Four Stars for BER

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has been awarded a “4-Star Airport” rating by the renowned rating agency Skytrax. The rating is based on an audit spanning several days during which Skytrax reviewed the infrastructure as well as the service, catering and shopping services. 

“The award as a four-star airport by Skytrax confirms that we have made great progress in the past few years in respect of service quality, technological equipment and the efficiency of our processes - at all times with a view to providing a comfortable and contemporary airport experience for our travellers,” says Thomas Hoff Andersson, Chief Operations Officer at Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.

In the past few years, the airport company has optimised and digitalised numerous processes, which has noticeably improved the quality of stay for departing and arriving travellers.

• Self-service: More and more airlines are using the infrastructure provided by FBB and offering self-check-in for their travellers. While some 39 percent of passengers of participating airlines used this service in 2023, the share increased to 52 percent last year. Compared to traditional check-in, self-service is significantly faster and more convenient for travellers.
• Security controls: After taking charge of security controls on 1 January 2024, FBB was able to significantly reduce passenger waiting and processing times. The deployment of eight modern CT scanners in Terminal 2 and use of innovative simulation software for staffing control lines have played a part in this. In 2024, FBB was able to reduce the average traveller waiting time by more than 20 percent compared to the previous year. Every second passenger waited less than five minutes and almost 80 percent of travellers passed through the security controls within 10 minutes.
• Digital services for travellers: Since August 2022, travellers have been able to book time slots in advance via BER Runway for the security controls. Since 1 July 2024, FBB has been offering a contactless check-in and security process via BER Biometrics: Travellers who book BER Biometrics in advance via the app can then use various contactless stations via facial recognition.

AI on the apron: The airport company has significantly improved the handling of aircraft by way of the interaction of the AI-controlled tool “Digital Turnaround” and the newly established resilience team. In 2023, 87% of all flights had their baggage ready for travellers within 30 minutes; last year this figure increased to 92%.

Now that the CT scanners have already proven their efficiency in Terminal 2, this year FBB is equipping each of the two pavilions in Terminal 1 with eight devices. The first eight CT scanners in the South Pavilion will be put into operation before the Easter holidays, while the commissioning of the scanners in the North Pavilion is scheduled for autumn 2025. FBB expects an increase in the throughput rate of at least 50 percent- and, therefore, a further reduction in waiting times. Once the 16 devices in Terminal 1 have been put into operation, most travellers will then use one of 24 security controls with CT scanners in Terminals 1 and 2, where electronic devices and liquids will no longer need to be unpacked. BER is also expanding its catering services and has added the “Adler & Bär” bar in the check-in hall.

Furthermore, FBB’s services set out below were very well received during the audit:

• Drinking water dispensers in the gate areas and baggage reclaim areas
• Charging infrastructure for mobile devices in the terminals
• Deployment of the BER team (employees from various areas of FBB) to support travellers at peak times. Furthermore, additional measures to reduce stress such as musical accompaniment, activities for children and the use of therapy dogs
• Workstations in Terminal 1
• Tegel and Tempelhof BER lounges
• Shower facilities for travellers in Terminal 1
• Services for people with reduced mobility
• Continual service training

The optimisation of processes and services is also reflected in traveller ratings: For example, BER Airport’s average rating on Google increased from 2.9 to 3.4 stars when comparing 2023 to 2024 as full years.

You can find the detailed rating here: https://skytraxratings.com/airports/berlin-brandenburg-airport-quality-rating

About Skytrax
Skytrax is a British management consultancy that has established itself as the leading international rating agency for the aviation industry. As part of the “World Airport Audit,” Skytrax analyses and evaluates the quality of all product and service sections of an airport using a standardised evaluation model. In addition, the company is known for its annual World Airline Awards and World Airport Awards.