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SQ A380 to FRA, AB to TXL, and Berlin Christmas Markets after the Terror Attack

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  • #31
    It was the morning of Dec 23rd, the day before Christmas Eve, and everyone was in a festive mood, even the AB flight attendants, one of whom wore a Santa Claus hat practically the entire flight...



    Once again, it was an A320 flying us from Berlin to Dusseldorf...a single class cabin laid out 3-3 with dark leather seats.







    We landed on time in Dusseldorf...a smooth flight on this short hop. A very pleasant flight, even though from the pictures you can see that there were four passengers sharing the row of three seats...



    I have been a fan of Air Berlin for some time now, having flown them to Munich from Barcelona not long ago. Although Air Berlin are in some financial difficulty at present, with major shareholder Etihad withdrawing funding, I have always been impressed with their inflight product as well as cabin service. I hope they can get over the rough patch and continue delighting customer with their products and services.
    Last edited by yflyer; 15 September 2019, 11:10 AM.

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    • #32
      I was in transit in Dusseldorf for just a few hours before checking out SQ's A359 service back to Singapore, which I have covered in a previous TR.

      Final impressions?

      Berlin is a wonderful place to visit. It is chock full of sights and attractions, whether you are interested in history, politics, culture or the arts. The F&B scene is quite lively too.

      2 days wasn't quite enough to see everything, but given the schedule we had, I think we did what we could in the spare time we had.

      Hats off as well to the resilience of the people in Berlin, after the horror of 19 December. Such acts have no place in civilised society. And I write this just days after yet another terror incident in Barcelona involving a truck along La Rambla, not to mention earlier incidents in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Beyond what governments, authorities and mainstream religious leaders are doing to prevent future incidents, I believe it is up to each of us to remain strong, prepared and vigilant, and not let these misguided individuals or radicalised groups dictate or impact how we choose to live our lives.

      As for my flights, Air Berlin did a good job of my short domestic sectors, and my experience on SQ26 to Frankfurt was top notch as well.

      My experience on the last leg of the trip, on SQ's A350 DUS-SIN, arriving on the morning of Christmas Eve, can be found here.

      Thanks for reading!
      Last edited by yflyer; 21 August 2017, 12:00 AM.

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      • #33
        Thanks yflyer for another entertaining report.

        Your photos brought back fond memories of my trip to Berlin early this year.

        Unfortunately, Berlin in January was literally snowed in. However, even with the streets covered in thick blanket of snow, the city was great for its walking and bus tours. I managed to squeeze in a morning visiting some of the sights in this report. The historical buildings that pepper the city are breath-taking - I wished I had more time.

        It's interesting that most hotel beds in Germany have the duvet folded in the same manner. I stayed in a different hotel in Berlin, but the way the bed was made was identical to yours. My bed had a very interesting memory foam consistency that was very comfortable to sleep in. The same type of mattress was used in other hotels I've stayed in Germany as well.

        Did AB serve any snacks on your FRA-TXL-DUS flights? I did FRA-TXL-MUC on LH, where you collected your snack bar as you entered the aircraft.

        TXL Airport - I made the mistake of entering the gate hold room too early, only to realize that I had literally walked right into the assigned gate behind the check-in counter! Once airside, there was really no where to walk and nothing to do. I should have gone to the lounge before clearing security.

        Another interesting feature in TXL is the arrival hall. It was the first time I've ever collected my luggage from a conveyor belt located just a few steps away from the exit of the aerobridge!
        Last edited by icn.sg; 22 August 2017, 03:33 PM.

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        • #34
          ANOTHER great TR, yflyer! Love the Pater Noster lift - in Latin means Our Father, the first two words of a Christian prayer. Wonder why they called it that.

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          • #35
            Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
            Thanks yflyer for another entertaining report.
            Thanks, icn.sg!

            Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
            Unfortunately, Berlin in January was literally snowed in.
            The novelty of snow hasn't worn off for me yet...I would have loved it!

            Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
            It's interesting that most hotel beds in Germany have the duvet folded in the same manner. I stayed in a different hotel in Berlin, but the way the bed was made was identical to yours.
            Interesting...I didn't notice the same duvet fold in my hotels in other German cities...

            Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
            Did AB serve any snacks on your FRA-TXL-DUS flights? I did FRA-TXL-MUC on LH, where you collected your snack bar as you entered the aircraft.
            I don't recall if they did this on this short 1 hr 10 min sector...but on a longer sector on Air Berlin, they did have a very nice buy-on-board menu. On the 2 hour BCN-MUC sector previously on Air Berlin, you could order a hot currywurst...

            Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
            TXL Airport - I made the mistake of entering the gate hold room too early, only to realize that I had literally walked right into the assigned gate behind the check-in counter! Once airside, there was really no where to walk and nothing to do. I should have gone to the lounge before clearing security.

            Another interesting feature in TXL is the arrival hall. It was the first time I've ever collected my luggage from a conveyor belt located just a few steps away from the exit of the aerobridge!
            Yes, a super compact airport! On my flight, the holding area and the gate was literally behind the wall from the check-in counters!

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            • #36
              Originally posted by CarbonMan View Post
              ANOTHER great TR, yflyer!
              Thanks, CarbonMan!

              Originally posted by CarbonMan View Post
              Love the Pater Noster lift - in Latin means Our Father, the first two words of a Christian prayer. Wonder why they called it that.
              From the online material on the Paternoster lifts, it is apparently because the way the lifts cabins are engineered in a loop resembles rosary prayer beads...

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              • #37
                Originally posted by yflyer View Post
                Thanks, CarbonMan!



                From the online material on the Paternoster lifts, it is apparently because the way the lifts cabins are engineered in a loop resembles rosary prayer beads...
                Ah! Interesting. Like the bollards around Barcelona, albeit bigger.

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                • #38
                  Thanks for yet another great TR yflyer!! Always wanted to head to Berlin but never got the chance to... Might try for next year..
                  God must have been a ship owner, he placed the raw materials far from where they are needed and covered two-thirds of the earth with water...

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Pinkfloyd View Post
                    Thanks for yet another great TR yflyer!! Always wanted to head to Berlin but never got the chance to... Might try for next year..
                    Thanks, Pinkfloyd! You'll definitely enjoy Berlin!

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