of telling them to move to the side to allow other passengers to make their way through. The employee who was searching through my items asked me which language I spoke, I replied "English," and the next thing I know, she's giving me this weird look and I'm being pulled to the side for further screening. The passport check employees were utterly useless, sitting on their asses and not letting people know if they could approach. Next up, we made our way to go sit at our gate which had an additional security checkpoint where they would pull certain passengers to get screened again, which is stupid. The area was open, and we saw a woman sitting, doing nothing but texting on her phone. We approached and I started to ask her where to go in the checkpoint, but she jumped out of her seat and started yelling at us in German. She was aggressively getting us out of the area and wouldn't answer us when we asked anything, literally shooing us before closing off the area to us. Let's just say, she's very lucky we weren't on the streets. This crusty looking Amy Schumer knockoff really annoyed me and solidified how bad the airport is. This was without a doubt the only bad experience I had while in Berlin, the employees' behavior was disgusting and shameful. I was in a terrible mood up until we got on the plane, what an awful excuse for an airport. read more
2 years ago
I flew from Terminal 2 out of Berlin to London Stansted yesterday. I'm only giving the airport 3 stars because while it's very modern and clean, Terminal 2 is a pretty long walk from the train station in Terminal 1. Terminal 2 just feels abandoned as it's big on the outside but small on the inside and nothing and no one is really in there. However, one benefit of a smaller terminal is that the staff see less passengers and so they are less tired and more friendly. If you get a chance, I would recommend visiting the coffee shop in departures as the staff there are brilliant. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
6 years ago
On January 2, 2021 we went to the BER for sightseeing at the recently opened airport (after long years of construction work and several postponed opening dates, it finally opened on October 31, 2020). Due to Corona, there were only a few daily flights and a low number of passengers at the time of our visit. We checked the parking options first. We recommend this to every passenger arriving by car. When you arrive at the main entrance, you can park your car 10 min for free. Then 3 Euro per every 15 min will be charged in the first hour. From the second hour, 12 Euros per hour will be charged. So if you park your car for 1 hour and 5 min, you will have to pay 24 Euros. It is cheaper to use the car parks nearby. Depending on the distance to the main entrance of the airport, 7 Euros resp. 5 Euros per hour will be charged in these car parks. We went into one of the car parks charging 7 Euros per hour as we did not plan to stay for too long. It wasn't worth a long visit. We left before one hour was over. We went into the airport through the main entrance, entering the departure level. It is the highest level of the building which is huge and broad. We felt a bit forlorn in this big hall. The wooden paneling looked somehow gloomy. Behind the check in counters, we noticed a few shops. We went to the middle of the departure level. There were stairs, elevators and escalators. We took one of the elevators to the lowest level of the airport with the railway services. Please be sure to pick the right elevator when going down to the railway station as there are several platforms with regional and local railway services. After taking a few pictures, we went to the arrival level which looked like catacombs to us. We sat down and looked around. Opposite on the right hand side, we saw the counter of a car rental company. In front of it, there stood a golden car showing the passengers the way to the counter. Really nice. There were a few other shops like one selling snacks and coffee as well as a pharmacy. The toilets on this level were free of charge. Finally, we had seen enough of the airport und left the building at the arrival level. There are a few bus stops in front of the building with only few seating to sit down while waiting for the bus. You can cross the bus and car lanes at several cross walks. Directly opposite, you can find a Steigenberger hotel. We didn't really like this new airport too much. It is an airport of long walking distances. On all levels you will have to walk endlessly to get somewhere. I was told this continues after passing the check in counters. We missed some more seating to sit down while waiting for a flight or passengers arriving. The few available seats were occupied most of the time although there are only a few passengers traveling at the moment. The departure and arrival levels are separate. Good idea to keep departing and arriving passengers apart which makes it easier for them to get to their destination. Considering the big, broad building and the long walking distances, a good impression may soon be gone. What will happen when the flight services go back to normal level? The elevators were already now rather busy. During peak times you may have to wait some time to be able to use one of the elevators. We have been to the BER this one time and don't think we will return soon as we hardly fly at all. If you like to get an impression of it, please take a look at the enclosed pictures. read more
Nice new airport building. Fresh clean and modern despite a 9 year delay and the building having been built physically here and "ready" in this time. Opening in the Covid times clearly has an impact on how the place is running. Entrance hall all running as normal including stores like Starbucks. Security quiet and flowing easily. Airside has most things closed in the central shopping area as is the food court above it. The Tempelhof lounge in T1 is open and has great views despite a take away snack only food option and as of time of writing only accept Dragonpass or payment, which imho is not worth it at all. read more
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