Berlin Airport (TXL)

We will be sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette May 2015 from Stockholm to Amsterdam. We will be flying from Chicago to Berlin (TXL) and then from Berlin (TXL) to Stockholm all on AirBerlin. We have 1.20 hour layover in Berlin. I was wondering if you can stay inside security and transfer terminals at the Berlin airport?

TXL is very small and as I recall you have to exit the building to change terminals so I think you would need to go through security again. That said, this is a very small airport and should be quicker than security at one of the major airports.

Looks like Air Berlin is using mostly the C terminal.

Here is a map:

http://www.berlin-airport.de/en/travellers-txl/at-the-airport/airport-map/index.php

 

Tomorrow for example AB7421 from Chicago will arrive 7:00 at gate C55 and during the next days AB8102 to Stockholm will depart at 8.20 from either gate C66 or C83.

I'm not familiar with the C terminal myself, but even if you need to exit and enter again it should be very short distances.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Ultima Thule

Last time I did pass TXL I had to go out and through security again - did have less than an hours and no problems. As mentioned a very small airport.

Since both legs are AirBerlin there is absolute no problems - only if delays on the transatlantic - assuming that you are arriving at least one days ahead of you cruise.

When are they finally going to open the new airport?

According to the wikipedia

 

On 8 January 2014, FBB announced the airport would not open in 2014;[5] and on 24 February, Hartmut Mehdorn stated it would be unlikely the airport would open before 2016.[47]

 

o_O I wonder what the German press would have said, had this happened in southern Europe.

4 weeks ago we flew Air Belin NY-TXL and then connected on Air Berlin to Stockholm. We did have to walk outside to another terminal but it was about a 10 minute walk at most.

According to the wikipedia

 

 

 

o_O I wonder what the German press would have said, had this happened in southern Europe.

 

Very good point. 2016 that is incredible! China could probably start an airport now and finish before then.

When are they finally going to open the new airport?

I'm beginning to think that it will not be in my lifetime.

 

And in all seriousness, there is some chatter developing that the best thing to do may be to demolish what's been built and to start again. The faults with the building really are very serious.

 

It's a shock for this non-German to see how badly this project has turned out, although German friends say that it's no surprise for Berlin.

Two of the cities we visited in 2013 were having difficulties with their new airports - Berlin and Doha. I was wondering which would open first - looks like Doha did.

 

TXL is really third world - it's a shame such a lovely city as Berlin has such an awful airport.

I'm beginning to think that it will not be in my lifetime.

 

And in all seriousness, there is some chatter developing that the best thing to do may be to demolish what's been built and to start again. The faults with the building really are very serious.

 

It's a shock for this non-German to see how badly this project has turned out, although German friends say that it's no surprise for Berlin.

 

Well, I don't think Siemens and Bosch are based in Berlin nowadays, and they have part of the blame. And even if they blame officials, who maybe are responsible too, it is a technical problem in the end.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Brandenburg_Airport

 

Construction failures

 

The major issue for the delayed opening is that the fire protection and alarm system in the terminal building was not built according to the construction permit and failed the mandatory acceptance test necessary for the airport to open. FBB proposed an interim solution employing up to 700 human fire spotters which the building supervision department of the local Dahme-Spreewald district rejected. Inspectors have uncovered flaws concerning the wiring, programming and implementing of the highly complex system designed by Siemens and Bosch which automatically controls sprinklers, smoke extractors and fire doors.[3] For aesthetics, designers decided that the terminal would have no smoke extraction ducts on its rooftop. In case of fire, smoke would be pumped into exhaust ducts running below the structure, requiring the natural behavior of hot air to be reversed. Achieving this on scale is a unique undertaking and thus far, this elaborate smoke extraction system has not worked as anticipated.[26] To meet the requirements for the fire system to pass the acceptance test, large scale reconstruction work might be needed.[48]

TXL is really third world - it's a shame such a lovely city as Berlin has such an awful airport.

Actually, once you get to know how to navigate them, the old parts of TXL (the doughnuts) are a delight to use. From kerbside to check-in can be as little as a 15 yard walk. And about the same from check-in to aircraft door. This is because of the gate-by-gate design of these parts of the airport.

Well, I don't think Siemens and Bosch are based in Berlin nowadays, and they have part of the blame. And even if they blame officials, who maybe are responsible too, it is a technical problem in the end.

There are serious and plausible suggestions of laziness, incompetence, corruption and fraud. These are the things which German friends find unsurprising about a Berlin project gone wrong.