Brandenburg (Berlin) airport curse: freezing check-in and electric shocks
Managing to open the doors of the Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Berlin was not easy. A process that can be considered a [...]
BER
Being able to open the doors of theBrandenburg Airport (BER) to Berlin has not been easy. A process that can be considered a real feat, given the obstacles encountered along the way.
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Starting with the long delay in the delivery of the facility, which promises to play a crucial role in the revival of German tourism in 2021 and, in general, post Covid-19. A delay of about 10 years. A decade not foreseen in the initial plan, which required an increase in the budget, exceeding the planned and initially allocated threshold of more than 4 billion euros.
All's well that ends well. Those who are used to looking at the glass half full might say this. Too bad, however, that the situation is still delicate. Berlin's Brandenburg Airport is far from perfect. One problem above all else has brought the facility into discussion among insiders and travelers alike.
Why is it freezing at Brandenburg Airport?
The years spent studying every detail of the airport have served to ensure the best possible service for German and foreign travelers. One example is the excellent connection developed between the airport and the subway. Considering its centrality, it was essential to be able to take full advantage of it, switching from one medium to the other without having to leave the facility indoors.
Here, then, is where the train to BER allows passengers to set foot on the platform and, a few steps away, access the escalators. These lead into the heart of Terminal 1, the airport's main terminal. All perfect, at least on paper.
However, the project managers did not take into account the temperatures in the region. Allowing such access, without precautions, guaranteed free passage to the Frigid winds from the subway tunnel to the check-in area.
This means that in winter (not that it is that warm in the fall) one can experience the chill, in every sense of the word, of a large number of gusts ready to envelop the underbelly of the building. On many days, it seems, temperatures don't even touch 10°C.
For the time being, a temporary solution has been adopted, namely the closure of check-in desks located near the railway terminal. A band-aid on a wound that runs deep, considering how the frost is spreading to other areas as well.
Shocks to security personnel
While temperature is one of the most serious problems, being a structural obstacle, it is certainly not the only one inside Brandenburg Airport. One of the first to be raised, to say the least, is that of the Electric shocks received by staff security officer.
Something must be done to bring the check-in system up to code. Many employees have suffered painful electric shocks while checking passengers' luggage. Incidents that may bring a smile to readers' faces, but are quite serious in practice. On Jan. 6, to point to an example that has a resounding edge, there were several incidents, to the point that as many as four security personnel had to be called in for emergency medical personnel.
