David J.
Yelp
After such a long wait for its opening, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the new Brandenberg Airport.
First, location. Okay, so Tegel was always going to be hard to beat in terms of convenience, because it was so close to the city centre (even though it did not have a rail connection, the express bus was okay and a taxi ride was relatively cheap.) Brandenburg is much further out and the S-bahn line takes a good hour to get to the western part of the city, given it stops frequently on the way.
Most journeys anyway require a change onto the U-bahn, which is no fun with luggage. From the Zoo station, even the advertised time for the airport express is 50 minutes. If the traffic is flowing freely, a taxi ride will cost about €50-€60. Overall, it seems like the have not really thought through the transit options, despite building a large rail station. (The bus options are very limited indeed.)
The main check-in hall itself is nicely laid out, though I was surprised to see nowhere at all to buy a snack. Check-in was straightforward, but the current operation of security (which only allows one person to put their possessions onto the belt at a time) means one unprepared person holds everyone up. Although our queue was not very long, we seemed to be behind people for whom the idea of not carrying excessive quantities of liquids, drinks, or the need to remove coats, jewellery, watches, belts and shoes, seemed to be a complete surprise.
They operated the strictest policy on liquids/gels I've seen, adhering to nearest millilitre the overall 1000ml limit, with no single item over 100ml (or 100g for creams, soap and aerosols). While I have no problems with the rule generally, everyone in front of us had at least one item confiscated and binned - so be warned to slim down your wash-bag if you are travelling with hand luggage only. (I was even asked to take my handkerchief out of my pockets to go through the scanner.)
In contrast, once through security things brightened up a bit, though I was surprised at how cramped the main waiting area is, for such a large new airport. But there is a balcony level food hall, and quite a lot of shops, once you navigate the slightly labyrinthine layout. (Sight lines are not good and it is not intuitive.) It seems as though they anticipate passengers moving straight onto the gates, as seating seemed very limited too. Still, all the basics (newsagents, snacks, gifts and pharmacy) were there, albeit it at a hefty airport markup (my takeaway sandwich + water came to €9.25; I thought €1.95 for bag of crisps too much).
Things improved further at passport control (easy to find and very swift) after which is a large duty free shopping area. Then you face an enormous corridor - I'm guessing 0.5km long - so how far you have to walk depends on which gate you're departing from. Ours had a nice cafe and a few convenience shops. But do leave enough time, just in case you've a long walk.
The overall experience was one of slight disappointment. It all works up to a point, but for such a new airport it is not the best, and I'd hate to be delayed here, as there seemed to be very little seating anywhere, and security is a real potential pinchpoint (so arrive in plenty of time). A big plus is cleanliness: the whole place was gleaming.