GP: We had to do two 'departures' and two 'arrivals'. We were given a fake name for each flight and instructions on what baggage we have to take with us. My first flight was i) luggage trolley, ii) two check-in bags and no hand luggage.

 

Second flight was just one check-in bag, no hand luggage, but had to go through the process of reclaiming VAT on goods I had in my bag. 

 

So at the start we grabbed our bags from an arrivals carousel, proceeded to the check-in hall and looked at the screen to find our check in desk.

 

Then we checked in and did all the usual tasks like going to the gate and showing our passport, then we got onto a bus instead of a plane.

Then we were driven around to arrivals, and went through passport control, and then to the carousels to 'collect bags' where we picked bags ready for our next 'departure'.

No special clothes were needed apart from a high-vis waistcoat and an ID badge. Had to follow security protocols as normal i.e. no 100ml+ liquids etc. 

TL: What was it like? Were there any highlights/strange things about the day?

GP: They gave us a packed lunch and it was truly the “wurst” sandwich I'd ever had in my life. It was terrible. Lousy coffee and all that.

 

So apart from the interest or thrill of seeing the new airport, being a test passenger is as boring as being a normal one…waiting around at each stage. But I appreciate that it's important that they do need passengers to check that all the wheels turn, so to say. 

 

What was funny was seeing other passengers who were allocated oversize luggage. The guy in front of me had this massive, massive pole, and we're all chatting in the queue wondering what it was, and it turns out he was meant to be a “Hochspringer” (high jumper).  Some poor woman was wheeling around this massive cello case and all that malarkey. 

 

The airport seems ready but some of the shops need fitting out. 

TL: Did you notice anything particularly interesting about the new airport and the building?

 

The airport certainly looks nice with nice wooden finishes inside, and from the outside it looks elegant, straight from an architect's desk.

 

But we all know it's short on capacity – the check in hall is the usual grand style, but with so few check-in desks that they've already built an add-on check in desk to the side. You sense that there will be pinch points, but it's only when it opens with the full number of passengers that we'll see. The pandemic offers them a chance to have a true soft opening.

 

The McDonalds just before the check-in hall is so small that I'm certain my apartment is bigger. It's true that you don't have to walk miles and miles to get to your gate, but on the other hand, there's clearly not a huge offering in terms of shopping and dining. 

 

I think passengers will certainly enjoy the direct rail access to the station underneath the airport, as opposed to the shivering, cold walk to and from Schönefeld S-Bahn.

 

TL: How does it feel to be one of the first people to try out Berlin's very long-awaited new airport?

GP: I do feel like I've got an insight into this most notorious of airports before the average Berliner has, but what will the average Berliner think when they use it for the first time in November? They'll just shrug their shoulders and get on with it.

 

TL: Is there anything that could be confusing?

 

GP: With Schönefeld changing its name to Terminal 5, I think there's going to be immense confusion with passengers arriving/departing at the wrong terminal, and desperately trying to figure out how to get to the “other” terminal, not realising it's another bloody airport on the other side of the runway.

Volunteers at BER airport on July 28th. Photo: DPA

 

TL: Any tips for those of us going in future?

Berlin's new airport was due to open in 2011 but delays and scandals put it on hold for almost a decade. 

LEARN MORE: The never-ending story: How BER airport became the laughing stock of Berlin

Its building costs have reportedly more than tripled from the roughly €2 billion initially budgeted to more than €7 billion to date.

Meanwhile, in 2016, a former manager was jailed for accepting a bribe.

The notorious delays led Berlin's then mayor Klaus Wolverweit to step down in 2015.

The new airport is located in Schönefeld in the state of Brandenburg. October 31st is Reformation Day and a public holiday in this state.

It will replace the capital's old Tegel and Schönefeld airports. Berlin-Brandenburg is also known as Willy Brandt airport after the former West German chancellor.