Works well, as long as you're focused. So yeah, the airport is functional. Security is quick, the gates are easy to access - you can be at your plane within 15 minutes of getting out of the train station. The flip-side, there really isn't that much *in* the airport. It's tiny (tinier than Tegel!), and, well, it's tiny. That said, if the weather is nice, you can hang out outside till your flight is about to board.... read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

Hate this airport! One of the all time worst! Not only the design and efficiency of this airport is piss poor... aka separated small non connected blocks of terminals. There is no where to sit as planes and passenger ratio is 5x over seats available. People just lounging on the floor squeezed in like homeless people sprawled on a bust metropolis. Where is the German engineering so widely boasted? Not here a pure hack without any design. Compare this airport to Seoul and you'll get the dichotomy. One us forced to pay airport food prices for garbage just to get a seat. Arriving 2 hours early for international your suffer and pay the price with choice. Consider the facilities of the crammed passenger for bathroom alone. But the restaurant inside is packed with people looking for a decent place to hangout before their flight. I haven't even started on the air circulation... I think it's cooler outside than inside. No wonder I see people hangout out in the beer Garten restaurant and not wanting to go into this cramped space. Feeling crawling out of my claustrophobic feeling with so many people per sq meter. read more

Tough travel setup, Landed here, took a bus to a train-since there were no taxis or Uber , and the train doesn't extend to the airport. Flying out was also tough. While other airports are grappling with the desire for power outlets, this one needs to think about putting in something for people to wait comfortably-I think you call those things Chairs. Few food choices. Focus is on the duty free shipping which seems to have the largest space. Tip: check your hand luggage. It is more difficult to maneuver with rollaboards in this airport. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

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Firstly this airport is BER so I think a lot of the reviews are referring to the old airport that was an absolute joke TEGAL. The new airport is huge, took many years to build stood empty for 10 more years then had problems opening because it was closed for so long that everything got out of date and was over budget by several billion euros. Berlin is the capital of Germany you know Germany that little country that produces all those high-tech things who's workers are the best in the world! Well the airport they had before was absolute shite but now they have this so I can happily say that it's a great upgrade although there are some strange little things that one would not expect from ze Germans! Due to my thriftiness I decided to take the bus from Leipzig to the airport, the green Uber as I call it FLIXBUS. Nine euros can't be beat and drops you right off in a bus parking lot, which the driver had difficulty getting into because his card didn't work :-) mote on that later. I then followed the throngs of people to where I think I had to go , the signage was very small to T1 terminal one. What you will find in this airport are a lot of people walking in various directions scratching their heads it's actually quite funny when we first landed from Reykjavík we headed left down a long corridor then didn't realize that in the middle of the walk we had to take a right so we hit the end of the corridor and had to turn around and came back and took a left. Every passenger entering the airport is doing the same thing, classic, a long line of people walking around in circles like cattle and this is a multibillion dollar airport for the capital of Germany the world leader in blah blah blah. The fun continued, there were two cars in our party and I got out OK but my family in the car behind got stuck in the parking lot for half an hour as the ticketing system was kaput and the boom wouldn't open! Getting back to my leaving Germany, once I realized I had to go to the second floor where all the Check in desks for the airlines are, it was easy Peezy. Going through security is a breeze you know how it is in Europe everybody is chill they're not some US Marine that has come back from his combat mission in Afghanistan and wants to give you an anal probe. You enter the main departure lounge through a gift store and it's very impressive large number of stores and nice places to eat etc. One negative in getting there is that the regular trains as in the large heavy machines that run on tracks don't actually go to the airport, what goes to the airport is more like a tram a very nice tram so if you're going to use a train to get to the airport you have to go to the main downtown busy Berlin railroad station and then get the S Bahn as it's called to this. Hence the reason why I took the green Uber versus the train from Leipzig. So it seems strange giving a five star review but did you go to that other little Berlin airport in the past, I swear to god it was like some airport you'd find in Montana, everybody was sitting on the floor, you had to go through a labyrinth of passages to get to your flight and it literally was 1/30 the size of BER and you had to take some bloody bus to your plane that was out on the tarmac like in the 70s when flying out of Nairobi. So all hail BER it's a great airport let's hope they can get the parking systems worked out! read more

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This was a budget airport in the sense it's meant for budget airlines. There were constructions going on so that should improve the experience in the future. Good thing is the small size helps when you're transferring between gates or have quick access to Baggage Claim. If arriving for the first time try to have low expectations and you may find it's a decent airport. If using it often I can see how it can be miserable. Speaking of miserable, that term is better reserved for going through many airports in a Third World (sometimes in a major city or even capital). read more

Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF) is one of the worst airports I've flown from, it is the smaller out of the two airports serving the German capital and this airport is now on borrowed time, with a new airport adjacent to this one opening within the next year or two, but still this airport is set to be used for discount and low-cost airlines until 2023 such as Ryanair and Easyjet, and I can't help but make the prediction which a few other reviewers have made, that I'm sure this will continue as being a hub for low cost airlines. It is located in East Berlin, which of course was the sector of the city which the Communists / Soviet Union controlled before unification. After going through security, all the terminals A/B/C/D seem to merge, but there basically isn't much in a few of them, other than a Burger King, two branches of Quickers, and a Relay and a very poor and small Irish Pub. I struggled to find anywhere across the airport to get something to eat for my gluten free dietary requirements, and overall there was a poor selection of finding anything, meaning if you arrive anything over the bare minimum of 2 hours before which Ryanair recommended to me, you basically are going to be stuck basically in the middle of nowhere. This airport is also badly located, being in East Berlin, it is a longer journey and hence more costly in a taxi from central Berlin compared to the larger, and more modern Berlin Tegel Airport. There is a train station within walking distance of the airport, but yet again connections aren't as easy as it would be to Tegel Airport, which has a larger selection of buses and cheaper taxis due to the location, being slightly closer into Berlin. The staff at the airport seemed quite fast, with the assistance staff being really friendly and much quicker than I have experienced at any other airport, which is probably the only highlight of this airport but I suppose this airport is so bad, people do want to get the hell out of there as soon as humanly possible. Due to the dated nature of the Airport and all other factors mentioned, I really feel this is an airport to avoid, even if it means spending a slightly higher price on your flight tickets when going to Berlin, supported by an awful flight experience from Ryanair, I wish I would have flown with another airline from Berlin now, but sadly Easyjet also use this airport so there would be no direct flights from this airport to the likes of Manchester and Liverpool, hence I was basically forced to use this airport on this occasion as I certainly didn't want to spend perhaps double the price to fly with Swiss Air, which would have taken more than double the length of the flight I used on this occasion, including a stop in Zurich of nearly 2 and a half hours. read more

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Crowded, hectic, not very charming, with too less seating opportunities. However, you can get cheap flights from Schönefeld and it is located at a train station (you have to walk for a few minutes from there though). read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Lokale Köstlichkeiten in verschiedensten Varianten - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

This really is a budget airport. On the upside, that means less traffic coming through and no ridiculous lines for security like at CDG. But security here requires that you go through the whole body scan which slows down the process immensely. I got here in a weekday at 10am and it took about 20 minutes to get through security. There's not much to do after you get through security and even an hour before my flight, I'm waiting for information regarding gate/terminal boarding so most people are just sitting around the tv waiting to be told where to go. Flights don't get boarded at the terminal. You'll need to board a bus before being shuttled out to the plane. Upside: free WiFi while you wait cuz you'll have nothing else to do (no shops or food really once past security) Easy to transfer to city center read more

Decent experience here no issues with getting through security in terms of time we did get here 3hrs early so I'm sure that played a major role in our check-in process. The train and bus stations are attached to the airport so a short walk will lead you to the U which you can use to get to various locations. Note: If this is your 1st time using the S Bahn please make sure to validate your tickets as you will be subjected to a fine and removal off of the train. My wife and I learned this the hard way. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

My first visit to Berlin brought me to Schonefeld Airport, which serves mainly budget airlines such as Easyjet. It's located to the SE of the city and I was able to spot a few landmarks as we came in to land. As the plane came to a halt on the tarmac, my initial impression was that it reminded me of one of the small regional airports in the USA. The landing stairs were literally dragged to the plane by the airport workers. We were then direceted into the terminal building along a little blue coloured walkway. As soon as you enter the building, bam, the immigration is right there. I've been to lots of international airports around the world and the 2 German immigration staff were incredibly slow. What was odd is that they didn't ask any questions of me or the other passengers but just took a long time to stamp the passport. I'm glad I made haste to get to immigration quickly - not sure how long it would have taken to clear that queue, even if most of them were European citizens. Then, you travel back through lots of outside corridors to get to the baggage carousels and the exit. It's as if this has been tacked on rather than designed into the airport building. An advantage is that for an airport serving budget airlines, it's actually close to town - a short walk brings you to the train station, from where it's a 20-30 minute journey into town depending on which station you would like to alight at. Schonefeld ist nicht sehr schon! read more

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This is another airport in Berlin. Funny fact is that both of the airport in Berlin. They are really small. You might saw the SXF writing on and different people's luggage in different countries. But it isn't one of the big and grand airport you can imagine. I do find it somehow convenient through. Because it doesn't have that much space, so the "Check Out" process pretty fast. "Check in" is another case. Compared with the Tegel airport, I found this airport a bit bigger, I could be wrong. You can also find the bus to the nearest -Bahn station. Not something fancy but it does help you get to the city. Sometime it take less time to get here with the bus than the train, because of it usually delay. But at the end of the day, for the modern day, the airport is abit out of date. It lacked of many things compared with capital airports in other countries. Well, at least they offer free internet through. The new airport is going on and on for a really long time. Hopefully, it will be done soon. Then Berlin has a new look to welcome the guest from other countries or cities. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - The line for check in. - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

Too few sockets - terrible connection public transport to terminal and a very chaotic way to get to the gates - that's what Berlin Schönefeld is about. Yes, mainly low-cost-carrirers fly from here, but why are other airports in this fields so much better? To get to the gates 60+, you have to go actually THROUGH a Burger King and duty-free shop. Oh yes, there are many airports, which use this method to maybe get some more people to buy something (I wonder how, it's so blunt), but when you are not hungry and maybe don't like a fast food burger smell, like vegetarians maybe, you might feel very appalled. One good thing: If you just have hand luggage, there is an extra entry (Hall B), a very good idea! As concerns sockets, I am really disappointed, too. In hall C, there is only one! In Hall A you might find one or another hidden behind the chairs or on the wall at checkout gates. But definitely not in the waiting area before boarding. So many passengers and only a dozen sockets. What if you mobile runs out of power, bit you need your mobile check-in boarding pass? Unbelievable, it's 2016 and not 19-something... read more

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TL;DR - Better than it was, still not good. Schönefeld has improved since I last reviewed it, but it's still pretty awful. The good: transport connections with the rest of Berlin remain fantastic with the nearby U-Bahn and S-Bahn. There's also now Terminal D which is clean and modern. If you've only got hand luggage and have checked in you can use Terminal C to go through security which (hopefully) should cut some of the queues. But once you're through the other side, the airport remains as small and congested as ever. Bottles of water cost nearly €3 which is ridiculous. Also, all the terminals are connected one you're through security, so you can wander around the whole airport... although 90% of it is basically just a corridor. If you head to the Terminal D end it's a bit better - there's a cafe and seating and OPEN SPACE which is a revelation. But there's still not much there. Also, take note that when you go through to the gate before boarding your place, most gates don't have toilets so empty that bladder beforehand! read more

Easy to navigate. Broken down in to smaller sections. Getting around was au one and clearly marked Negatives were that we had to stand on an non air conditioned jet way as we deplaned as the immigration desk was immediately as you deplaned. We only found one club and it had seating for about only 40 or so people. There is no A/C anywhere is the public areas and very little seating. Navigating the hallways is problematic due to people sitting all over the floor read more

I'm struggling and failing to find any redeeming features for Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It left me feeling uncharacteristically stressed prior to departure and thats hard to forgive. I'm not too concerned about the time it takes to get between Berlin city centre and the airport itself. Our timing was lucky and we caught the express train which took half an hour, but some of the trains take a lot longer. I don't even mind that it looked tired and a unkempt. I did mind that there appears to be some kind of evil cartel controlling the price of the most basic of essential commodities, water! Passengers are stuck between a rock and a hard place having to ditch bottles of water before security, but to then charge 3 euros plus for a bottle of water once through is scandalous. Water at the airport cost about the same as coca cola. If the vending machine had actually worked the smaller bottles of water it dispensed were still 3 euros. Airside was so warm and stuffy that I had no choice but to stump up the cash or become stupidly dehydrated. I nearly popped a blood vessel when I spotted a big black line scrubbing out the word 'water' on Burger Kings menu. I wondered if they'd refused to hike the prices to match other airport outlets and then not been allowed to sell it. Who knows! I'm pretty chilled when it comes to travelling as a rule, but by this point I felt the need to sit down in a darkened room or failing that, just sit down. Weaving my way between the weary passengers sat on the floor sometimes three deep I searched in vain for somewhere to sit while gazing longingly at the rows and rows of empty seats on the other side of the window at various gates. Finally a few seats were spotted at the far end of the airport and we bagged them quickly. Chances of finding more than one solitary socket to charge a dying phone battery? Nil. I felt sorry for the fellow plugged into it surrounded by people with electronic devices in hand poised to jump into his seat once his gate was called. I could go on, but this already sounds like a rant and that kind of thing goes against the grain. When it comes to airports Berlin deserves so much better than Schönefeld Airport. On the plus side flying with Easyjet was a dream and buying train tickets at the railway station was easy peasy. Tip: Once you've purchased your ticket into Berlin at the railway station ticket machines, you MUST validate it at the platform before getting on the train or face a hefty fine. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - You must validate your ticket before using or face a fine. Its easy peasy! - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

I travel a lot and this is one of the worst airports I've been to hands down. There are terminals A/B/C/D they all merge together eventually and there is barely anything to eat! We got their around 6-7 pm and almost everything was closed except a little cafe by transport services. This airport really doesn't care, it's a hey I'm here at work to do my job mediocre and not care. We had a Norwegian flight and bc it was delayed we were late to our connecting flight (SAME AIRLINE) and we were rerouted but god knows about our luggage. I'm in Europe with the cloths on my back l, I have crohns and I asked nicely if they have any idea were it's at etc. the guy just says "NO it's not my fault!" We (a bunch of us like 20) didn't get our luggage's we just wanted answers we did not blame anyone etc. so that's the school of thought at this airport. ITS NOT THEIR FAULT DONT BLAME THEM! My biggest issue is just the people that work there (in the 10+ different times I've been there realt don't care about you.) just know that and you'll be ok! :) read more

the good thing about this airport is that it is smal not many places to eat or shop - although i did have a good latte macchiotto the check point prior to checking in is redundant the people are not very helpful the gate where you wait feels like a prison camp sounds like a one star place- but the coffee was good and my flight was on top so that made me happy read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

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Can get there on the Bahn from Potsdamer Platz but make sure you leave enough time because the trains come somewhat infrequently. You can buy a ticket on the platform but make sure to get it time-stamped. The airport is a bit small and out of the way. There will be a lot of walking to the gates. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Plenty of food options where credit cards are accepted! - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

Pretty small and older standarts. The WIFI Hotspot is free for 60 minutes. Good to reach with public transport and train. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - One of the several cafe/bar in the airport. You can sit around, enjoy coffee and snacks. - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

It's an ok airport, check in and security took me all of two minites to get through which was just ace, but I imagine during the busier flight times it would be an absolute nightmare as the area is quite small. Once through, there is limited seating so if it happens to be busy, you'll just have to stand. Quite an odd layout in my view, flying with Easyjet meant I had to walk down some long corridor, first passing through a burger King (which contains no seating). This airport could seriously use a revamp and it looks quite drab, and an extension on the time for WiFi is sorely needed (one hour? C'mon!) Still, time in Berlin massively outweighs the two crummy hours spent in this airport so I'd definitely be back. read more

I don't know how I feel about this airport but I think it's just a little worse than Tegel by a mile. I didn't get the chance to walk around much but I can tell it's very small. I arrived in a flight through Germania and my baggage took FOREVER to come out. They only had two baggage belts so it was extremely crowded once more flights came in. I liked that the bus was right outside the airport and it was easy to get to the train station. I did note however that it took wayyy longer than when I traveled to Tegel, so I would suggest that if you have the chance to fly in/out through the latter you do that instead. read more

The only really great things to say about this airport is the fact that it's very very easy to get into East Berlin (20 mins in a taxi to middle of Kreuzberg in morning rush hour) and due to it's size its ease in getting through the security. Everything else looks so dated, the facilities and food options are very poor and generally it needs some TLC. I know the original plan was to shut this one down once the new airport comes online but I believe it's now going to be used as the low cost hub for the likes of easyJet. The free wifi didn't work, there were people lying and sat down all over the floor due to a lack of space and generally it's not somewhere you want to hang out in too long. Bonus point: There's a kind of faux-Alpine bar hut outside between the 2 terminals with a load of deck chairs. Perfect to grab an espresso here on a sunny day if you arrive a bit early and want to soak up some rays. read more

This airport has been voted world's worst by multiple sources. i wouldn't go that far but it's not great. It's been nearly three decades since the wall fell but you can still get a sense of what this airport was like when it serviced the folks so happy to live behind the iron curtain that the government would shoot them if they tried to leave. Every once in a while when you're in Germany, you get a glimpse of the mentality that led to starting two world wars and it's pretty overt when you deal with the German version of the TSA at this airport. They took nearly everything out of my backpack because apparently the concept of power cords for electronics baffles them and ten they made me pull all of the cotton out of my Zippo lighter with a pair of tweezers saying that it was against the rules. They had no problem with a second Bic lighter that was in my bag though. i don't smoke but as a modern man, I feel that I should be able to produce fire upon demand because technology has made this possible and it's what separates us from our ancestors who lived in caves. I feel that they did this just because they enjoy being authoritarian dicks. Upon our departure, they made us line up outside in the rain and stand there for about 20 minutes before allowing us to board the plane that was just sitting there. The old ways live on at this airport. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

A OK indeed. Low cost carriers such as Easy Jet fly in/from here, there is a newer airport in Berlin but it costs more to fly there so personally I have no qualms with this one! Arrivals and departures in my experience have been quick and easy, you can get the train (RE14, R7) straight to the centre of Berlin from the airport itself, entire journey takes about 35 mins. The food is really expensive, 4 Euros for a pretzel and 3.50 for a small bottle of water! Just make sure you pick up food before you get to the airport. Overall the low cost of flying in here plus the easy access to central Berlin are huge Pros. read more

Schoenefeld Airport (SXF) was the one and only airport that served East Berlin. After the German unification it became one of three airports for Berlin, and about 25 years later it will become the only airport for the whole city and the wider region (hence the name Berlin-Brandenburg airport). However, with the current, outdated state of the airport, there are some significant things wrong with it. Mostly, you don't have a choice when traveling, so better be prepared: PRO's: - CON's: - confusing public transport: bus, city train, regional train available. Travel time to the city: bus 30-60 minutes, city train 45mins, regional train: 30mins. Confusing ticket system and confusion way to get to the right track. In one word: confusing. - taxi: ca. 35-50 euro, depending on City East/City West. The tariff the cab drivers use in SXF is higher than the one in the city. Avoid. - outdated layout: gates and waiting areas in both terminals are super small and cramped. Long lines and sticky air. - no food options other than Burger King. Newspaper stand closes at 8pm. - unfriendly security (do they speak English? The staff still seems to be from old East Germany) - paid wifi - limited seating in gating area I could go on and on but you get the point. If you can, avoid. If you can't, smoke something before getting there or limit your wait time somehow, but, do something. This airport is the worst and a shame for Berlin. read more

The Aldi of airports. Bleak yet functional. I'm not expecting palm trees and half dressed toned bodies working the coffee stations, although that would be nice, but a splash of creativity would be welcome. The wifi, which you pay for, is awful. It always drops. Maybe that is correlated with the tin corrugated roof that is visible from within the terminal. Classy. read more

Not enough seating for passengers. Passenger were sitting and laying all over the floors and corridors. Many time you are having to step over them to get to where you need to go. Amenities are fine. i.e. places to eat, drink and shop and unlike some airports I have been at, and not overly expensive. - except duty free shop that is. Security checks and check in were quick and efficient. The staff is efficient and helpful and always in a chatty mood. I have been at worse, but agree it should be better for such a busy airport. Great airport for train links into Berlin however which are cheap and I would recommend in preference to taxi and transfers. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Auf wiedersehen Berlin. next stop Paris - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

Schonefeld is the kind of airport you hate the first couple of times you travel through it, but which gradually grows on you, so much in fact - that you'll realise you'll miss it when (or if) the new Brandenburg airport opens. What annoys you at first: the fact that it's tiny as pea, is exactly what made me so comfortable in the end. I know how it operates, I know the shortcuts, I know the time I'll need, I know what food they serve etc etc. It makes traveling so much easier than these massive airport where you need 2 hours and map, take trains between terminals and all other kinds of annoying bumps in the road from A to B. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Schonefeld make airtravel easy, although the trains to and from can be a little slow. But now I know their schedules too, and I've stopped complaining. And the icing on the cake: they have now started stocking the organic wines from Wittmann in their tax free shop. read more

Schönefeld Airport Terminal D Even worse than Manchester Airport Terminal 3!! Security was fine. But then, we were at Gate 44. Every sign pointed toward an area which appeared as if it were outside of the secure area, so I was hesitant: 1) going into the next building (Terminal!), 2) down a hallway, 3) down some stairs, 4) through what looked like a construction zone, and finally 4) what were the passport control huts in what looked like a construction area. Then we went up the stairs of gangway ramp...only to go into another building which opened up into a warehouse of 20 "gates". Then RyanAir corralled the entire plane-full of people in an area the size of a large living room. I thought we were waiting for buses to take us to the plane...then our plane rolled up...at about departure time. Total time corralled was about 20min. And we were now further away from the point we entered the airport than any other point in the airport, including the other 3 terminals. If you can avoid Schönefeld Airport, do! read more

When we arrived to Schonefeld, I wondered what was wrong with it as it was just super out of date. Then I realised it wasn't even meant to be being used anymore with the new Brandenburg airport being built so that's why it's pretty old and a bit crappy. Arrivals was super easy - fast off the flight, luggage took about 10 minutes to arrive and then it's about a 10 minute walk to the train station. Too easy! (Just remember you can buy a train ticket on the platform, there was MASSIVE queues at the lower ticket machines). Departures wasn't too bad either. We got the S-9 train and easyjet leaves from Terminal B. We had an awesome easyjet guy on checkin who let us check out overweight luggage without extra cost - what a legend! We then went through security and the duty free section. There isn't a load of choice for food - Burger King and a sandwich place. BK was actually not bad. Then it was another walk past an Irish Bar to the departure gates, through passport control and into a crowded shed-type room before boarding the plane. All up, this is a very basic/out of date airport but it was all smooth/organised and our flight left on time. I wouldn't rush to go back to this airport but it got us in/out of Berlin, so that's good enough for me. Note: they have free 1 hour wifi. read more

I've been to this airport three times. First time I flew in and noticed right away that it's not a fancy airport. The lady I bought a train ticket from was rude. I asked a simple question since I am new to this part of Europe/Germany and she had an attitude in her answer plus she didn't give a good explanation. The second time was an early flight and there was no wait time in the security line. I flew Ryanair and their boarding process is weird compared to US airlines. The plane isn't ready but we are standing in line to do a boarding ticket check-in. The third time was the worst. I was flying Norwegian air to London and the security line was mega long and moving slow. It took 35 minutes to get through. (I think terminal C security is faster.) Felt like forever. Then when I got the gate, there was a passport check but the line was super long and moving as slow as the security check. read more

Security was extremely quick, but then again it's a very small airport. The sign said security was 2 minutes in terminal D, and they weren't lying. There were no body scanners, just a quick metal detector. There are very little options for food and drinks, but you can buy booze in the gift shops and drink it right then and there, unlike big airports. read more

In my experience this airport doesn't run very smoothly and is probably handling more passengers than it was intended to. It seems that it doesn't matter how early you get here for your flight, you still have to wait a long time for check-in/bag drop and then join another slow queue to go through the small security area, where passengers from flight after flight are called forward to the front of the queue so that they'll be able to make it through before their flight leaves. Food options are limited - I've eaten at the Burger King before but remembered to eat before going to the airport this time. Once you're in the area before you board the plane you can't go to the loo as there are none in the waiting area and you can't go back to the previous corridor. It's not so bad on arrival though, and transport links into the city are reasonably close by. Berlin Schönefeld Flughafen S-Bahn station is a short walk away and easy to find. Don't be tempted to skip the queue at the ticket machine in the airport - it's less of a wait than you'll have once in the station. Schönefeld was supposed to have been replaced by Brandenburg Airport years ago however lengthy delays in the building of the new airport mean Schönefeld must continue for the time being. read more

I think German airports are just smaller than UK ones (or it might just be that I haven't been to a big one) - but definitely seem to have less things to see. This one is fairly standard - easy enough to get in and out, some duty free once you get inside the departure lounge, and avoid going to the gates until you have to as there's nothing there at all, and you just get trapped in an area with too many people/not enough seats. Some more info Getting there/away - the airport has a train station just a few mins walk away, tickets can be booked in advance (advisable for long journeys as you can save lots of money) or at the station (beware the long queues). Very easy to get straight in/out of Berlin itself. I've also hired a car from here, which was fairly easy and pain free, and (so long as you know where you're going), and the roads were fine to drive. Security queue - the first time I was here I ended up at check in at the same time as a party of school children, there was absolute chaos with the queuing system (what system??), waiting for over an hour, and only made it through on time as we eventually got re-directed to a different (completely empty terminal). The second time, was fairly standard - but beware as you may need to leave more time than you think (if you're the kind of person who strolls in just before boarding). Inside departure lounge - there's some duty free shops, an Irish bar, and a few places to eat. Not the most exciting, but at least there are a few things (at affordable prices) read more

If I would write a letter to Berlin's Schönefeld airport, it'd probably go a little something like this: Dear workers and ground crew of Schönefeld airport, Your Terminal C is the most uncomfortable terminal I have ever flown out of or arrived in. It is embarrasing, and I think you know it. I know you have a separate terminal building for flights to and from Israel, which provides the need for a controlled area. However, I don't feel you're doing such a good job of making sure we don't feel like cattle. When I arrive, I always have the military to greet me. There is a tank outside, the soldiers are chain smoking and talking about yesterdays' copy of Bild. Inside, I get to wait two hours in a line just to get to initial security. In the meantime, I get to watch spectacles of all sorts happening in the check-in terminal. Most Israelis breeze through, but EU passport holders will be vigorously questioned and folks who are "foreign looking" will in all probabilities be pulled aside. Loud arguments arise between security personel and travelers at regular intervals. After these and the baggage check, there is the (longer) wait. Ushered up into the terminal hall, we get to pack ourselves in, most (including entire families) sitting on the floor for lack of space. We get to wait here sometimes for 2-3 hours. If you'd like to stretch your legs, there's nowhere to go in the meantime, as one is not permitted to leave the terminal. No free wifi. Out on the runway are the soldiers patrolling with guns and a few military vehicles. We take off - and the nightmare is mostly over, because I'm finally in the hands of the Israelis who serve surprisingly good airline food. 3 1/2 hours later I arrive in Tel Aviv at one of the world's most beautiful airports. "Thank goodness", I sigh, "that I am no longer at Schönefeld". Liron read more

It's a small airport and rather a standard one. There is a duty free shop, burger king, Marché bakery etc. The best is you can reach this airport by suburban train! Trip takes around 35 minutes and after you have to walk circa 10 minutes till departure terminal. Airport employees were friendly and helpful. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

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Not enough seats for the volume of passengers. Crowded, old and dated airport. Security people as rude as they can be. read more

Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld SXF - The main seating area. Airside. - Airports Near Me - Berlin, BE

This is the worst airport I have ever been to and I've been to my share of places. What kind of airport doesn't have seating? It's full of people sitting on the floor. There's no food here except for a burger king. Everything is just disorganized and gross. If you have to come here, don't make the mistake of coming too early and having to wait around on the dirty floor with everyone else! read more

This is such a weird airport that it doesn't even feel like an airport. Cons: Small, rundown-looking, always have to walk out from your plane and into the terminal (which is sometimes confusing and poorly directed), and incredibly hot in the summers. Pros: really convenient, way less crowded than your typical airport, offers low-budget flights. All in all it gets the job done. read more

Schonefeld sucks, but does have some redeeming qualities. The bad: Walk down the tarmac from the airplane. Up stairs, down stairs. Back outside again, walking through a metal scaffolding hallway. Back indoors. And so it goes on. It's terribly laid out. No free wifi. And, it hasn't been buried yet by the new Brandenburg terminal (even though I had actually booked the flight explicitly looking forward to being one of the first there, they fell behind schedule and it's still not open yet.) The good: Well connected to the S-Bahn. An ABC ticket (3 euros) gets you on the DB Regio (RB) trains that take you into the heart of Berlin in under 40 minutes. Don't take the normal SBahn trains though! Take only the RB trains. These run every 20 to 30 minutes. That's the cheapest rail-based rapid airport transfer that I've ever taken. The even better news is that obviously the new Brandenburg terminal will also benefit from this connection. read more