Brussels Airlines

BRU-LHR.Checked in online and walked straight to the gate. The bus driver didn't seem to know where the RJ100 was parked and drove us around almost every corner of the airport. The suitcase (even though it is within cabin luggage size limits) does not fit in the AVRO overhead lockers. Typically FA's place it in the front of the plane and hand it over when leaving the aircraft. Last week the flight to LHR was delayed by more than one hour There was no food no coffee no tea due to a strike at the catering company. When leaving the aircraft I asked for my luggage and was told to get it on the conveyor. After passing the IRIS scan instead of passport control (which is a real time saver in London) I could wait for over 30 minutes to receive my cabin luggage back. Usually SN Brussels Airlines has a very good staff and service but this time a was slightly disappointed.

NCL-BRU in Economy Flex. The small embraer plane is operated by BMI Regional. Very punctual service only one cabin crew each way but they were excellent. The food was good. My only gripe was that I wished I'd flown Economy and saved money. The seat is exactly the same as is the leg oom. In reality the extra money (which was considerable) is really for a newspaper a couple of drinks and a cold meal. If you are on a flight for less than two hours then I would recommend economy.

CPHBRU-BRS return in economy classflights on time. Cabin staff very service minded and helpful. Seat pitch more than adequate. Even though I had to pay for drinks and snacks the prices were OK food fresh and a good selection of Belgian beer. There's also diabtec friendly food and a vegetarian option. Only moment of irritation was transfer at BRU which when transferring from Schengen to Non-Schengen requires at least 25 mins of walking.

ATH to BRU in B-flex. ot stuck in ATH with so many others due to the volcano eruption - very well taken care of. Brussels Airlines arranged accomodation for us very well informed and promptly rebooked and sent home as soon as operations resumed. Very nice cabin crews in both directions.

MAD-BRU-NBO return with my Miles & More miles. Short haul flights on old 737s but cabins were clean and decent. We were on b-flex economy so were offered a meal which was nice. Long haul on A330-300 with nice pitch but no IFE which would have made a big difference and ok meals. Cabin crews very good except for NBO-BRU where more veteran FAs not so nice. Overall a reliable airline with acceptable service.

Brussels to Berlin in b-light and back in b-flex. Clean and comfortable Avro's with good legroom and wide seats (only 5 seats in a row). Crew friendly and with good language skills. Food in b-flex nothing to write home about but drinks of good quality and plentifull. Check- in in Brussels quick and easy thanks to my silver status with Miles and More. Completely other story at check-in in Berlin. One attendant only arrived two hours before departure and as there was only one row nobody cared about priority check-in for premium passengers. Unacceptable.

BRU-GVA-BRU in b.light. Outbound flight on nearly full Avro RJ 100. Only two FA's but very friendly service. Flight arrived on time. Return flight on ageing B737-300. Departure delayed due to late arrival of aircraft and further delays due to heavy traffic at GVA. Arrived in BRU one hour late. Only three FA's on this full evening flight very poor service. Maybe not if you were in business or b.flex (one third of all passengers). Sales of drinks and snacks in b.light by just one FA (what were the others up to?) started just two minutes before descent into BRU. Very rushed service as a result. Service in general mostly non-existant unfriendly and disinterested. Simply not good enough given the fact the return fare was EUR 250. Taped announcements very annoying. Live announcements in Dutch virtually incomprehensible.

I fly regularly between Porto and Gothenburg via Brussels with Brussels Airlines. The time table suits me the way you are treated is very good cabins are clean and comfortable and as far as service is concerned you get what you pay for. And the prices are very good compared with other options I have.

Problem of Brussels Airline is that they have to decide if they are a low cost or a standard airline. Low cost prices are not so low but if you are travelling at full price you are served like a low cost airline this applies in particular for ground services in the airport: long queues bad info personnel not trained to handle unexpected events such delays or cancellations and very few people at the help desks. Before from Brussels there was the choice between SN Brussels and Virgin Express both company were delivering good value for money - when they merged together they took the worst of both airlines and put it on the same plane!

The biggest problem of Brussels Airlines is that in a mostly small Avroliner cabin three classes are done. Passengers in business do not even have the privacy of a curtain. In business a very cheap champagne is offered. The meal service in so called B flex is usually rather poor - a company that started very good after the Sabena disaster as SN Brussels even offering hot croissants in economy now approach the level of a cheap carrier.