Spain is the most popular holiday destination. Christmas time is travel time: During the upcoming holidays from December 20th to January 5th, the Berlin airport company is expecting a good 1.05 million passengers.
That is around 100,000 more than during the Christmas holidays last year. During this period, 62 airlines will connect the region with a total of 123 destinations in 47 countries. During the 2023 Christmas holidays, 54 airlines flew to 114 destinations.
And the sun is beckoning again. The most popular destination is Spain with the Balearic island of Mallorca and the Canary Islands, followed by destinations in Italy, Turkey, France and Portugal. But it can also be further away: with the coastal town of Hurghada in Egypt or Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Ryanair offers the most flights with around 1,300 take-offs and landings and easyJet with around 1,200 take-offs and landings within these two weeks. On the first holiday weekend from Friday, December 20th to Sunday, December 22nd, BER is expecting around 210,000 passengers. Around 78,000 guests will use BER at the start of the holidays on Friday alone. At the start of the holidays, our BER team will traditionally be out and about in the terminals again, supporting travelers.
“We are delighted that we can offer our passengers even more holiday destinations this year during the Christmas holidays than in the previous year. Dubai alone will be offered twice a day by two airlines this winter. In recent weeks, we have been preparing intensively to offer all our departing and arriving passengers the most relaxed stay possible at our airport,” commented Aletta von Massenbach, CEO of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.
The airport company recommends that all travelers use digital services such as BER Runway or BER Biometrics to keep their waiting times as short as possible and thus their travel experience as comfortable as possible. 15 airlines offer Fast Bag Drop for checking baggage without waiting at machines in both terminals.
Travelers are also asked to arrive at the airport on time and as recommended by their airlines.
Renovation work is currently taking place in Terminal 1 of BER for the gradual installation of new technology for security checks. The airport company therefore recommends that passengers check in the BER app, on the website or on the large screens on site before departure to see which control lane in both terminals has the shortest waiting times. Travelers can also reach all departure gates from the security checks in Terminal 2.
Whether it’s check-in, baggage handling and catering, technical infrastructure, traffic management, security, fire brigade or de-icing – for the airport company’s employees and their partners, holiday season means peak activity. On the three Christmas days, more than 400 employees from the airport company alone are on duty in the terminals or on the aprons each day to ensure flight operations.
Anyone who needs a last-minute Christmas present before departure can go shopping in both terminals. On Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and the holidays, numerous shops are open until at least 7 p.m. Heinemann Duty Free in the security area of both terminals offers its goods until the last departure. Restaurants, bars and cafés are open at the usual times or according to the flight schedule.
The most important travel tips for Berlin airport
The airport company asks all passengers to prepare well for their trip and to observe the regulations for security checks. In both terminals, only liquids in containers up to 100 ml are allowed in hand luggage. In Terminal 2, however, liquids and laptops no longer have to be placed separately on the conveyor belt.
BER Runway:
Reserving a time slot for access to the security check saves waiting time. The service is free of charge and can be booked seven days before departure. Travelers who have booked a time slot simply go to boarding pass control 4 in Terminal 1 with their boarding pass. From there, travelers can reach any departure gate: runway.berlin-airport.de
BER Biometrics:
With BER Biometrics, various service offers can also be used contactlessly using facial recognition. Interested passengers can download the SmartDepart app to their smartphone and register there. When they book a flight, they automatically receive a time slot for BER Runway, which is valid two hours before the selected time slot. Travelers can also use BER Biometrics to access the central departure area in Terminal 1 or the access they have booked to the Tegel lounge contactlessly:
biometrics.berlin-airport.de
EasyPass:
Passengers who have a biometric passport or new a German ID card, can use the automatic passport control EasyPass and thus pass the border control more quickly when departing to a non-EU country. This also applies to third-country nationals aged 12 and over with an electronic passport and German residence permit. This is not possible with children’s passports.
Relaxed stay:
Travelers can also book into one of the two BER business lounges. In the BER lounges Tegel and Tempelhof they can find relaxation or a quiet corner for concentrated work. Both lounges also offer a varied gastronomic offer and a separate conference room.
lounge.berlin-airport.de