Berlin Brandenburg Airport takes another step closer to reality rather than the image of efficiency, with Lufthansa Group being serious about a move to the new airport.
As announced – the airport will open on the 31st October 2020.
BER. Image, Lufthansa
So what is Lufthansa Group planning?
Eurowings Airbus A320 with Sharklets at Dusseldorf Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Eurowings will be the first to move in, with their flight commencing from BER on the 4th November. This will be followed by Lufthansa itself will operate its last flight from Tegel on the 7th November, with LH1955 doing the honours between Tegel and Munich.
On the 8th November 2020, the airline is intending to have all its group moved into BER, with LH173 from Berlin to Frankfurt being scheduled to take off from the capital’s new airport.
(By Lufthansa Group, in this case, we are referring to Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels Airlines. Eurowings is out on its own this time (even though it is a member of the group).
Ticketing
More importantly, if you’re booking tickets after 4/8th November to Berlin, these will now have BER airport on coded on t hem them, as opposed to Berlin Tegel.
If you have tickets after 4th/8th, you will re-booked to BER. According to current plans, the number of flights and arrival and departure times will remain the same.
New Lounge
A new lounge will also be appearing at the airport, in Terminal 1 – Main Pier North. This lounge will be accessible to Business Class Travellers, Lufthansa Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle. Star Alliance Gold members can access the lounge too.
It will be divided into separate Senator and Business class areas too.
In quotes
Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Chief Commercial Officer Passenger Airlines,
“We care about Berlin. No one else connects Berlin with the world like we do. Six Lufthansa Group airlines fly to the German capital – with up to 33,000 passengers a day. 270 destinations can be reached with only one transfer. Berlin is a fascinating and cosmopolitan city that attracts people from all over the world. That is why Berlin needs an efficient airport. This also includes even better connections between BER and local public transportation as well as to the long-distance rail network. More ICE connections to Rostock, Dresden or Hamburg could strengthen intermodal traffic. That would be good for passengers and for the environment,”
Will it fly?
The saga of Berlin Brandenburg Airport is one of comedy. And yes – yours truly has been laughing about it on and off for some years.
Whilst I have seen nothing to say that Berlin Brandenburg Airport won’t open on the 31st October 2020 to traffic, every other launch date there has been so far having been and go without so much as an aircraft getting near the terminal.
And I’ve got plenty of scepticism that this new date could be missed too unless the trials are completed and the airport is declared safe to open.
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