The German Way: Life in Austria, Germany, Switzerland

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Frankfurt international airport
The Frankfurt Airport is Germany’s biggest and busiest air hub.
Photo © Hyde Flippo

Airlines | Air Travel | Airports

Increased airline competition in Germany and the rest of Europe has made travel by air a more popular option for travel to, from, or within Europe. In some cases traveling by air can even be cheaper than going by rail in Europe. Lufthansa, for instance, has been offering 99-euro round-trip fares between many cities in Germany and Europe (with conditions, of course). Even when the fare is higher, the time savings offered by the air option may pay off in the long run.

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Low-fare carriers
Increasingly, it is possible to fly to and from, or within Germany on low-fare airlines (Billigflieger) like Air Berlin, easyJet, Ryanair, and others. Standard airlines such as American, Delta and United (with partner Lufthansa) also fly to Frankfurt and other German and other European cities. The former German charter airlines, Condor and LTU (now Air Berlin), now offer low-cost scheduled flights to Germany from the US and Canada. Condor flies out of Anchorage, Calgary, Halifax, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, and other cities — with the advantage of reasonable one-way fares if you need that.

German airports
Most international passengers flying to or from Germany travel via Frankfurt am Main, one of Europe’s biggest airports, but Munich and Düsseldorf are also popular German international hubs (Drehscheiben). As a frequent traveler to Berlin, I am looking forward to the projected opening of Berlin’s new Willy Brandt International Airport in 2012, now under construction next to the former East German Schönefeld Airport.

Berlin (TXL, SXF and BER)
Because of its history (divided Germany and all that), Berlin has lagged far behind other European capital cities in air service. With the scheduled opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (Flughafen Willy-Brandt, BER) in June 2012, I’m hoping that Berlin will begin to catch up with London and Paris in air travel. Berlin’s main Tegel Airport (TXL) is bursting at the seams, but non-stop flights between Berlin and North America are still rare (and mostly to the east coast). The historic Tempelhof Airport in the middle of the city closed in 2008. Schönefeld (SXF), the former East Berlin airport, now offers mostly charter and low-fare (easyJet, Ryanair) flights.

Schönefeld and Tegel will close when BER opens on June 3, 2012. At that point, Lufthansa will greatly expand its European flights to and from Berlin Brandenburg International. Germany’s largest airline has announced it will add 29 new non-stop flights. You can already fly between North America and Berlin on Air Berlin (New York/JFK, Miami, Los Angeles [starting in June 2012]) and United Airlines (Newark). BER is projected to become Germany’s third busiest airport in 2012 (after Frankfurt and Munich).

Also see our Berlin City Guide and other City Guides for Germany.

Good-bye, Tempelhof!
See my “Auf Wiedersehen, Tempelhof!” blog about the closing of Berlin’s historic mid-city airport in October 2008.

Frankfurt International Airport
The view from the visitor's deck at Frankfurt International Airport's Terminal 2. Learn more about this German airport below. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

Frankfurt International (FRA)
As Germany’s busiest, the Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is very modern and has excellent ground connections to the city (only 12 minutes away by S-Bahn rail). The airport has both a long-distance train station (Bahnhof) and a regional station in the airport. If you rent a car, you can be on the autobahn in only a few minutes after picking up your car in Frankfurt. If you are continuing your trip by air, Frankfurt is the best airport in Germany for that.

Also see our Frankfurt City Guide and other City Guides for Germany.

Munich (MUC)
I have flown in and out of Munich many times. MUC is also a very good airport, and Germany’s second largest, with many direct international flights. The current airport is also Germany’s newest, having replaced Munich’s old Riem airport (which is now the new trade fair site) in 1992. Unlike Frankfurt, the Munich Airport is far from town — a 45-minute trip to/from the city, whether you are driving or taking the S-Bahn rail line. Allow time for that.

Also see our Munich City Guide and other City Guides for Germany.

Düsseldorf (DUS)
Düsseldorf International Airport is Germany’s third largest airport, offering flights to many domestic and international destinations. In recent years it has become a key hub for both Air Berlin and Lufthansa. Both airlines offer direct, non-stop flights between Düsseldorf and several US and Canadian cities.

Other German Airports
Other German cities with commercial airports: Cologne/Bonn (CGN), Dresden (DRS), Hamburg (HAM), Leipzig/Halle (LEJ), and Stuttgart (STR). There are also commuter/regional airports in other German cities, but it is usually easier to get around by rail. Low-fare carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet often use Germany’s smaller airports, including Hahn (near Frankfurt) and Lübeck (near Hamburg).

See our links to various airports in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland below.

Web content ©1997-2012 Hyde Flippo

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