9,000 flight connections per week: Transit connections at airberlin's Berlin hub hit new record high

One year prior to the opening of the new Berlin airport, Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt (BER), airberlin's hub has already scored top marks. In the summer of 2011, airberlin is offering its passengers in the German capital 9,000 flight connections per week, more connections than ever before. Since May 2010, airberlin has been continuously expanding the hub, and was already offering approximately 6,000 flight connections last summer.

The hub structure is based on six daily waves of traffic coming from the East, West, North and South. During these peak times, up to 24 airberlin flights arrive from within Germany and Europe, as well as from intercontinental locations. The passengers can take connecting flights, which leave the airport in the subsequent wave of traffic. In June 2011, following a continuous period of growth, the share of transit passengers reached 17 percent. The highest percentage recorded so far on a single day was approximately 23 percent. A high degree of punctuality in combination with precisely coordinated processes in ground handling ensures smooth operations.

This summer, airberlin is offering a total of 70 flight destinations that can be reached on non-stop flights from Berlin. On weekdays, airberlin flies to twelve of these destinations at least three times a day. This flight selection caters to airberlin's own passengers, while also meeting the expectations of airberlin's oneworld® partners. Passengers traveling with American Airlines, S7, British Airways, Iberia or Finnair are already enjoying the comprehensive number of flights available in Central Europe. Among the new European destinations starting from Berlin are Linz, Olbia and Verona. Furthermore, in the first half of 2011, flight capacity to Barcelona, Rome, St. Petersburg and Saarbrücken was increased.

"The Berlin hub is already running smoothly and we are further expanding it with the BER Airport in mind", commented Joachim Hunold, CEO airberlin. "By adding just a single new flight route, we are able to provide several new transit combinations. The hub concept enables us to offer new destinations more rapidly and to fly long-distance routes in a profitable manner." airberlin's flight destinations from the German capital include Bangkok, Dubai, Miami and since May four weekly flights to New York.

About airberlin:
airberlin is Germany's second largest airline. The company has a workforce of 8,900 employees. In 2010 alone, airberlin received over 10 awards for service and quality. The fleet comprises of 170 aircraft with an average age of five years, making it one of the most modern fleets in Europe. The airline's state-of-the-art jets are highly fuel efficient, which contributes toward a long-term reduction in pollution emissions from aircraft. As one of the major European airlines, airberlin flies to 163 destinations in 39 countries. In 2010, the airline carried 33.6 million passengers. airberlin has signed up for membership to the global airline alliance oneworld® and is expected to become a full member at the start of 2012. airberlin has been offering flights under codeshare agreements with American Airlines and Finnair since November 2010.

Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG
Press Office
Saatwinkler Damm 42-43
D-13627 Berlin
Tel.: + 49 30 3434 1500
Mail: abpresse@airberlin.com

This release was published on openPR.