airberlin
is now operating up to three flights a day from Berlin to Warsaw.
Recently Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO
airberlin, Hartmut Mehdorn, Chief Executive of Berlin Brandenburg
Airport and Dr. Jerzy Józef Marganski, Poland’s Ambassador to
Germany, inaugurated the new connection between the German and Polish
capitals at Berlin-Tegel Airport.
"We look forward to welcoming the flight guests who will be travelling from Berlin to Warsaw with airberlin as of today. This service up to three times daily makes us the airline offering the largest number of flights between Berlin and Warsaw. The flights are optimally integrated into our route network, giving passengers access to numerous connections on our European and worldwide route networks. The addition of nonstop flights to Warsaw is in line with the improvements we are making to the efficiency of our route network, which we strategically revise in 2013. Poland is a key market in this respect," said Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO airberlin.
Hartmut Mehdorn, Chief Executive Officer of Berlin Brandenburg Airport: "The launch of the route to Warsaw further strengthens the airberlin hub at Tegel Airport. I am particularly pleased that our capital city is now even better connected with the capital city of our neighbour Poland thanks to this new service. Additionally, it creates more transfer options for Polish passengers in Berlin, especially for long-haul destinations. The Polish market offers great development potential for our company, and accordingly we provide our Polish-speaking passengers with information in their native language on our website and in flyers."
"Berlin and Warsaw, Poland and Germany: They are getting closer and closer! I am very pleased about the new connection between Berlin and Warsaw. For me, it means that another airline has recognised Poland’s potential. I am convinced that this service will benefit Warsaw as much as Berlin, and contribute to the growing German-Polish partnership. It will enable those who are visiting for short periods of time for personal, political or commercial purposes to take care of their affairs with more flexibility. At the same time, this new connection is another addition to the assortment of destinations available from the Warsaw and Berlin airports. The new connection is also an important step towards creating a more complete network between Poland and Germany. It also offers a good opportunity for German and Polish guests alike to be personally won over by the commercial potential and tourist attractions offered in both countries", said Dr. Jerzy Józef Marganski, Poland’s Ambassador to Germany.
From Monday to Friday airberlin operates three flights a day from Berlin to Warsaw. At the weekend one flight leaves for Warsaw on Saturdays and two flights on Sundays. As of today, the airline is also increasing the number of flights to Krakow to three per day. airberlin will continue to operate up to two flights a day to Gdansk. Passengers from Poland have a choice of connections to nine cities in Germany and 42 destinations on the European route network, including Dusseldorf, Vienna, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo, as well as Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Rome and Tel Aviv. On the intercontinental route network there are a total of six long-haul destinations to choose from. The new connection to Chicago, which airberlin is also initiating on 23rd March from Berlin, is especially attractive for flight guests from Poland. Other destinations on offer in the USA are New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Through airberlin’s partner Etihad Airways there are codeshare flights available from Abu Dhabi to another 26 destinations in Australia, Asia and Africa.
The day finally arrived: airberlin took off for the first time from Berlin to Chicago, thus becoming the first airline with a nonstop connection from the German capital to the city on Lake Michigan. After Fort Myers, Los Angeles, Miami and New York, Chicago is now the fifth US destination to which airberlin flies nonstop from Germany. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO airberlin, and Hartmut Mehdorn, Chief Executive of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, inaugurated the new connection in an official ceremony at Tegel Airport attended by special guests Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin, and James Melville, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America. Flight AB7420 took off at 10:00 from Berlin-Tegel and landed at 13:10 local time at the fourth largest airport in the world, Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO airberlin, made the following statement on the occasion of the inaugural flight event: "The addition of the new connection between Berlin and Chicago is in line with our network strategy for 2013. With this nonstop service we are not only strengthening our Berlin hub, but at the same time continuing to build up our presence in the USA which is a strategically important growth market for airberlin. The Midwest is a major economic and industrial centre, and Chicago is the trade and logistics centre of the United States of America. At the same time, this new connection enables us to further maximise the synergies available with our oneworld® partner American Airlines. Starting today, we will extend the existing American Airlines codeshare agreement in the U.S. by 41 connecting destinations from Chicago."
Klaus Wowereit, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, added: "The nonstop service from Berlin to Chicago makes a strong mark on international aviation and is an important step in the expansion of our transatlantic connections. Thanks to airberlin’s commitment, our city is directly connected to the third-largest metropolis in the United States. The foundation for new economic and cultural contacts has been laid. I will be speaking locally with my Chicago colleague Rahm Emanuel and business representatives about the opportunities opening up for Berlin as a result of this."
Hartmut Mehdorn, Chief Executive Officer of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH: "airberlin’s new long-haul service to Chicago further boosts the appeal of Berlin-Brandenburg as an aviation location. Passengers can now fly from Tegel Airport to four cities in the United States: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. I am very pleased that airberlin is continuing to expand its hub in Berlin."
James Melville, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States of America: "We are delighted that the United States is the favorite long-distance travel destination for Germans and we want to give a warm welcome to everybody who comes to us as a tourist or business traveler, for education or family visits."
The 295 guests enjoyed jazz music, mini burgers and cupcakes at the gate in anticipation of their flight to Chicago. The flight guests include a Berlin delegation with Klaus Wowereit, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, as well as airberlin CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, who will be marking the occasion of the maiden flight by visiting the third largest city in the US and meeting with business and media representatives there.
airberlin operates the service on its new route to Chicago on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with an Airbus A330-200. Starting 1st May, Germany's second largest airline will also fly every Wednesday and Sunday, thus increasing the number of weekly flights from three to five. With the optimal departure times in Berlin, airberlin currently offers feeder flights from eight German cities as well as twelve further European destinations including Helsinki, Krakow, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Vienna and Zurich. The connecting flights to Chicago via Berlin are particularly attractive for travellers from Warsaw, the new European destination in the airberlin route network. In the U.S. airberlin offers its flight guest, due to the expanded codeshare agreement with the oneworld partner American Airlines, also numerous connections from all airberlin destinations in North America in almost every region in the United States. Travellers from Berlin can easily reach major American cities such as Minneapolis, New Orleans and Seattle with only one stop via Chicago.
