UPDATE: Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) Opening Postponed

As of moments ago, Berlin Brandenberg Airport has announced that they will be postponing the airport’s June 3^rd opening. VisitBerlin cites issues in fire protection protocol forcing the airport to push back their highly anticipated opening date.

Planning on flying into BER after June 3^rd? Flights bound for Brandenburg will be directed to Tegel and Schönefeld, as Tegel will remain open until Brandenburg becomes operational. Both AirBerlin and Lufthansa have confirmed that flights will be redirected to Tegel with minimal impact on travelers schedules.

New International Airport to Open in Berlin, Tegel Set to Close

On June 3^rd, Berlin’s main international airport, Berlin Tegel (TXL), is set to close to make way for Germany’s newest Flughäfen, Berlin Brandenburg (BER).

Berlin Brandenburg Airport will provide many new amenities, including the Berlin Brandenburg WelcomeCenter lounge, which will provide a location for potential meetings and presentations. The congress Hotels surrounding the airport will also provide an ideal venue for business functions and hospitality accommodations.

Located in Shönefeld, about 11 miles from the center of the nation’s capital, BER will provide suburban trains, bus lines, and underground lines directly linking the airport with the inner city of Berlin.

Among multiple new flight destinations, BER will be offering non-stop services to Los Angeles, Windhoek and Marseille.

More information can be found on the airports website here

AirBerlin to Increase U.S. Presence

Starting in the summer of 2012, AirBerlin will introduce a new service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Berlin (SXF) - making AirBerlin the first carrier to service this route. The service will not be offered every day, but will operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday. AirBerlin will also be increasing flight frequencies between New York (JFK) and Berlin and Düsseldorf (DUS), San Francisco (SFO) to Düsseldorf, and Miami (MIA) to Düsseldorf, further connecting the United States and Germany.

Germany introduces air passenger tax

The German government has approved the controversial green tax on air travel.

The air travel levy, which must be paid on all departures from German airport as of January 1, is expected to raise €1 billion a year.

Passengers will be forced to pay €8 for flights within Germany and short-haul European flights, while for medium-haul flights the fee will be €25 and for long-haul €45.

Budget carrier Germanwings condemned the new tax as a major distortion of competition, as passengers will choose to fly with airlines outside of Germany.

Thomas Winkelmann, Germanwings management spokesman, said: "It places jobs at risk, restricts people's mobility and acts as a brake on economic recovery in our country. The winners with this new levy are the airports in Holland, Belgium, Poland and Switzerland."

Passengers will lose out, he added: "We will have to pass on the levy introduced by the government to our customers. The levy drains economic power out of Germany and displaces it into neighbouring countries."

Giovanni Bisignani, CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), called the tax "short-sighted policy irresponsibility".

He said: "It's a cash-grab by a cash-strapped government. Painting it green adds insult to injury. There will be no environmental benefit from the economic damage caused."

According to Bisignani, when the Dutch government tried to raise €300 million with a similar tax, it cost the Dutch economy €1.2 billion in lost business.

"It also failed as an environmental measure," he said, "sending travelers across the border to start their journey from more tax-sensible regimes. The Dutch had the good sense to repeal their tax. Why repeat past mistakes?"


by Sara Turner