Irish Timesjournalist Davin O'Dwyerwas amazed by the number of security checks that had been squeezed into Berlin's Schönefeld Airport
Germans usually deserve their reputation for organisation. Berlin's public transport works like a dream, for instance. But there is one place that threatens to dismantle the notion of Teutonic efficiency: Schönefeld Airport.
Originally serving East Berlin, unlike Tegel and Tempelhof airports, which served the west, Schönefeld has to deal with far more people than it was designed for - the equivalent of a fast-growing schoolboy whose trousers now resemble breeches.
You might be able to ignore the insufficient space were it not for the extraordinary number of security checks. All luggage is X-rayed before you can even enter the check-in area, causing a queue that snakes to the top of the escalators. Once you've negotiated the overlapping check-in lines, there is another congested queuing area for the usual security checks.
Better catch your breath while you can, because before you can enter the seating area at your gate there's another security check, after which you can't easily re-enter the shopping and dining area.
Once at the gate, pray that your flight is on time, because there won't be enough space for everyone to sit, and if the aircraft is delayed for anything like the two hours ours was, tempers and temperatures will be at boiling point by the time you finally board.