BERLIN TEGEL AIRPORT review : 5 July 2008 : by Janne Petersson

Customer Rating : 2/5

Remove the check-in machines and some of the advertisements and you have your typical 1980's West German Airport. Beware of the strange layout and be sure you have enough time to find your gate after check-in, but don't go through security too early - the gate area can easily get crowded. Also, don't expect to be amazed by the duty free shops. Tegel Airport is great when you arrive but strange and complicated when you depart. I would actually prefer using Schoenefeld Airport again next time (I know Schoenefeld is "the less fancier option" in Berlin but that doesn't matter to me)

BERLIN TEGEL AIRPORT review : 28 April 2008 : by J Scott

Customer Rating : 4/5

Arrived in Tegel Friday evening at 22:30 and left the following Tuesday at around 16:00 from and to Barcelona. Arriving we had learned from a previous disastrous experience when we raced off the plane and straight through the narrow reception area which incorporates an individual belt receiving bags from your flight only. On that previous occasion we were stranded inside the main terminal area and it took an awful lot of time indeed to sort out the mistake and reclaim our "abandoned" luggage in a distant corner. This time we made no mistake, though it strikes me that this unique element of the Tegel experience does require greater explanation from the airlines on the plane before arrival.The close location of the bus station with respect to the terminal coupled with the outstanding Berlin public transport system which allows routes and times to be discovered in minute detail i.e. down to the nearest specific bus-stop on the net before arriving meant that the trip to our hotel was well nigh effortless even at such a late hour. Naturally the trip back to the airport on public transport was equally impressive but on arrival there things were marginally less impressive; though only marginally. The Air Berlin flight was leaving from terminal C which is a fairly short walk away from the main terminal. C is located on the same level as the runway whereas the main historic terminal is located some 20m higher, but there is an excellent capacious lift available. Terminal C is designed on the shed principle aka as the cornflakes box principle viz a cuboid box with the pavement at the front, the planes at the back and with check in taking place towards the front. The longest edge of the box is parallel to the runway. One half of the front of the box is taken up with a single large bookstall type business and a single cafeteria style business with standard European airport rip-off prices for drinks. The only seating space before passing through the security screening is at the cafeteria. In other words there is no ordinary seating for waiting whatsoever here. However the piece-de-resistence is the queue for security. All 8 machines are in the same corner and no thought whatsoever has been given to controlling the access to these machines. Anyone wishing to avail themselves of machine 8 at the end of the hall must actually break through lines 1-7 to get there. Just as anyone wanting access to machine 7 must break through lines 2-6. And so on, if not quite ad infinitum. Unbelievable in a facility opened in the last 12 months in the European city with the most extensively, inexpensively impressive public transport network I have yet seen. Once through the "Tax-free shopping mall" (sic), which provides the only route available to get to the plane, the next part of the box is at least spacious and does have a fairly good supply of seating beside the gates leading straight out onto the runway with the planes parked within 10m of the terminal. On a quiet Tuesday afternoon in April with the sun shining, none of these negative elements caused any serious problems but at a busy time on a wet or snowy winter day I am sure the experience would be much less pleasant.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Tony McLaughlin

21 February 2008   Customer Rating :

I was amazed after arrival at Tegel Terminal A - not 20 minutes after stepping on to the air bridge, I was in my taxi in to Berlin. On stepping off the bridge, you are at passport control, and straight away at the belt for your flight, then straight away at customs, then out the door. Marvellous. I could see potential problems when checking in, but personally did not encounter any.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by K Pearson

12 December 2007   Customer Rating :

Berlin Tegel is really past its sell by date. At the booking-in desks there are usually long queues with little or no supervision and, to make matters worse, some of the queues tend to merge with other queues. On 7th December 2007 we waited for 1 hour and 20 minutes just to book in for our flight to Amsterdam. There was a further 20 minute wait to pass through the gate security. The departure lounges have little or no facilities so people tend to delay arriving at the gate until the last minute and this probably helps to create the long queues. This also impacts on the small shopping area where to obtain a coffee you invariably have to stand as all the seating is occupied.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by David Allan

13 July 2007   Customer Rating :

Used the new Terminal C recently, for Air Berlin flights to/from Vienna. Spanking new and spotlessly clean with few (although adequate) amenities. Efficient and smooth departure and arrival procedures.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by S McEewan

19 January 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

First time to Tegel, very busy, restaurants full, shops very busy, very little seating which is a problem in most airports - thought we had a good idea to go into departure lounge thinking it would be like other airports we have used, cafes etc on the other side. What a shock we got - the only thing available was a coke machine - at least there where seats.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Matthew Kenney
19 January 2007

What a charming little airport. I had the pleasure of passing through her recently, and found it to be one of my favorite airports in Europe (too bad nobody flies into TXL from BOS). not so long immigration lines with friendly staff. typical german experience while waiting for my bag, quick and efficient.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Alexander Montgomery
5 July 2006

For the occasional traveler, TXL may be too small, with a too little restaurants and shopping but for the frequent flyer, it's a real gem and my favorite airport. The fact that check-in, passport control, security, tax-free shop and waiting lounge are all encapsulated together in their own units is ingenious. Arriving 15 minutes before the gate opens gives you plenty of time to reach your flight on time. Also, the cab ride from a Ku'Damm hotel is only 15 minutes or so (outside of rush hour of course) and is under 20 Euros. Security is a bit strange sometimes, e.g. they only let me take one throw-away lighter on board (I had three with me). What's that all about?

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Richard Walsh
10 June 2006

Coming back home through Tegel to London last Friday morning we were appalled by the lack of awareness and consideration for the problems of the disabled/handicapped traveller . We also found the lack of comfort and facilities once we had been through departure gates and security very disappointing. Specifically, disabled people who turn up on time for a two hour check-in really do not appreciate having to stand for nearly an hour before being able to check in with no opportunity available to sit down. Even once we had checked in, we were unable to go directly to the departure lounge because another flight had to be cleared out first. Then ,when we got to the departure lounge we were disconcerted to find that there was no direct access to airline lounges ( we were travelling business class) where we could have relaxed. In short, we found these facilities would have been fine for a short- haul local airport but quite inadequate for a major international destination.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Michael Brosch
29 May 2006

I use Berlin Tegel at least once a week and consider it the most convenient and best airport I have been to. Many mornings I leave my home in central Berlin less than an hour before departure, park my car right under the gate and within minutes I have received my boarding pass, either from an e-kiosk or from the mostly considerate and friendly check-in staffers. I often have even time to pick-up a newspaper and drink a quick fruit juice in the lounge. The highly efficient security check at each and every gate is another big advantage compared to other airports and it is better than the the ones in Munich or Frankfurt. Berlin Tegel makes travelling very easy and stress free and as much as I am looking forward to the new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, set to open in 2011, I will miss the convenience of our current airport.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Louise Doherty
5 March 2006

TXL has improved in the last 4 yrs. Unusual for a German airport, the customs staff are really friendly! I love the hexagonal structure, its something different. Good choice of bars now, only thing I don't like are the departure gates. My last flight was delayed there - felt like a caged animal stuck in this small area! They could have at least have vending machines so we didn't die of starvation!

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Maria Manning
6 November 2005

I've just travelled through Tegel Airport (Oct 2005) and cannot understand the negative comments listed. The bathrooms were clean, with an attendant at all times, there are plenty of coffee shops and restaurants, several other shops including a magazine / newspaper shop. The best thing about this airport is it's size - tiny, you cannot get lost and it's dead easy to locate your gate. I checked in and waited 45mins for my flight, time to read a few chapters of my book. I don't see what the difficulty with this airport is. I then had to transfer through Heathrow - I must have walked four miles to my gate. Bring on the small airports all over.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Max Schmitt
16 September 2005

Upon arrival, the walk is very short from airplane to outside the terminal. Other than that there is ittle nice to say about the ageing, cramped facility that is obviously used at or even beyond capacity. Immigration officials seem to be even slower and more unfriendly than what is usual at german airports. As I left, there was still a good queue at passport control and they were only handling one flight. Transfer to the city is by bus on crowded streets, as the once planned underground link was put on ice in anticipation of the the new Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI) and will likely remain so until BBI is finally officially axed due to lack of funding and too much local resistance. The departure end of things is actually worse. Since, as previously mentioned, Check-In is right at the gate, the check-in desk wil not open more than 60 minutes prior to departure, sometimes later if the previous flight is delayed. As many as four flights will be displayed at the same gate at any given time, with people waiting for the later flights blocking the narrow space between check-in counter on one side and assorted other desks on the other, making even getting to your gate a tedious task at busy times, unless you are a regular at TXL and choose the route outside the terminal building. Since there is absolutely nothing to do once past passport control and security, people tend to stay in the terminal as long as possible to get a drink and do some shopping, only to find that two flights are called at the same gate at the same time, one via jetway and one via bus. Since there is only one passport control desk and security checkpoint, progress is very slow, aggravated by the lack of queueing room between passport control and security. Once again, (but that's just TXL) things got very hectic when I was leaving. The final call for our flight came while I and at least a dozen other passengers for the flight to Zurich were still way back in the long queue for passport control and we had to shout through the hall to the Swiss Employees who were starting to rattle off a long list of "missing" Zurich-bound passengers that we were still stuck in the queue. This is the stuff leading to the almost regular delays out of TXL. Further, there is no disabled parking close to the terminal and the passenger drop-off and pickup areas outside the terminal are always overcrowded by too many taxis and illegally parked cars (It is prohibited for the driver to leave the car there, unless he has a "disabled" card on the dash) due to lack of enforcement. I would rate TXL about 3.5 out of ten, but alas, the other airports of Berlin fare no better due to neglect because the were supposed to close long ago (Tempelhof, Tegel) or turned into something grander that may not be forthcoming for a long time (Schönefeld). This leaves Germany's capital and largest city with three very inadequate, dated and inefficient airports with marginal public transit links and hopes for change in the near future are slim at best.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by John Doe

29 August 2005

I think Tegel should be taken for what it is - a regional destination airport, not a transit hub. There are hardly any long distance direct flights to or from Berlin nor can larger aircraft (747) even land or start here. Of course it's kind of embarrassing that the capital and biggest city of one of the richest countries in the world doesn't have an adequate airport but that's a political issue. Thanks to small- minded provincialism there's still no sign of the 'new' Berlin-Brandenburg International even after 10 years of planning but likewise no ones wants to waste money on soon to be obsolete airports like Tegel or the old Schönefeld. There's no train or subway to/from the city, only bus shuttles or taxis. Getting a taxi is not a problem, there are always long lines of cabs waiting for new passengers - just make sure you're taking the first one in the queue. Arriving by car is not a problem either as there are several large parking zones (price for a full day 15-22 EUR at to moment) not too far away from the terminal building. As mentioned by others Tegel is kinda unique in it's layout with separate check-in desks for each gate. From entering the departure hall it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to even the most remote gate which is really one of the biggest advantages here. On regional or Schengen flights I usually arrive just 30-40 minutes before departure. As long as there are no long queues at the security it's better to stay outside in the main hall for some shopping - once through the check passengers are trapped in separate 'departure lounges' with only a small tourist shop and toilets and nothing to do but watching planes. Arrival at Tegel is a breeze - once inside the building (and through border control if necessary) the luggage carousel is right behind the door and it's literally just a few steps to leave the terminal. In short, a small but convenient airport for short and medium distance flights that lacks proper connectivity - but somehow I have feeling that BBI (if it will be built) will just complicate things much more.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Mathias Herrmann

19 August 2005

This place is a mess for any traveller. There is no train connection to the city, instead you need to take a bus or taxi. It is quite close to the city centre though. The architecture of this spot is awful and not capable at all of the masses of passengers using this airport. Usually it comes to huge queues in front of the check-in desks, which are located right next to the gate of your flight. This leads to congestions as the waiting passengers stand right in the middle of the circuit which connects all gates / check-ins. Make sure you don´t forget anything valuable at the airport. In a recent test of lost and founds around Germany the one at Berlin Tegel airport got the worst evaluations. So is there anything positive about the airport? No. It is a provincial airport built in the 1970s. Unfortunately, as long as you travel by plane to Berlin you won´t be able to avoid this place.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by William Agius

4 August 2005

Tegel definitely takes the biscuit when it comes to bizzar design and inconvenience. The terminal is diamond shaped. There is no central check-in area, instead the check- in counters are immediately in front of the respective gate. The draw back with this being, that if the flight occupying your gate before your own flight hasn't left, you are unable to check-in and instead have to sit around with all the luggage until the flight opens. Once inside the gate then, you're trapped with nowhere to go. But at least there's a toilet. But that's it!

Berlin Tegel Airport review by John Oram

12 May 2005

TXL leaves a lot to be desired as reflected in previous comments. However, I did find the staff friendly and the toilets clean. The check in system is truly bizarre and the gate areas poor. The area of new shops is not sufficient to make up for the deficiencies in the key functional parts of the airport. The outlook is not good. On this trip I visited SXF (arrival), THF (out of interest) and TXL (departure). Realistically, there is no sign of the much needed BBI nor significant improvements at the existing airports. This is completely unacceptable for the capital of a major nation, leaving Berlin behind FRA, DUS, CGN and MUC.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by Scott Anderson

17 November 2004

One of the best designed airports I have visited. Those with negative comments have obviously never visited Heathrow, where sheer size creates a nightmare. Arriving and departing from Tegel was not a problem and there's no chance of having to walk miles to find your gate, only to have it changed to another at the opposite end of the airport.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by  Sören Krumrey

1 November 2004

Having read the privous comments here on Tegel, I have to say that all of them have their merits. I´ve been living in Berlin for quite a few years now and I therefore use Tegel airport very frequently. Yes, considering that it (still) is the major airport of the capital of one of the world´s richer countries, it is a pure disgrace and I always feel ashamed when friends from abroad arrive there for a visit. The old-fashioned shape is completely inconvenient and it all looks very old, dark and unpleasant (not even to talk about the usual more than grumpy attitude of almost all the staff there, but it will prepare you very well for the things to come in Berlin itself). Especially the toilets are absolutely unbelievable shabby, small, smelly and usually not very clean. On the other hand, though the airport runs at the maximum capacity, check-in as well as arrivals usually work extremely efficient, due to the strange seperate check-in-counter per plane system which U hardly find anywhere else in the world anymore. Though there is no train connection to the city, the provided bus links are almost always on time, run very frequently even late at night, provide luggage racks and are absolutely competitive as far as the fair goes compared to most other airports I know. Just don´t go there if you don´t speak German and don´t know you´re way, that could cause big troubles. But, still, especially compared to Schönefeld where I happen to see lost passengers from abroad almost everytime I get there, TXL is still okay in a way that it at least works quite allright though it doesn´t look pretty.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by  Christian Vecker

1 November 2004

TXL is one of the most convenient airports in the world - at no point at the airport you walk more then 10m from the street to your check in counter. T the gates are right behind the counters and passport/security in between - less then a minute walk. Upon arrival you will receive your bags right at the gate and again its not more than 30 meters from the plane to the street ! where in the world do you find something like that ? Its a small airport, so what ? You will always find a parking, you can always get a cab in less than a minute and its simple design makes sure that you will never walk long distances and/or get lost. There is a LH First/Senator Lounge which absolutely ok.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by  Steve Pearce

15 June 2004

The previous comments are rubbish. I live in Berlin and use Tegel most weeks. It's convenient for the city centre - forget the hour to Schonefeld. Also, the fact that you check in close to where you board is great - no stupid central security bottleneck (or train!?) like the Stansted nightmare! It's a great commuter airport.

Berlin Tegel Airport review by  Tobias Wimpissinger

15 April 2004

A nightmare! Berlin Tegel AIrport is really a nightmare. You have to check in at your gate and then go about 10 Minutes to the lounge if you have access, after that 10 Minutes back. Otherwise you can wait until the previous flight is closed. The bathrooms are very dirty, even in the lounge they are not clean. At inner Schengen flights you can buy nothing at the Travel Value Shop. And the worst nightmare is the security check: They let you go through with a Swiss pocket knife and the metal detector didn't beep with a PDA in my pocket. I neither feel safe nor good at Berlin Tegel, the worst airport in Germany!

Berlin Tegel Airport review by  Tim Perkins

16 December 2003

What an awful airport. The donut shape, makes it cluttered and unpleasant to use, queues everywhere, no central check in area, you have to check in at your gate and wait until the previous flights have closed, facilities poor, toilets a disgrace. It's really the only game in town unless you want to go to Schonefeld which is further out.

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