Hello and welcome to my 2014's Rome-Berlin flight report. You can read how I got from Argentina to Italy in my previous report. I hope you find this report of a now defunct airline interesting. Also I have a kind of special tourist bonus at the end http://flight-report.com/en/report-8751.html
That sunny morning I left my hotel at Fiumicino and took a shuttle with an Alitalia's crew. The Leonardo Da Vinci Airport reminds me the Buenos Aires-Ezeiza Airport in the 80s. Old and dark terminal.
The FIDS for that day
Two hours before the scheduled departure time, there was an increasing queue but the counter remained closed. I know Germanwings was a LCC. For me, it was surprising that two capital cities like Rome and Berlin weren't connected by Lufthansa. At least at that time.
Finally after checking in, I passed security and went airside. Clearly, FCO is not a spotter friendly airport. Alitalia B772 and Qatar Airways A330
A nice Thai B744 and a Norwegian 738
More queueing. This time for boarding on time.
Walking to the jetbridge
I think the seats were similar to those Lufthansa's Recaro infamous slim seats. The hard airport seats are much more comfortable than them.
A Germanwings A320 next to us
As you can see. Seat pitch was OK for my (limited) height. And the middle seat was empty the whole flight
In flight magazine, GW. So creative…
Safety card
The plane had the older Airbus cabin but was well maintained and clean
Finally boarding finished and we were ready to go
Fiumicino ATC and its curious checkerboard
We started taxiing
Wizz Air A320
A Vueling A320 was behind us
An Iberia A321 was in front of us
Ready for take off
Off the ground
Bye bye FCO
The Fiumicino Village and the Tyrrhenian Sea
Cruising altitude
Germanwings destinations. This was the IFE for this flight
My ticket fare allowed me to get that bag containing a small sandwich, a tiny mineral water and a microscopic cookie
And don't forget the free drink. Tea for me, please. The cabin crew was nice
I haven't seen before a fuel cavity on the upper wing surface of an A320
Nice views
We started descent. I think that's Berlin Brandenburg Airport. I hope my great-grandchildren will live enough to see that airport opening lol
Some socialist architecture visible
The Fernsehturm (TV tower)
You can spot the Weltballon at the distance
Almost there
We landed on time. No doubt we were in Germany
Yes, the old Berlin-Tegel. A concrete monument. Seems that Stalinist architecture was trendy in Western Berlin, too.
Disembarking
That was my A319
I got my suitcase and took the bus to Kurfürstendamm Avenue where my hotel was. If you remember the Brazil's World Cup final match, you might agree with me that traveling to Germany wasn't the most clever idea for an Argentinean. When I got to my hotel, the German TV was broadcasting the World Cup celebration at Brandenburg Gate. Including the so called "Gaucho dance" made by the Germany football team… lol
Now the tourism bonus. I decided to explore the former Tempelhof Airport. A nazi eagle is still visible
The Airlift Memorial outside the airport, remembering the Western Allies flights during the Soviet Blockade
Tempelhof is an icon of Nazi monumental architecture and had been called one of the greatest buildings of modern age
Starting the guided tour
Departures FIDS at one of the gates
An endless corridor
Arrival
The main hall full of avgeeks
The check in counters remained almost intact
The main FIDS and former restaurant
The baggage carousel
Outside, the nazi eagle that was on the top of the terminal building, after WWII was decapitated and its head is shown
A Douglas DC-6 used in the Berlin Airlift
When tour finished I went to the runway. Walking on a closed airport is a very strange feeling. I felt quite nostalgic and happy at the same time.
I hope you enjoyed this flight report. Comments are welcome!
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Verdict
Germanwings
5.0/10
Cabin4.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi4.0
Buy-on-board menu5.0
Rome - FCO
5.8/10
Efficiency7.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness6.0
Berlin - TXL
6.2/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness6.0
Conclusion
A standard regional flight with the now defunct Germanwings. The slims seats were uncomfortable even for a short flight. The cabin crew was rather nice. Some ticket fares include a sandwich and a bottle of water. Otherwise you need to buy meal on board. The IFE was limited to the in flight magazine. The flight arrived on time
0 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
4U is not so bad. Your ticket fare allowed you to get this meal bag. In a way, it's a better offer than LH and famous free sandwich.
Nice bonus concerning Berlin. I don't think Tegel was built in a communist style, just this post-war modern style. Allies gave support to this project mainly.
Thanks for sharing this report on pre-merger Germanwings. I haven't been to Germany lately, but I'm assuming most planes are still painted in the Germanwings colors, but flying as Eurowings.
The Leonardo Da Vinci Airport reminds me the Buenos Aires-Ezeiza Airport in the 80s. Old and dark terminal. - Haha, I just got done saying in another report that FCO is a dump. Yet someone else who thinks so :-)
The cabin interior looks a lot like any Lufthansa Airbus A32X, with those grey slimline ironing board NEK seats.
Thanks for the interesting AvGeek-Historical bonus. In retrospect, closing Tempelhof a few year ago was probably a bad idea considering that BER is STILL not open and aging TXL and SXF and having a hard time handling all the traffic.
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16 reviews
6 Comments
4U is not so bad. Your ticket fare allowed you to get this meal bag.
In a way, it's a better offer than LH and famous free sandwich.
Nice bonus concerning Berlin.
I don't think Tegel was built in a communist style, just this post-war modern style.
Allies gave support to this project mainly.
I know TXL was the airport of Western Berlin, I was just kidding. No matter your ideology, architects in the 70s were so much in love with concrete...
The Leonardo Da Vinci Airport reminds me the Buenos Aires-Ezeiza Airport in the 80s. Old and dark terminal.
- Haha, I just got done saying in another report that FCO is a dump. Yet someone else who thinks so :-)
The cabin interior looks a lot like any Lufthansa Airbus A32X, with those grey slimline ironing board NEK seats.
Thanks for the interesting AvGeek-Historical bonus. In retrospect, closing Tempelhof a few year ago was probably a bad idea considering that BER is STILL not open and aging TXL and SXF and having a hard time handling all the traffic.
Thanks for sharing!
LOL about the Germanwings/Eurowings/Lufthansa grey slimline ironing board NEK seats
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