My recent trip to Morocco and Poland required flights to/from two European airports to which I had never been: Paris Orly (ORY) and Berlin Brandenburg (BER).
ORY was totally unknown to me, as Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is the de facto airport for those flying from the United States (aside from a boutique airline flying between Newark to ORY).
BER is fascinating for no other reason than its sordid construction history, finally seeing its first flights nine years later than initially planned (and in the depths of the COVID pandemic, no less). I previously flew into Berlin Tegel (TXL), an airport not intended for post-Berlin Wall air traffic, so my expectations were fairly high.
[I never had an opportunity to fly into/out of Berlin Schönefeld (SXF), though BER is built just south and uses one of its runways.]
I also went flew through the Mohammed IV International (Casablanca) and Agadir–Al Massira airports for travel to Devoxx Morocco.
Paris Orly
Orly has four terminals (named, unsurprisingly, Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4), linked so you can walk between them, though Orlyval is much easier (especially between 1 and 4). These thoughts are about Terminal 4 as that’s the terminal I flew into/out of; I may have briefly walked into Terminal 3 but didn’t stay.
Terminal 4, I believe, is older than the other terminals and does feel old and dated, though it is being renovated and expanded.
Landside
Though not many people were present when I checked in, it could easily become very cramped: long and narrow, not a lot of places to sit, not many doors. Very minimal amenities, a Starbucks and sandwich shop and not much else. Best to minimize the time spent landside.
Secure-Side
A mixed-bag: some completed upgrades, some renovations in progress, some parts that look their age. More amenities in general, thoughmany were closed or otherwise unavailable.
Ride Sharing
I ordered an Uber ride to my hotel and went to the designated area, only to have my driver tell me to meet him in the general-transportation pick-up location: perhaps a one-off, but actually did not notice anyone using the official area. Rider beware.
Berlin Brandenburg
BER has two terminals: Terminal 1 for most commercial airlines and Terminal 2 for budget airlines. [Originally the existing Schönefeld terminal was going to be Terminal 5, but the pandemic closed it and that closure has been made final.]
Landside
There are distinct areas of the airport which could be considered Landside, so here I’ll focus on the business-side of the airport where you check-in.
One word: impressive. High ceilings, wall of windows to allow in sunlight, plenty of space to navigate your way through to security, excellent signage, hanging sculpture from the ceiling, decently-low noise levels (baffling? canceling? don’t know). Overall a very pleasant experience and everything that you’d expect in a modern airport.
Berlin Runway
BER provides a way to reserve a slot for going through security, called Berlin Runway: a QR code takes you to a website that provide basic information and you select an available time. Ten minutes before your assigned slot (15-minute chunks) you’re allowed to line up. Sounds good, right?
I mistakenly believed that at my appointed time I’d be walked right up to security and get through within a minute or two. Actually, you’re just allowed into the line, with whomever else is already there. And on my Wednesday late morning, the non-reserved security line was almost shorter and had another security pod available. Perhaps during peak travel times it does help, but it was unnecessary for me. Oh well.
Secure-Side
The gates are designated A, B, C, D, with (at least) the A gates being for Schengen-area destinations (no passports or visas required) only. The distance from security and the gates: it took 15+ minutes to walk to my gate.
My gate has no dedicated sitting area, so you stood or sat on the floor, with the overflow impeding traffic going to other gates.
Compared to Orly, there are amenities galore: duty-free shopping; stores selling magazines, newspapers and other consumer goods; an upper-level food court. Overall, pleasant and areas to hang-out just after you get through security.
Public Transportation
The terminal has its own railway station which serves both regional trains and the Berlin S-Bahn. I recommend the regional trains when heading into Berlin, if possible: the travel time between the airport and Alexanderplatz was 15 minutes faster on the regional train.
Observation Deck
Terminal 1 has an exterior area where you can view runways and gates….except when morning dew covers most of the windows that protect people from falling off the edge of the building. A ticket costs €3 and is good for 90 minutes. The deck is only accessible landside and not from the secured area.
BER Airport City
Airport City is reached by walking past the stairs to the train station and out the doors. It is essentially a business park located at the airport, and includes office buildings, parking lots, and two hotels.
Generall unremarkable except when you’re spending the night in the hotel. On the morning of my departure, I walked over to the airport, dropped off my bag, and returned to the hotel for an extended nap. Incredibly convenient, closer than even hotels built right inside the airport itself. Wonderful.
Morroco Airports
Small, sleepy airports that reminded me of the Bangalore HAL Airport, though substantially cleaner. Some amenities, the Agadir airport had both food and a gift shop. You board the plane on the tarmac. Very confusing passport control which sent people scrambling to figure out which lines to go through. In Casablanca, the exterior doors at the gate were open and a feral cat was walking in and out of the airport.
Uneventful, unremarkable, and ultimately nothing to get excited about.
All images © 2023 Scott C. Sosna
