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Getting There By Air
Berlin-Tegel (Otto Lilienthal) (TXL)
Tel: (01805) 000 186 (charged at 12 cents per minute)
Website: www.berlin-airport.de
The airport is located in northwest Berlin, eight kilometres (five miles) from the city centre. Tegel primarily serves Western European destinations, handling flights from 36 scheduled airlines flying to 84 destinations and 26 charter airlines flying to 62 destinations.
Major airlines: Lufthansa is Germany’s principal airline (tel: (01803) 803 803, for 24-hour call centre or (01803) 000 074, for arrivals and departures; website: www.lufthansa.com). Other airlines flying to Tegel include Air Berlin Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Deutsche BA, Iberia, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Malév, Olympic Airways and Turkish Airlines. Two new low-cost airlines, Germanwings and Hapag-Lloyd Express, both provide frequent services from Berlin to Cologne/Bonn.
Airport facilities: The airport offers two snack bars, a bistro, a champagne bar and a restaurant. Other facilities include a post office, bank/bureaux de change, ATMs, florist, newsagents, duty-free shops, left-luggage, baby-care rooms, 24-hour first aid, travel agents, tourist information and clothing shops. There are Novotel and Holiday Inn hotels near the airport. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National and Sixt.
Business facilities: The LSG conference centre (tel: (030) 4101 3316), located on the third floor, has four function rooms with a capacity of up to 150 people, as well as a media centre with photocopier, fax, computers with Internet access and printers. Secretarial and translation services can be arranged. The GSS Airport Service Center (tel: (030) 4101 3434), opposite gates nine and ten, provide fax services for public use. There are also four business lounges in the airport, located in the Airport Gallery, above the main hall.
Transport to the city: The JetExpressBus TXL, operated by Berlin’s public transport provider, BVG (see Getting Around), leaves the airport every 15 minutes daily 0600–2310, travelling to Potsdamer Platz, Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden (journey time – 20–25 minutes). The fare is €2.10. Bus 128 connects to the U6 line at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, while bus 109 and express bus X9 depart every five to ten minutes daily 0500–2400 and connect to the U7 at Jakob-Kaiser-Platz, before continuing on to Bahnhof Zoo (journey time – 30 minutes on the X9 bus). Taxis are plentiful at the airport and there is a taxi rank immediately outside the arrivals’ hall. The fare into Berlin is approximately €15–20.
Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF)
Tel: (01805) 000 186 (charged at 12 cents per minute).
Website: www.berlin-airport.de
The airport is located in the southeast of the city, 18km (11 miles) and 22km (13.5 miles) from the Eastern and Western centres respectively. Schönefeld was the primary airport for East Berlin and now handles flights mainly to Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as many charter flights to summer destinations. Some 23 scheduled airlines fly to 53 destinations, while 41 chartered airlines fly to 59 destinations.
Major airlines: Air Berlin (tel: (1801) 737 800; website: www.airberlin.de) is the principal German airline operating from Schönefeld. Other airlines include Aeroflot, Condor, El Al and Turkish Airlines.
Airport facilities: The airport has a restaurant, bars, florist, post office, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, newsagents, duty-free shop and first-aid facilities. Services available 24 hours a day include left-luggage, snack bar, nursery and hotel reservations. There are Aparthotel and Albergo hotels located near the airport. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt.
Business facilities: As well as one business lounge in Terminal A, conference rooms are available at the Konferenzzentrum Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld GmbH (tel: (030) 6091 2222), a ten-minute walk from the terminal. Fax facilities are available at special credit card telephones and at the information desk in Terminal A.
Transport to the city: The easiest way for visitors to get into the city is with the AirportExpress Schönefeld train, which is operated by DB (see Getting There By Rail) and runs every 30 minutes Monday to Friday 0510–0140, Saturday and Sunday 0540–0140. The train stops at four stations in East Berlin before terminating at Bahnhof Zoo (journey time – 30 minutes). The fare is €2.10. The airport station is located half a kilometre (0.3 miles) from the airport and there is a free shuttle bus connecting the two, running every ten minutes, daily 0430–2330. The station is also served by S-Bahn trains 9 and 45, as well as some mainline and local rail services. Bus 171 connects the airport with the U7 U-Bahn line at Rudow. Taxis are available 24 hours a day and cost approximately €30–35 (journey time – 30 minutes).
Berlin-Tempelhof (THF)
Tel: (01805) 000 186 (charged at 12 cents per minute).
Website: www.berlin-airport.de
The airport is located in the south of the city, three kilometres (two miles) south of Potsdamer Platz. Activities are fairly moderate here, with 15 scheduled airlines serving 25 destinations and five charter airlines serving a total of nine destinations. Most flights are on smaller jets to short-haul domestic and European destinations.
Major airlines: Germany’s principal airline, Lufthansa (tel: (01803) 803 803, for 24-hour call centre or (01803) 000 074, for arrivals and departures; website: www.lufthansa.com), operates from Berlin-Tempelhof. Other airlines serving the airport include City Air, Eurowings and Luxair.
Airport facilities: The airport offers three lounges, snack bars, florist, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, newsagents, duty-free shop, left-luggage, first aid, hairdresser, baby-care room, tax refund office and travel agents. The Hotel am Columbiadamm is situated near the airport. Car hire is available from Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Budget, National, Sixt and Westfehling.
Business facilities: There are a couple of small conference rooms and a 200-seat auditorium offered by TAG Aviation (tel: (030) 6951 3880) and LSG (tel: (030) 4101 3626). Fax facilities are available at special credit-card telephones.
Transport to the city: The airport is directly connected to Berlin’s public transport system (see Getting Around), including the U-Bahn network on the U6 line (the station is Platz der Luftbrücke and not, as would be expected, Tempelhof), with quick connections to the city centre (journey time – 10–20 minutes). Bus 119 departs every ten minutes to the Ku’damm area, while buses 104, 184 and 341 (to Potsdamer Platz) also stop near the airport. Nightbuses N4 and N76 leave from Platz der Luftbrücke. Tickets cost €2.10. Taxis are available in front of the main hall for around €12.
Approximate flight times to Berlin: From London is 1 hour 45 minutes; from New York is 8 hours 25 minutes; from Los Angeles is 11 hours 45 minutes; from Toronto is 8 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 21 hours 55 minutes.
Arrival/departure tax: Included in the ticket price.
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