About Air Berlin

When you need to get somewhere fast, you typically will fly by way of an airline. There are many airlines on the market today that one has to choose from. Selecting the best airline can be a difficult decision. Air Berlin is Germany’s second largest airline that provides access to over 170 destinations across Europe and beyond. The airline was founded in 1978 and is currently considered one of the swankiest airlines in Europe.

Air Berlin is the third largest budget airline in Europe and is considered a hybrid between a low-cost and a traditional airline. The airline flies 170 planes with an average age of 5 years. The company prides itself on state-of-the-art plane interiors that are:

• Comfortable
• Clean
• Roomy

While Air Berlin first started out as a small airline, the company has made an effort to become a big player in the airline space. The airline now flies new planes, offers more in-flight services (they’ve even introduced lie-flat business class seating), and they joined the Oneworld airline alliance. The airline is no longer a cheap budget airline but instead a major and expanding player.

Top Features Of Air Berlin

As an airline that is looking to make a name in the airline industry, Air Berlin has really made some drastic improvements to its service and planes that have really enhanced the overall features of the airline. Some of the top features of the airline are the way that the airline presents itself. The planes are tidy, roomy and modern which makes flying on them enjoyable. The planes also even include individual TV screens, which serve to keep flyers entertained during his/her time on the plane.

As a low-cost carrier, the airline is very accommodating to its flyers in that one is able to avoid heavy penalties for flying one-way or for canceling a flight last minute. The round-trip fare is exactly the sum of two one-ways and the airline offers connecting flights that are reasonably priced. The airline also takes care of its passengers if they miss the connecting flight due to the airline’s fault.

Air Berlin trumps traditional carriers in some way in that even on short-haul flights, you get up to 20kg of free check-in baggage allowance. A free baggage check-in is always very appealing to flyers since typically the flight tickets are already quite pricey. Air Berlin realizes this and therefore tries to take away the burden of the additional add-ons the best that they can.

While the features of the actual Air Berlin airline are overall positive, it’s important to also look at the features of the airline’s website. After all, the first encounter that users will have with the Air Berlin company is through the use of the website. As such, the company has tried to make finding flights and purchasing tickets on the website as easy as possible. Through visiting Airberlin.com users are able to effortlessly find flights through an easy to use search portal. The portal has a very impressive filter, which really is able to narrow down the best flights for your destination and budget.

As with all other budget carriers, it’s cheaper if you book early and as such Air Berlin offers deep discounts to those who book way in advance. The website even also includes a special offers section which includes the latest deals and offers. It is in this section that visitors to the site can also find additional discounts on hotels and rental cars. Here, consumers have the option to purchase a package deal and bundle. These deals typically will combine a flight, hotel and rental car all in one and can be the most economical way to book a trip.

For those who are frequent flyers or travelers, Air Berlin also offers a Top Bonus program on its website. This service is housed under a separate section of the website and requires users to set up an account. Once an account is set up, consumers will start to rack up points. The more you fly, the more points you will collect. The ultimate goal of the program is to collect enough points for a free trip. The amount of points needed for a free trip varies depending on the program or current rules. First time users will automatically receive 500 welcome miles just for signing up for an account.

Air Berlin Prices

How much a flight costs through the Air Berlin website depends on a number of components. The main areas that effect the price of the flights include: how far in advance the booking takes place, where you are flying to, when you are flying, and which class you would like to fly under. Since flight prices are always changing, it really is important for consumers to keep a close eye on the current rates. It is also recommended to consider purchasing a flight through the airline’s special offers section.

Criticism Of Air Berlin

Everyone knows that nothing is perfect. As much as Air Berlin has tried to reinvent itself in recent years to become one of the premiere European airlines, there are still many areas where the airline needs to focus more attention. In particular, many consumers have qualms over the prices that Air Berlin charges. Passengers have to shell out additional euros each leg to pre-assign a seat, depending on length of flight and if you want more legroom or an exit row. That means adding at least $40 more to tickets already being sold for a hefty $1,150 on average.

This pricing issue goes against Air Berlin’s overall strategy of trying to cut the burden of additional costs to the consumer. While consumers might save on their carry-ons, they will spend on legroom.

Another nickel-and-dime issue that many flyers of the airline have is the charging long-haul customers 3 euros for ear buds while on the flight. Also, requesting that passengers shell out 5 euros each for any other alcoholic beverage ordered outside the single cup of wine or beer given while on the flight.

As one can see, the main complaints that many have with the airline is over prices. The airline does not seem to be overly sensitive to the high price-points that it sells its tickets and on-board services. Regardless of these complaints, these added costs do not seem to be slowing down air travel since consumers are still flocking to the airline’s website to book tickets for their next trip.

Customer Support

A visit to the airline’s website does not make it easy to find a way to contact the Air Berlin with any issues. There is a FAQ section of the site though and this is where one will also find the contact information for the airline. The airline encourages users to view the FAQ section prior to calling the airline directly with any issues, comment or complaint. If one would like to get in touch with the airline directly, the only way this is possible is through a phone call. The airline does not currently have a website or live support chat functionality.

Final Takeaway

When it comes to finding the right airline, many factors come into play. That said, the main areas that are the most important to frequent flyers are a low-price point and good service and accommodations. Air Berlin is able to excel in its accommodations since it has recently rolled out new planes and equipment. The airline is also able to provide some low-fare airplane tickets, it is just a matter of finding them on the website. One way to stay on top of the deals and discounts offered by Air Berlin is to sign up for the airline’s newsletter. The newsletter is e-mailed daily and provides some exclusive deals and promotions.