Quick note: both of the posts so far today (10/11/14) have poo-pooed various things. I do not like to focus on negativity, but want to be honest. There are lots of good things coming, I promise! 

As part of Eurotrip 2014, I had the opportunity to visit the Air France lounge following my unannounced schedule change to an Airberlin flight TXL-JFK.

I showed up two hours early, and was oddly directed to the Air France lounge even though there was a British Airways lounge on the floor beneath it (?). I don’t know what kind of crazy voodoo AB worked out with AF but whatever. I was early and was in need of coffee.

This lounge sucks. Everything one would want in a lounge pre-flight, it lacks. It’s very dated, with pleathery chairs and industrial carpet. I can get over that. Here’s what I want in the morning before a flight:

• Coffee
• Blazing fast internet
• Outlets galore
• A bathroom

I mean, right? Otherwise what’s the point. In this case, I would’ve been better off at the gate.

For one, the coffee comes out of one of those Euro coffee machines that they love so much. Uch. I pressed the button for regular ol’ coffee and what came out was some brown, disgusting drivel. I couldn’t drink it.

There was supposedly internet, but I could not get it to work. I restarted my phone, turned the wifi function off and back on again, etc. My phone told me I was connected at the strongest signal level, but no pages would load.

Only one or two of the seats have access to outlets. They have these lamps plugged in everywhere but there is only one plug-in where the outlets are, and it’s for the lamps. The seats are plopped wherever with no rhyme or reason, and hardly any of them are near outlets.

And when it came time for a quick pee, I was told to go back to the terminal and go to Starbucks. This was ironic. The Starbucks had drinkable coffee, outlets, free internet and a bathroom. In this case, I paid the couple of Euros for a coffee and ran from that lounge.

There were a few food items, some juices, and a bar set out with liquers and beers. I had a few nibbles and got the hell out of there. It’s also landside, so even after all that, you still have to get through security and passport control. Just all-in-all not an ideal situation for an airport lounge.

Bottom line

There is another lounge at TXL accessible with Priority Pass – the Berlin Airportclub Lounge – and I do wonder if that one would be a better option. It seems all the lounges here are landside, unfortunately.

Are there any good lounges at TXL? I didn’t find out on this trip. Readers, does anyone else have an experience with the lounges here? I’d be curious to know how my perception stacks up or if I’m just being a bitch.

Update: I heard other people in the lounge talking about the exact same stuff. One lady was really put off by hearing that she had to use the restroom in Starbucks.

Update 2: I passed the Berlin Airportclub Lounge on the way to the gate and it looked like a CLUSTER, just FYI. *full body cringe*

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