Air Berlin

DUS-JFK Business class flight 7450. Good service good staff good food good wine and drinks but the seat was horrible.

Worst experience with Air Berlin was my first and will be my last. Flying from TXL to GDN and the flight was cancelled at the last minute no extra information was given and the boarding screen was just switched off so no one knew what was going on. Then we had to stand in a line for over 2 hours to be told that there were no flights for a few days after which was unacceptable. Then it was the whole process of finding the luggage to collect and the staff were so rude and unhelpful.

Our flight from San Francisco to Dusseldorf was delayed 27 hours. We were promised a hotel for the night in the SF area. Instead Air Berlin provided us with no accommodation no advice no refreshments no phone calls. We were misinformed by Air Berlin about the availability of hotels in SF and alternative flights across the Atlantic. In effect we were abandoned by Air Berlin. We therefore cancelled the flight and flew with another airline. We would not recommend Air Berlin.

My flight was on 9/1. I took the 2 hour flight from Zurich to Dusseldof and then Dusseldof to JFK. There is no sign outside Zurich airport about Air Berlin you have to discover that its Check In area is at 3. Check-in line was short and easy. The plane arrived at Dusseldof with no gate so a bus took you to the door. Once you exited the door you enter Germany. You have no idea where you were. I found out I had to move from the arrivals area to the departures area. I had to go trough the security check and then get my passport stamped. The inflight service and food were excellent. There were two meals. Flight attendant provided non-stop service and distributed water bottles. The programs on the monitor were excellent and the screen has very good resolution. The flight map was not working.

JFK-Berlin-Sofia-Stansted-Dusseldorf-JFK. Planes are new and clean but the space between seats is really small. I am 5'7" and found it to be tight can't imagine how someone taller will feel. At one point the person behind me asked me to move my backrest forward because it was too tight for them. Food is average to below average maybe at par with American's food on international trips but lesser quality than British Airways. Flight was on time service was decent. I have a OneWorld Sapphire status so I used the BA lounge in Berlin (TXL). The lounge was old and quite dirty kind of like the airport itself. Selection of food was poor drinks were ok. On return flight I was not able to use a lounge at the Stansted airport - AirBerlin pointed me to a lounge but when I got there the attendant told me that AB does not have a contract with them. Then there was a last minute gate change and I had to sprint to a new gate to catch my flight. Used AirBerlin lounge in Dusseldorf - minimal selection of food ok on drinks. Flight from Dusseldorf to JFK was on time with 2 meal services average quality of meals. I do not plan to fly AirBerlin in the future.

JFK-TXL return in Economy. Overall quite satisfied with Air Berlin. Check-in at JFK quick and staff accommodating in helping find me a good aisle seat (I am rather tall). Gate staff and boarding were fine. AVOD fine although TV choices were a bit limited. Seats are comfortable legroom should be more than adequate for someone under six feet. Cabin crew were polite drinks service was punctual liked the whole bottles of water handed out. Food was merely decent. Return flight same comments although TXL gates leave a lot to be desired. Overall I would recommend AB; despite their lower cost they are indeed better than most United States carriers when it comes to Economy long-haul.

28th August 2013 from Malaga to Hamburg on a very well maintained 737-800. Journey started with online check-in and a bag drop at Malaga airport. The queue was not orderly and the staff did not police the queue very well at all. The check-in agent who dealt with me seemed indifferent and did not make eye contact with me which was rather rude. Boarding the flight took quite a long time as the flight was full. Far too much hand luggage had been allowed aboard the flight. The cabin crew were not very friendly nor welcoming at all. There was considerable turbulence during this flight and the crew did little to allay the fears and concerns of some of the passengers. A small snack was served as well as a drink. At the end of the flight an overheard monitor displayed the route taken for a few minutes only. There was no goodbye from the crew at the end of the flight. I found the staff very cold on this occasion.

Overall very satisfied with Air Berlin. Returned from a cruise which ended in Venice. First took a short flight to Dusseldorf to then catch the connection to JFK. All connections were made on time. The Air Berlin flight staff were all very congenial. Was able to watch three movies on their entertainment system to pass the time. Food was good. "Open" bar even better. I would definitely fly Air Berlin again.

TXL to SOF return. Really can't complain about their short haul product - both flights were on time a drink and a snack offered and crew on both legs were friendly enough. At least the short haul service is comparable to established airlines such as Lufthansa or BA. Will definitely use them again in the future.

WAW-TXL-AUH-HKT-AUH-TXL-WAW. Flight from WAW to TXL on a new Bombardier Q400 short and smooth. Flights from TXL to AUH and from AUH to HKT on the A330-200 were half empty so it was very comfortable having 4 seats in the middle row to sleep all by myself. Same thing on the way back. Service was great as well I can't complain at all.