Flight Report
BA 994 London Heathrow - Berlin
8 Sept 2025
16:10 - 19:05

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I last visited Berlin almost 20 years ago and now that I'm based in London, it seems an easy short trip option. BA had competive fares and with hand-carry only, the total cost remained very affordable. Their airport is also new, albeit scandal-laden and opened after many delays amidst stories of mismanagement and incompetence.

Initially, I thought of flying out of London City instead of Heathrow to Berlin since the flight time is a little shorter and the flight path would be more spectacular. However, with the Tube strike, I didn't want to risk travelling through Central London even on the Elizabeth Line. The DLR was still running that day so it could have worked but in the end, I settled with Heathrow to avoid any potential surprises.

Arriving at Terminal 5 2 hours before departure, I had plenty of time to print my boarding pass and drop my suitcase. Security was a breeze with barely a line and the new smarter machines where electronics don't need to be taken out.

In no time, I was air-side in a typically crowded departure hall. Next time, I might arrive a bit closer to the departure time since my gate would not show for another hour. Heathrow loves doing this by giving notice to the gate very close to departure time.

The middle section of the terminal was extremely busy so I ventured to the edges where the gates not being used had plenty of bench seating. This was my little corner of serenity but I did head back out to grab a sandwich and check on my gate.

The Fortnum and Mason store had Halloween products available already. It's only early September!

However, close to boarding time, I found out that my flight would be delayed by about 20 minutes.

Gate 12 is quite small, being at the edge of the shopping area so there aren't many seats. While 1 sign said we're boarding, the other said to continue waiting. A group of people was already lined up and ready to go.

We all boarded fairly quickly and settled shortly after our original departure time. We eventually pushed back at 4:29pm for a long taxi to the other side of the airport, taking off 19 minutes later.

Today's flight is a relatively short 1.5 hours only.

As we left a partly cloudy London with a bumpy initial climb, the crew sprang into action and started distributing oat cookies and a small bottle of water. I connected to the wifi for free messaging with my BA account and watched the scenery unfold outside.

Otherwise, the flight was uneventful although I scanned for the European coastline after the short English Channel crossing and I think that's Antwerp down there.

We descended as the sunlight faded away into the early evening.

We landed at 7:11pm but were held on the tarmac for a bit. The cockpit announcement noted we're waiting for the Lufthansa flight to push back before we can park at the gate. We finally moved again after 6 minutes, arriving about 15 minutes late overall.

It didn't look like a busy airport with far less activity than Frankfurt or Munich.

I thought Czech ceased operations already? Why is their plane here and moving?

The parking position was quite good as I exited pretty much right to immigration. There were only a few people waiting and many counters open so I was out in no time. Luggage also came out fairly quickly and I exited land-side within half an hour of arrival.

The terminal looked fairly new and clean with a sleek yet simple design. There was a sprinkle of food options although there are a few more including a supermarket at the train station. I looked for the tourist information office to get my Welcome Card, which includes public transport and attraction admissions for the next few days.

The train station is a level down and within the terminal building as well. It was only a few minutes wait for the S bahn into the city. I decided to base in nearby Schonefeld, just a short ride from the airport, where there are many branded hotels at extremely affordable prices. With a transport pass, I could endure a 40-minute commute into the city.