Brussels Airlines

Early-morning Geneva-Brussels flight on A319. Comfortable slim line leather seats. Efficient and professional cabin crew. One complaint only: hot beverages unavailable due to water tank left empty because of extreme freezing temperatures in Geneva.

Prague to Brussels return. Travelling as a party of 7 and got a great fare. Outbound flight on a freezing Avro RJ100 - even the FA's had to wear coats in the cold cabin until the temperature rose to an acceptable level some time after takeoff. No complimentary service in b.light but that doesn't matter on a 1.5 hr flight especially when prices for snacks/drinks are quite reasonable. Return on a RJ85 30 min delay from BRU with no explanation given. Both aircraft clean with comfortable leather seats (2+3) and decent legroom for a regional jet.

Brussels to Dakar. On the outbound flight we only learned upon entering the lounge that this flight would not be operated by Brussels but by HiFly! Leg space was poor for a six-hour flight. The crew which consisted of Brussels and HiFly was nice but couldn't really change anything. Inflight entertainment was not available. Quite surprisingly (or not) it was the same for the return. If I can avoid it I will!

I fly BRS-BRU by Brussels Airlines (actually operated by BMI Regional) 3 or 4 times a year. The flights are good; punctuality excellent efficient online check-in comfortable seats and crew efficient. Frankly though they should be as the standard fare (BFlex) is over £600 for two one-hour flights. They claim a cheaper BLight fare exists but even booking 6 or 8 weeks in advance it never seems to be available. To add insult to injury after paying £600+ you are charged £5 to use a credit card that is just extortion. Premium fares and low-cost money grabbing tactics do not go well together.

LHR-BRU return in B. Economy flex. On Airbus A319 and Avro RJ85. Economy flex is essentially economy class on a flexible ticket but has a few advantages. Fast track security is available at both Heathrow Terminal 1 and Brussels which is helpful at peak times. Seating is allocated with an empty middle seat if available which it was on both flights making it similar to business in that sense. Onboard there is complementary food - in the morning a rather bland cheese roll and a pain au chocolat in the afternoon it was two sandwiches and a cake. Still drinks included complementary wine and beer which is welcome. Overall reasonable for what is essentially a 50 minute flight with time built into the schedule to take into account expected delays at Heathrow. Competitively priced with BA on same route and the fully flexible Eurostar fares.

One of the main problems of this airline is the inconsistency of its product. The fleet has been modernized in the last two or three years but they still dispose of many ancient B737s and Avros. Seat pitch is better than with many competitors but broken seats can be found much too often. FA's sometimes are overwhelmingly friendly but as a rule they are uninterested and rude. My last flight BRU-TXL-BRU was quite typical: Outbound flight on a relatively new A319 extremely unfriendly chief purser other FA's indifferent. Inbound on an old Avro but FAs very friendly. Unusually cordial welcome (and farewell) by the Captain and we arrived half an hour early. All bets are off with this airline - expect the best and the worst.

Brussels-Madrid-Brussels and Brussels-Berlin-Brussels in b-flex all in the same week. All flights on time plenty of legroom friendly staff price of beverages and snacks reasonable.

Flew Manchester to Brussels at 06.30 in economy class for business during the cold and snowy 2010 winter. I was expecting delays but check-in staff at the boarding gate had no information as to when the flight would be ready to depart. When finally on the Avro RJ85 aircraft we had to wait for the plane to be defrosted for over 45 mins and then we were put to the end of the queue for take-off. Flight attendants were ignorant and inattentive. Bad flight maybe due to the earliness of the flight and the bad weather. I do however stay loyal to Brussels Airlines due to their great brand image and other reviews.

BRU-MAD. Booked two months in advance yet still relatively expensive compared to Iberia. Therefore expected a better onboard product which was a big mistake. No entertainment not even a newspaper food and drinks had to be paid for even for a glass of water. Staff not overly friendly but did their job. The flight departed and landed on time. Overall an okay airline but I am puzzled about their pricing strategy of maintaining full-service airline prices and delivering low cost product standards.

Dec 2011 Nairobi-Manchester via Brussels. Roomier than most airlines even in economy class but no individual inflight entertainment console just one for the whole area and no choice of movie etc. Food was good nice and hot and a good selection despite it being a diabetic meal. Breakfast was also good. Staff were friendly and helpful but check-in staff at Nairobi were not fantastic and gave me the wrong information about check-in time so I was left standing at the desk for 2 hours. These staff then turned out to be from a different airline. So far I'm happy with the service and value for money.