Good Marks for Flying Amidst Coronavirus at BER

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Air travel is of particular importance for many areas of life – also and especially during the global pandemic. The virus poses special challenges for all those involved in the travel chain. This is all the more true for an airport infrastructure that is only just beginning operations. So it is by no means a matter of course and all the more pleasing for that very reason that passengers give BER good marks for their journeys during the peak period of the pandemic so far.

In the passenger survey at Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER), passengers were satisfied and gave Terminal 1 an overall rating of 1.9 (good). The best ratings were given in the categories cleanliness (overall rating 1.4/WC facilities rating 1.8), security checks (friendliness rating 1.7/waiting time 1.8) and for the waiting areas (comfort of the seating and free WiFi both rated 1.9).

The expectations for the retail and gastronomy provisions (ratings of 2.6 and 2.9 respectively) could not yet be fully met. During the rapid spread of coronavirus during the survey period, most services in this area at BER were closed to protect against infection. The ratings are thus a clear indication that passengers demand shopping and gastronomy provisions and that these are significant for the quality of their airport stay. Just in time for the summer travel season, the momentum of the virus has weakened considerably. As a result, the restaurants and shops in the airport are allowed to open again. Travellers can look forward to a wide range of shopping options such as duty-free, clothing or toys as well as a gastronomic variety such as various types of coffee, currywurst, Italian, Asian and regional specialities.

The airport company regularly surveys passengers in cooperation with the market research company Epinion and evaluates the data monthly in order to monitor and improve the service and quality of the stay. For this purpose, interviewers from Epinion speak to passengers personally. For the results of the survey in the period from November 2020 to April 2021, a total of 6,352 departing passengers were interviewed over 102 days.